Tell me about Asatru Polytheist. What is it?

Question

Any information would be appriciated.

Answer 1

Asatru is a reconstructionalist pagan path based on the lore and archeological evidence and literary study of the Norse/Germanic, pre-christian people. We, on the whole, do things they way they WERE done, not how we "feel" they should be (but keep in mind that I, and just about all the Heathens I know are hard core recon). We practice from ONE pantheon. Asatru translates into the "True to the Gods". That means you are true to the gods, not every god under the sky. (People outside of recon will get offended by this, but this is how we feel, point blank and not just in Asatru. Just about all recons feel this way)
We, on the whole, believe we are the literal decendants of the gods though this varies slightly. We on the whole practice ancestor worship of our dead family. They are the ones who protect our luck.
There are two approaches to the afterlife in the Asatru community. One being that you go to the halls of the gods such as Valhalla. The other being that we go to the "mound" or the grave. We exist there and help our family as it's needed, hanging out with relatives. (I fall in the latter for the most part but I have no idea where we go after death. We'll find out one day). Eternal life comes through fame, reputation and your children.
77. Cattle die, | and kinsmen die,
And so one dies one's self;
But a noble name | will never die,
If good renown one gets.

78. Cattle die, | and kinsmen die,
And so one dies one's self;
One thing now | that never dies,
The fame of a dead man's deeds
Hovamol (Bellows Tr)
Poetic Eddas

We are what some call "hard polytheist" in that we firmly (and usually passionatly and vocally) believe that our gods are seperate and discreet individuals. Our great-aunt is not the same person as our great-grandmother. Refer to above mentioned literal decent and you see how this all falls together into a nice little package.
We are called the "religion with homework". We comb through and cross reference the Poetic and Prose Edda's with authors and anthropoligist such as HR Ellis Davidson and about 20 other books such as the Icelandic Sagas. As stated above, we are reconstructioning not only the faith, but the mindset, the worldview, the cosmology and in some ways, the way of life. Most times we sound like midaevil lit junkies and in a way, we are.
We have groups called kindreds (like a coven) and we have blots (sacrificial gifting rituals) and sumbels (believe it or not, a drinking ritual). Most of all it's about good food, good friends, good times and good conversation. It's about building community around ourselves and the gods.
email me with any questions, or any Asatru on the boards. If we don't know the answer, we'll find it for you. It's what we do. :)
edit: Why thank you *blush* I'm actually not NEARLY as versed as most Heathens I know though. I'm just lucky with a lot of really great contacts.

Answer 2

Wow, Guess I missed this one and missed it good, Great info only one thing to add if you are seriously interested, read the Eddas thay are the base on which the Asatru is built.

http://www.sacred-texts.com/neu/poe/index.htm

Rev MacOg of the Asatru

Answer 3

Great answers! I asked a similar one a couple weeks ago and Yahoo had it removed, I don't get why, all was harmless and friendly. But anyway, Heathen Daughter ROCKS! Thanks again H. D. and to the question.

Answer 4

At the same time Asatru was being revived in Iceland a guy in Texas was building Asatru. There are groups throughout the US, the UK, Australia, Europe and Canada.

http://www.irminsul.org
http://www.vikinganswerlady.com/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asatru

It is a reconstruction religion - meaning we are attempting to revive the religion of our ancestors without mixing pantheons or systems.

There's lots more but it's late. Email if you'd like to ask more.

Answer 5

The ancient origins of Germanic religion date from prehistoric times and are thus unknown. Most of what is known about Germanic religion is derived from descriptions by Latin writers such as Julius Caesar (1st cent. BC) and Tacitus (1st cent. AD), descriptions of early Christian missionaries, and archaeological evidence including cult objects, amulets, grave goods, and place names.

Anglo-Saxon England was converted from Norse paganism to Christianity in the 7th century, Scandinavia in the 10th century. The Germanic/Norse religion gradually disappeared after this, although Christianity absorbed some of its external features, such as the name and popular customs of Easter.

Asatru, the modern attempt to revive the old Norse faith, was founded by the Icelandic farmer Sveinbjörn Beinteinsson (1924–1993). Beinteinsson was a sheep farmer and a priest in the religion, who published a book of rímur (Icelandic rhymed epic poetry) in 1945. In 1972 he petitioned the Icelandic government to recognize the Íslenska Ásatrúarfélagið ("Icelandic fellowship of Æsir faith") as a religious body. It did so in 1973, and Denmark and Norway have since followed.

According to one Asatru website, similar communities were formed in the USA and UK at the same time as those in Iceland, each unaware of the existence of the others. This is a sign that "Odin, the wanderer, is once again seeking worshippers." (Irminsul Ættir)

Today, there are small groups of Asatru adherents throughout Scandinavia and North America. According to the World Christian Encyclopedia, in the 1990s the approximately 300 Icelandic adherents hoped to dechristianize Iceland by the year 2000, the 1000th anniversary of the island's christianization.

Answer 6

http://www.helium.com/tm/354992/asatru-viking-pagan-revival

Answer 7

A coating on saucepans

Answer 8

3rd stage evolution of a Porygon.