Asatru

Asatru
Posted by: "Grannulus1 at [childrenofgaia]
Sat Aug 23, 2008 4:50 pm (PDT)

Asatru (Norse Heathenism)


History:

Asatru is frequently regarded as one of the Neopagan family of religions.
That family includes _Wicca_ (http://www.religioustolerance.org/witchcra.htm),
_Celtic Druidism_ (http://www.religioustolerance.org/druid.htm), and
re-creations of Egyptian, Greek, Roman, and other ancient Pagan religions. However,
many Asatruers prefer the term "Heathen" to "Neopagan" and look upon their
tradition as "not just a branch on the Neopagan tree" but as a separate tree.
Unlike Wicca, which has gradually evolved into many different traditions, the
reconstruction of Asatru has been based on the surviving historical record.
Its followers have maintained it as closely as possible to the original
religion of the Norse people.

Asatru or Ásatrú is an Icelandic word which is a translation of the Danish
word "Asetro." Asetro was "first seen in 1885 in an article in the periodical
"Fjallkonan". The next recorded instance was in "Heiðinn siður á Íslandi"
("Heathen traditions in Iceland.") by Ólafur Briem (Reykjavík, 1945)." It means
"belief in the Asir," the Gods. "Asatru" is a combination of "Asa" which is
the possessive case of the word Æsir (Aesir) and "Tru" which means belief or
religion.

Throughout Scandinavia the religion is called Forn Siðr (which means the
Ancient way or tradition), Forn sed (the Old custom), Nordisk sed (Nordic
custom), or Hedensk sed (Pagan custom). Other names are:
Norse Heathenism, Germanic Heathenism, the Elder Troth, the Old Way, Asetro,
Vor Si r (our way), Forn Si r (Ancient way), Forn sed (the old custom),
Nordisk sed (Nordic custom), or Hedensk sed (Pagan custom), Odinism or Folkish
Ásatrú.

The religion's origin is lost in antiquity. At its peak, it covered all of
Northern Europe. Countries gradually converted to Christianity. In 1000 _CE_
(http://www.religioustolerance.org/ce.htm), Iceland became the second last
Norse culture to convert. Their prime motivation was economic. Sweden was ruled
by a Pagan king until 1085 CE.

Icelandic poet Gothi Sveinbjorn Beinteinsson promoted government recognition
of Asatru as a legitimate religion; this status was granted in 1972. Since
the early 1970's, the religion has been in a period of rapid growth in the
former Norse countries, as well as in Europe and North America.

Corruption of Asatru:

It is not unknown for otherwise decent religions to become corrupted by
incorporating racist, sexist, anti-semitic, and homophobic beliefs. For example:
The _Christian Identity_ (http://www.religioustolerance.org/cr_ident.htm) movement is one wing of the Christian religion which has adsorbed such
beliefs. During the early part of the 20th Century, The National Socialist Party
in Germany under Adolf Hitler attempted to pervert Asatru by grafting parts
of the religion onto the Nazi racist beliefs. This blasphemy died by the end
of World War II, although some neo-Nazi groups -- largely in the U.S. -- are
now attempting to continue the practice.

This type of activity is in no way related to the restoration of Asatru as a
legitimate Heathen religion. There is a very strong anti-racist, anti-Nazi
stance among national Asatru groups in the Scandinavian countries. This is also
found in almost all Asatru groups in English speaking countries. They
typically have a clear rejection of racism written into their constitutions.
Unfortunately, some anti-racism groups like the Southern Poverty Law Center and
the Federal Bureau of Investigation (in its Megiddo report) have mistakenly
accused the entire religion of racism.

Many people are exposed to the name "Asatru" through _role playing games_
(http://www.religioustolerance.org/d_a_d.htm), such as Mage: The Ascension.
Unfortunately, the Asatru of these games bear little resemblance to the real
religion.

Asatru Beliefs:
Asatru is a polytheistic religion. There are three races of Deities in the Norse pantheon. They are all regarded as living entities who are involved in human life:

The Aesir: These are the Gods of the tribe or clan, representing Kingship, order, craft, etc.

The Vanir: These represent the fertility of the earth and forces of nature. They are associated with the clan but are not part of it.

The Jotnar: These are giants who are in a constant state of war with the Aesir. They represent chaos and destruction.

At the battle of Ragnarok, many of the Gods will die, the world will come to an end and be
reborn.

Specific Gods:
Some of the more important are:

Thor is the Thunderer, who wields Mjolnir, the divine Hammer. His chariot racing across the
sky generates thunder. Thursday (Thor's Day) was named after him.

Odin is the one-eyed God; he gave up one of his eyes in order to drink from the
Fountain of Knowledge (some sources say Fountain of Wisdom). He is a magician. He
learned the secrets of the runes (Northern European alphabet) by hanging
himself on the tree Yggdrasil for nine nights.

Frey (a.k.a. Freyr) is the God of fertility, the weather and farming. He was born on the _Winter Solstice_ (http://www.religioustolerance.org/w_solsti.htm) , typically December 21. His
father was Njord.

Specific Goddesses:
Some important ones are:

Freya (aka Freyja) is the Goddess of love, beauty and sexuality, and perhaps a dozen other attributes. She leads the Valkyries who take the souls of slain soldiers to Valhall (Odin's great hall).

Frigg is Odin's wife. Her name has been secularized to a slang term which refers to sexual intercourse. She is the patroness of the household and of married women.

Skadi is the Goddess of independence, death, hunting and skiing. Scandinavia may have been named after her.

Ostara, is a Goddess of fertility who is celebrated at the time of the Spring equinox. She was known by the Saxons as Eostre, the Goddess of Spring, from whom we have derived the word Easter. Ostara's symbols are the hare and the egg.

Other Entities Other Deities are Aegir, Balder, Bragi, Forseti, Heimdall, Hel, Loki, Njord, Ran, Tyr, Ull and Vithar.

Followers of Asatru also honor the Landvaettir (land spirits) of the forest, earth and streams.

Life Values: Asatruars in North America have created a list of Nine Noble Virtues: Courage, Truth, Honor, Fidelity, Discipline, Hospitality, Industriousness, Self-Reliance and Perseverance.

The family is greatly valued and honored. They reject any form of discrimination based on ethnicity, gender, language, nationality, race, sexual orientation, or "other divisive criteria".

Origins: Humanity is literally descended from the Gods. Three brothers, Odin, Vili, and Ve created people from two trees and gave them the names Ask and Embla. One deity, Rig visited the earth and established the social classes.

Od: This is the gift of ecstasy provided to humans by the Gods. It is what separates humanity from other animals, and is our eternal link with the Gods.

Creation Story: A poem Voluspa (Prophecy of the Seeress) contains an Asatru story of the creation of the universe. Between Muspelheim (The Land of Fire) and Niflheim the Land of Ice was an empty space called Ginnungigap. The fire and ice moved towards each other; when they collided, the universe came into being. Odin, Vili and Ve later created the world from the body of a giant that they had slain.

After death: Those who die in battle will be carried to Valhall by the Valkyries. There they will eat Saehrimnir (a pig that is daily slaughtered and resurrected) with the Gods. The Goddess Hel (who's name has been borrowed by Christians) rules over dishonorable people (oath breakers)
and those who die ingloriously of old age. Niflhel is the the abode for all others.

The end of the world: Ragnarök (a.k.a. Ragnarøkkr, Ragnarøk, Ragnarok; literally the fate of the Gods) is the anticipated apocalypse. It involves a great battle between the Gods and the Jötnar -- a race of giants with superhuman strength. Unlike Revelation in the Christian Scriptures, prophecies of Ragnarök are very specific: the events leading up to the battle, the timing of the battle, who will kill whom, etc. are all known. Wolves will eat the sun and moon. The stars will stop shining. Mountains will fall; trees will be uprooted; "Fumes will reek and flames will burst, scorching the sky with fire. The earth will sink into the sea." Most of the Gods will die. Only one woman and one man, Lifthrasir and Lif, will survive. Their offspring will
eventually repopulate the world and live in peace. 13