Germanic Paganism:
A Brief Introduction
[Main Index]
[About Jordsvin]
[Asatru Information]
[Young Heathens Page]
[Fun Stuff]
[Asatru Events]
[Norse Links]
(Reprinted from "Rainbow Wind"
Magazine)
There are various forms of Germanic Paganism, of which the best known is
Asatru, which is based on the Heathen (a native Anglo-Saxon word preferred
by many of us over the Latin-derived "Pagan") beliefs of the medieval
Scandinavians. There are also Anglo-Saxon and other non-Asatru groups. The
Germanic peoples (a linguistic term; the speakers of the Germanic languages
are rather mixed ethnically) include the English (and the rest of the
English-speaking world, originally colonized by England), Lowland Scots,
Dutch (and Flemish, Afrikaaners, and Frisians), Scandinavians (Danes, Swedes,
Norwegians, Icelanders, and Faroese), and the German-speaking peoples (Germans,
Swiss-Germans, Austrians, Luxembourgeois, Pennsylvania "Dutch"...). The Goths,
Vandals, Lombards, and other Germanic tribes no longer exist as such; their
languages are extinct and their descendents absorbed into the dominant ethnic
groups in the countries in which they settled. Our symbol, since at least
early medieval times, is the Thor's Hammer. We do not use the pentagram.
The modern Asatru revival dates back to the early 1970's, with several groups
forming within a few months of each other without any knowledge of the others'
existence. Germanic Heathenism is not as well known in the larger Pagan community
as are the somewhat related Celtic and Hellenic/"Greco-Roman" (Sophia, put
down that Labrys) Paganisms. There are several reasons for this. One is that
the Hellenic myths are what are taught in the schools (I remember my high
school mythology class with great fondness). Another is that the Wiccan community
(around 2/3 of contemporary Pagans, not counting Native American and Afro-Latin
American practitioners) is extremely interested in Celtic lore (I'm not sure
why; Wicca isn't really Celtic, it has just borrowed a great deal of Celtic
material). In fact, from the Heathen perspective, pre-Gardnerian Wicca (which
I do believe in although many Heathens don't), is really the remnants of
Vanir worship. More on the Vanir later. The last reason is that, while most
nasty right-wing extremists are, fortunately for us, Christian, those that
want to be Pagan usually gravitate toward Germanic Heathenism. It is, after
all, the indigenous Paganism of Germany, which had a Nazi regime for 12 years.
The Nazis abused both Christian and Heathen symbolism. They misused the Swastika
and some runes (the original alphabet of the Germanic peoples, used mostly
for magick and short inscriptions). The Nazis handed out plenty of Iron Crosses
too, and very few German Christians stood up to them. We hear about the few
that did, and usually got killed for their stand. The Swastika is a very
old solar symbol used by many peoples. Real Heathenism has nothing to do
with Nazism. Unfortunately, Germanic Heathenism does have a loud scary fringe.
The Wiccans get harmless flakes on their fringe. We get the more dangerous
loons: racist, homophobic, even fascist.
Germanic Paganism is open to anyone interested irregardless of race, sexual
orientation, or any other devisive criteria. Individuals of many racial/ethnic
backgrounds, as well as gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered folks, are
active in Asatru groups around the country. What we are basically looking
for is a basic level of human decency. You don't have to be perfect, but
you do have to be trying to live an honest and productive life to be a "good
Heathen." We have complete equality of the sexes within our religion. Any
individual can do any ritual to any Deity, and all offices in the various
mainstream Asatru organizations are open to both sexes. Some groups have
legally recognized clergy for the purposes of weddings, etc, but most of
us see Asatru as non-hierarchical and non-initiatory. The initiation is between
the individual and the Gods, without a degree system. Our local (Kentucky,
USA) groups are definitely non-discriminatory.
Asatru has a definite ethical system. We believe in courage, truth, honor,
fidelity, discipline, hospitality, industriousness, self reliance, and
perseverance (the Nine Noble Virtues). We are by no means prudes, but we
don't have much use for liars and thieves. We have no problem with adults
who have not pledged sexual fidelity having more than one sexual partner,
but most of us don't see it as a means to spiritual advancement. We believe
individuals and families should provide for their own financial needs whenever
possible. There is more alcohol (we tend to brew lots of mead, a sort of
honey-wine) and less use of other drugs than in most Pagan groups. We tend
to watch out for each other. When one of us is messing up big-time, we tell
them and offer help. My experience with the larger Pagan community is that
almost anything is tolerated (at least until things reach a boiling point)
in an effort to avoid judgementalism. In short, there is a lot of plain common
sense in Asatru. Our politics are varied, but we tend more toward libertarianism,
where many "mainstream" Pagans (it seems to me) gravitate toward some sort
of socialism, often fairly utopian. We are, as a whole, plain-spoken and
down-to-earth, but unfortunately are not exempt from the general Pagan tendency
toward internal squabbling.
But more about our religion, which is what is most important to us. While
some have said that Wicca is a magickal system first and a religion second
(ever notice that some of their rituals spend more time setting up and taking
down the circle than worshipping the Gods and Goddesses?),
Asatru is definitely
a religion first and foremost. While there are associated magickal systems
(runes, galder/spoken spellcraft, and seidhr/intuitive and shamanic work),
one can be an active Heathen without ever working any magick! In fact, some
Heathens of more than 20 years' standing are in just that position. Many
are not, of course. Some also do tarot, astrology, etc, but these are not
a part of our religious and magickal system per se. Our major religious rituals
are the blot and the sumbel. A blot is a ritual to one or more Gods and
Goddesses. We also honor our ancestors, predecessors in faith, and various
spirits, including nature spirits. Blot may or may not have an etymological
connection with the word blood, but we use mead or apple juice! The liquid
is offered to the Deity being honored, and then used to sprinkle the
participants. Then some of the liquid is consumed. Our rituals take about
thirty minutes, and they can be performed without robes and with a minimum
of equipment. A glass of liquid will suffice for the sumbel. For the blot,
add a bowl and twig. Kitchen glasses and bowls will work just fine. Sacred
space is cleared, but no circle is cast. The sumbel is a sort of ritualized
toasting. We toast the Gods and Goddesses, great heroes, and our ancestors,
then open up the toasting. Boasting of one's accomplishments is fine if not
done to excess or obnoxiously. The idea of the sumbel is to bring the power
of great deeds of the past into our lives today. Both rituals are very moving.
Our major Gods and Goddesses are Odin and Frigga, Thor and Sif, Tyr, Frey
and Freya, and Njord and Nerthus. Others include Heimdall, Ull, Skadi, Bragi
and Idunna, Ran and Aegir, Hela, Balder, and Loki, the Trickster. Most are
multifunctional, with considerable overlap in their functions. They are,
for the most part, exceptionally approachable and worshipper-friendly, although
Nerthus, Ran, Aegir, Hela, and Loki should be invoked only by the advanced
practitioner, and one should not invoke Tyr when angry to avoid absorbing
too much of the energy of this God of war and justice. There is a strong
tradition of choosing (or being chosen by) a patron God or Goddess, and calling
on him or her for most needs. I am dedicated to the God Frey (Ing).This is
polytheism, however (we believe our Gods and Goddesses to be real beings,
as we are, and not mere archetypes or facets of an amorphous "One") and our
Gods and Goddesses aren't jealous. It is perfectly fine and appropriate to
worship Greek Gods and Goddesses with our Hellenic Pagan friends if they
invite us to one of their rituals. Nevertheless, most of us see ourselves
as dedicated to the Aesir and Vanir, and worship only these two families
of Gods in our own personal worship. Nerthus, Njord, Frey and Freya (these
last two names mean "Lord" and "Lady" respectively) are Vanir, a family of
Gods seen as immanent in nature. Nerthus is a very old and dark Earth Goddess.
Njord rules over harbors, seacoasts, fishing, and by extension wealth in
general. Frey and Freya are nature/agriculture/fertility Deities. Freya also
rules, along with Odin (chief God, God of the Dead, a war God....) over magick.
The rest are Aesir, and are seen as more or less beyond, as well as in, Nature.
Frigga is the Mother of Gods and Men. Thor, of course, is our Thunder God,
as well as a God of hallowing, warding and protection. While some groups
use a modified Wheel of the Year, others have a monthly blot. Moon phases
have little place in our worship or magick.
Finally, Asatru, like virtually all religions, recognizes a life beyond the
grave. Reincarnation , often in the same family, is one of the things that
can happen to you. Our concept of Wyrd is similar to karma, except that wyrd
is more evolutionary, while karma functions more like a scoreboard. In
Asatru,
the Gods do not keep hitting you over the head with lessons you have mastered
just because you 'owe' . We believe that the afterlife will take care of
itself, as long as we take care of the here and now.
For more information, I recommend Teutonic Religion and Teutonic Magick,
both by Kveldulf Gundarsson and published by
Llewellyn Press (1-800-THE-MOON).
There are various modern retellings of our myths (which as a whole we don't
take literally, our Gods and Goddesses are beyond the petty foibles of mythic
characters), of which The Norse Myths by Crossley-Holland is an excellent
one. D'Aulaire's Norse Gods and Giants is a "kiddie" book with great
illustrations, but well worth reading. Iceland (whose modern Icelandic language
is almost identical to the Old Norse spoken by the Vikings!) is where most
of what we know was written down. The Elder (Poetic)
Edda and the Prose (Younger)
Edda (the latter written by Snorri Sturluson) are essential reading. Various
translations are available. Lost Gods of England by Brian Branston, Myth
and Religion of the North by Turville-Petre, and Gods and Myths of Northern
Europe by H.R. Ellis-Davidson are scholarly texts essential to the serious
student. At all costs avoid D.J. Conway's Norse Magic, Ed Fitch's The Rites
of Odin, and anything by Ralph Blum. Our religion is better known from the
historical record than many others, and we believe that while any living
religion must evolve and grow over time, we must know
Asatru's past if its
new growth is to be healthy and viable. Asatru has been of great help to
me in the three years I have been dedicated to its Gods and Goddesses, and
I have had many prayers answered and even some personal/visionary contact
with the Gods and Goddesses, and I plan on it remaining my religion for the
rest of my life.
all works used by permission of the authors
last modified
07/20/2003