Asatru is for all European peoples, whether or not their heritage is specifically Scandinavian. We invite you to explore the site and … We treasure the spiritual awe, the feeling of "connecting" with the Gods and Goddesses, which can come from experiencing and appreciating the beauty and majesty of Nature. In no case are good and evil dictated to us by the edicts of an alien, authoritarian deity, as in the Middle East. There is a real Thor, but we approach an understanding of him through this particular mental picture. The Asatru Alliance is one of several groups operating in North America that continues the revival of Asatru (literally "faithfulness" to the Germanic deities) faith begun by the Asatru Free Assembly in the early 1970s. which are echoed by the folk When someone in an Asatru ritual says "Hail!" Their conflicting interpretations can not all be correct! According to figures from Statistics Iceland 3,583 people belonged to Ásatrúarfélagið on January 1 2017, up from 1,040 members 10 years ago. The Edda includes texts about the great […] It means "faith in the Æsir." The religion now called Asatru, Forn Sidr or Odinism is the indigenous tradition of the Indo-European peoples. The result may or may not be "good" or "evil", but it will still be the right action. Asatru Religion | Faith, Beliefs and Practices | Information and Resources Asatru is a polytheistic, nature-oriented faith grounded in an honoring of the High Gods of the Aesir and the Vanir, the reverence for ancestors and our moral code … This meeting was held on the First Day of Summer, a unique Icelandic holiday which marks the end of winter and beginning of summer. Some of the qualities we hold in high regard are strength, courage, joy, honor, freedom, loyalty to kin, realism, vigor, and the revering of our ancestors. Both the Islamic and Christian cultures used means every bit as bloody, if not more so, than the Norsemen. Same sex couples come to Iceland with the sole purpose of being married in a Ásatrú ceremony. Living a full and virtuous live is a form of prayer in itself. The membership has grown by 244% since 2007, making paganism the fastest growing religion in Iceland over the past decade. 6. This attitude removes the opposition between "natural" and "supernatural" and between religion and science. We want to believe that other religions espouse those values, so we see what we want to see. The religion of the original Viking settlers of Iceland, the old Norse paganism Ásatrú, is not just still alive and well in Iceland, it is undergoing something of a renaissance. Asatru is non-authoritarian and decentralized, expressing our love of freedom. The Nine Noble Virtues (Courage, Truth, Honor, Loyalty, Self-Discipline, Hospitality, Industriousness, Self Reliance, and Steadfastness). Sometimes Asatru is also called Wodanism, Wotanism or Germanic paganism . or hails a God ("Hail Odin!" We think and feel more like they did; our basic needs are most like theirs. No. Asatru is a polytheistic, nature-oriented faith grounded in an honouring of the High Gods of the Aesir and the Vanir, the reverence for ancestors and our moral code is … First pagan temple since 1000 will be opened in 2018, The temple The temple will have seating for 250 people. We do not claim to be a universal religion or a faith for all of humankind. People may honestly believe that this is the case, but examination does not bear this out. We are expected to use our freedom, responsibility, and awareness of duty to serve the highest and best ends. They accept that joy is good, but their teachings laden them with guilt because of some imaginary "original sin". While we do have definite tenets, we have little dogma. Read more: Heathens against hate: Exclusive interview with the high priest of the Icelandic Pagan Association, At a blót The blót of Ásatrúarfélagið are festive occasions Photo/Sara McMahon, Hilmar Örn Hilmarsson, the high priest of Ásatrúarfélagið, has stressed that Ásatrú is a religion of peace and respect. Invocations to the Gods, particularly outside, are often shouted at the top of ones lungs, and are punctuated by loud "Hails!" This website offers information and resources on the Ásatrú religion written with the general public in mind. Veturnáttablót is in honor of Óðinn, the god of the gods. There is also a tradition in Asatru of rebirth within the family line. Asatru is not a warrior religion, it is a religion with warriors. In kindreds throughout the world , Asatru groups gather regularly to practice a rapidly growing religion that was practiced on a large scale in Europe before the coming of Christianity. They are seen more as friends and don´t judge us humans. It's openness and philosophical character … Members are environmentally aware and know that for Mother Earth to be be bountiful she must be cared for and nurtured. One expression of this European spirituality was Asatru. We further believe that this spiritual reality is interdependent with us - that we affect it, and it affects us. The atrocities committed by Christians, Muslims, and Jews throughout history are hardly a step up from anything. (Page of tag Asatru) A group of people who were either practitioners of the ancient religion or its students had been meeting for some time. News from Iceland, What to do and see, local travel tips and expertise. Asatru is thousands of years old. Asatru is a polytheistic religion. Eitt megininntak siðarins er að … The precise nature of the afterlife - what it will look like and feel like - is beyond our understanding and is dealt with symbolically in the myths. Here is our quick guide to the current state of Ásatrú, the ancient religion of the Vikings, in Iceland. This growth has come in spite of the fact that unlike other religious organizations Ásatrúarfélagið has never engaged in any form of missionary work or proselytizing. It was re-recognized in 1973 The figures show that the share of Pagans in Iceland now tops 1% of the population for the first time for nearly a millennium. What Does That Mean? It was abandoned in favor of Christianity in the year 1000, Almannagjá in Þingvellir In the year 1000 Alþingi, the legislative assembly of the Viking age commonwealth decreed that Iceland would abandon Ásatrú in favor of Christiantiy. No. L'Asatru est une ancienne religion du Nord de l'Europe, longtemps pratiquée par les peuples nordiques, elle fut peu à peu oubliée à partir de l'an 1 000. The highest office in Ásatrú is the Allsherjargoði, "The Goði of All". Don't worry, we won't spam you. While Ásatrú was the religion of the vast majority of the settlers of Iceland, some had been converted to Christianity while travelling in Europe. There are written sources which are useful to us because they contain much of our sacred lore in the form of myths and examples of right conduct, but we do not accept them as infallible or inspired documents. The temple would be the first heathen central temple built in the Nordic countries for more than a thousand years. Asatru isn't just what we BELIEVE, it's what we ARE. 2. The myths are stories about the Gods and Goddesses of Asatru. did not give up their cherished beliefs easily. Stories about these deities are like a sort of code, the mysterious "language" through which the divine reality speaks to us. Icelanders celebrate the unique public holiday "First Day of Summer", Perlan wrongly thought to be new heathen temple, Heathens against hate: Exclusive interview with the high priest of the Icelandic Pagan Association, The Icelandic Pagan Association receives hate-mail from reactionary pagans abroad. Thor is the Thunderer, the wielder of the divine Hammer Mjolnir. Asatru is a living religion, practiced by a rapidly growing number of people throughout the world. The Goðar can perform all religious services, including naming ceremonies, marriages, funerals and blót. The spiritual impulses it expresses are as ancient as the European peoples themselves - at least 40,000 years, and perhaps much older. We commune with them and honor them while seeking their blessing through formal rites and informal meditation. Hilmar Örn Hilmarsson, the high priest of Ásatrúarfélagið, has said that he believes the reason for the growing interest in Ásatrú is caused by more and more people are learning about what the association does and seeing their ceremonies. It is only right that they have different religions, which of course they do. Many Asatruar go to great lengths to link themselves with the past, such as taking on a Nordic "baptismal name" like Heimgest or Gunnar. Ásatrúarfélagið has other blót, including a Þorrablót in mid-winter. One high priest, 10 Goðar Here is a list of the changes #english - [Add] Silk Scroll [100] to Item Mall Ásatrúarfélagið has cut all ties with foreign associations of pagans after receiving harassment and hate mail from people who are angry with emphasis the association has placed upon equality and respect for human rights, especially LGBTQ rights. That is, we would say they contain truths about the nature of divinity, our own nature, and the relationship between the two. The weekly meetings of Ásatrúarfélagið are open to the public, as are all its official ceremonies, the blót. A modern day Icelandic poet, Goði Sveinbjorn Beinteinsson, promoted government recognition of Asatru as a legitimate religion. Modern historians agree that the Vikings were no more violent than the other peoples of their times. Remember, the descriptions of Viking raids and invasions were all written by their enemies, who were hardly unbiased. It was a very rough period in history for all concerned! There are two real sources of holy truth, and neither expresses itself to us in words. This ancient Pagan religion was known as Asatru, an old Norse word which means Troth (loyalty) to the Gods, and modern Asatru is nothing less than the complete revival of the ancient Norse Pagan religion. It was practiced in the lands that are today Scandinavia, England, Germany, France, the Netherlands, and other countries as well. Though the Edda was written during this time, the contents are much older. We do not contend that the myths are literally true, as history. At the time the number of members was just 12. This pulls them the rest of the way into the religion. Ásatrú has no prescribed dogma or scripture. Our myths tell how Odin, father of the Gods, won them through painful ordeal so that Gods and humans alike might benefit from their wisdom. 8. However, we do not actually worship them. We of Asatru do not overly concern ourselves with the next life. Read more: The great mid-winter feast named Þorrablót, in honour of the Nordic god of thunder.