Pagans: "Asatru"?

Question

I've seen this term twice now.

Answer 1

Wow, look at all the people who beat me here this time, and with such wonderful and comprehensive answers! *G*

Y'all rawk.

. . . so, let me provide a little backstory instead, and some of the core beliefs.

In 1972, Asatru was once again officially recognized as a religion in Iceland, one of the last places to abandon the public worship of the Norse godhs during the Conversion of Europe. At about the same time, and apparently without knowledge of what was going on in Iceland, Steve McNallen, now Drighten of the Asatru Folk Assembly, formed the Viking Brotherhood in the USA.

In its earliest envisionings, Asatru in the US borrowed quite a bit from both paganism and Wicca. A great deal of the scholarship to which we now look hadn't been translated yet, and some it hadn't even been written. Over the last 40 years, the folkways have, for many of us, become more closely and accurately based on and reconstructed from what was actually done and believed 1000+ years ago.

This is still, like many other modern polytheistic traditions, a personal folkway, and one that is very much in transition. There are 4 main defining areas of contention:

1. Folkish vs. Universalist: a Folkish heathen, like myself, believes that Asatru is an indigenous, ethnic, tribal folkway of Northern Europeans and the religious property of their descendants. A Universalist believes that anyone who wants to be Asatru can be. However, IRL, being Folkish means staying *within the culture of our godhs* in our observances and rites . . . Universalism has a greater propensity for adaptation and modernisation.

2. Worldview Reconstruction vs. Modern, Evolving Folkway. Some---again, like myself---believe that heathenry should strive to reconstruct not only the beliefs and traditions as they were originally practiced, but even the worldview from which those beliefs arose, as accurately as possible. Others feel Asatru is a modern religion and should be allowed to grow and change in response to personal and cultural needs and directions.

3. Magic vs. No Magic. Magickal practices and spellwork are not central to our practices and rites, nor is the use of runes required for heathens. Some people are more comfortable with the "woowoo" stuff than others, and certain practices, like runic divination and seidhr, are a bit controversial because the way they're being presented and taught by some doesn't seem terribly well-supported in the historical documents we have.

4. Wordfame vs. Afterlife. For our ancestors, it is pretty clear that the burial mound was seen as one's "afterlife destination," the soul was not separate from one's body, the dead were part of the community of the living, and the only immortality anyone sought was the wordfame of their noble deeds living on in the memory of their kin and tribe. Some of us, myself included, still think that way. Others take a literal interpretation of late-flowering beliefs like Valhalla and Helheim (which I consider metaphors for how we live our life HERE) and some go beyond that to believe in "Halls of One's Fultrui (Patron) Godh/ess" as one's afterlife destination, or some form of reincarnation into one's family line. Since no living person can actually know for sure, ALL of these beliefs are part of heathenry. :-)

One can be any combination of any side or gradation of these four distinctions and still be considered "Asatru." Some of us, like myself, are more comfortable with the word heathen simply because our own beliefs have diverged quite a ways from "Classic Asatru" as the Founders of the Reawakening envisioned it, but for all practical intents and purposes, Heathen = Asatru.

The Nine Noble Virtues have been mentioned, so in closing, I'll just talk about WHY we follow them:

We Are Our Deeds.

This is the one core belief without which one is neither heathen nor Asatru---the conviction that our own actions shape our world, and that we are responsible and accountable, to ourselves, our ancestors, and our descendants, for all that we do.

There's an online course that's a bit dated, but still pretty comprehensive, if you're interested in learning more than this thread has already provided:

http://www.asatru-u.org/

It also provided links to various articles, websites, and booklists. Heathenry tends to be pretty scholarly, and we like to joke that we're the "religion with homework."

Hope this helps clarify.

Answer 2

The core belief of the Asatru is the worship of the Norse gods as living, real, super-human entities. Such worship is done in both private and public. The Asatru believe the Norse gods can (and do) wield power in world today. Some Asatru believe that certain runes can channel the power of the gods, controlled, to a degree, by the rune carver.

The main gods which are worshiped are

Thor - slayer of giants, protector of humanity. Thor's hammer is the most common symbol of the Asatru.
Odin - master of magic, poetry, as well as chaos and death.
Tyr - a god of justice, order, and war.
Freyr - a god of fertility and good fortune.
A few Asatru also worship Loki, although others within the movement think it is madness to worship a god who is dedicated to the destruction of the Earth (see Ragnarök).

A major event for the Asatru is a Blót (usually held in the fall and again around the December solstice). Historically the Blót was a yearly gathering when many animals (and in some places, men) were sacrificed to the gods. The animals were cooked in large pots and then eaten by the whole community. Modern blots are gatherings where much food is cooked and much beer (or ale or mead) is drunk while the gods are praised and their aid is (sometimes) requested.

Answer 3

Asatru is a Pagan religion based on the Norse Gods.(Odin, Freya, Thor etc...) It originated in areas such as Iceland and Scandinavia. I am sure that you could get a more detailed account from the Asartuar/Heathens on here.
Side note. I have been told by several followers that they use "Heathen" so I mean no offence in the term. It is one of those terms that has been given a negative connotation over the years just like "Pagan"

Answer 4

Asatru is the reconstruction of the old Norse Pagan beliefs
Odin etc
seems to be one that is making the biggest comeback

Answer 5

Norse religion. Asatru is the name of that particular religion and normally they call themselves Heathens instead of Pagans. :o)

Answer 6

Asatru is a branch of Paganism that deals with norseness

Answer 7

Ásatrú describes a variety of efforts to revive the indigenous, pre-Christian religions of the Teutonic tribes of Northern Europe. Organizations which identify themselves as Ásatrú usually base their lists of gods on Norse mythology and the Icelandic sagas as well as other historical evidence.

Hope this answers your question *gentle smile*

Warm Regards,
Your Pagan friend

Answer 8

Great answers, all.

Boar's Heart, I regret that there is an important new emerging area of contention to add to your list: Etin-worship.

Some people who consider themselves "northern tradition pagan" are actively chosing to honor the giantess Angrboda and her monstrous offspring, Fenrir, Jormungandr, and Hel as well as other destructive wights. They hold all beings in the lore to be worthy of honor, regardless of their relationship to the gods and humankind.

This view is regarded unfavorably by mainstream heathens and in some quarters generates great hostility. Most believe strongly that our allegiance is to the Aesir (and Vanir) and not to their enemies... those giants and other beings that move against the gods at Ragnarok.

Wassail!

Answer 9

Pangel: I don't think Asatru is as much "reconstruction" as "continuation." Otherwise, other posters have put up some very good information.

Answer 10

Pagan ideals would be widely labeled in 3 streams – polytheism (perception in many gods), pantheism (perception that the comprehensive of certainty is divine) and animism (the perception that spirits are lively in components of the surroundings). interior those huge definitions, neo-pagan traditions proliferate. Are there any particular deities which you're interested in? Do you have faith that each physique gods are one god? Or that each physique gods are guy or woman separate entities? overlook related to the haters. They understands that each physique their 'christian' ideals are plagiarised from paganism... notably the trinity... and this makes them somewhat insecure :)