Heathenry in the United States

This article is about the reconstruction of Germanic paganism focused on Norse paganism. For a more general overview, see Germanic neopaganism.

Ásatrú (Icelandic "Æsir faith") is a new religious movement which is attempting to revive the Norse paganism of the Viking Age - as described in the Eddas - prior to the arrival of Christianity.

Ásatrú was established in the 1960s and early 1970s in Iceland, by the Íslenska Ásatrúarfélagið an organization founded by Sveinbjörn Beinteinsson. Ásatrú is an officially recognized religion by the governments of Iceland (since 1973), Denmark (since 2003) and Norway. The United States government does not officially endorse or recognize any religious group; however, numerous Ásatrú groups have been granted nonprofit religious status going back to the 1970s.

While the term Ásatrú originally referred specifically to the Icelandic adherents of the religion, Germanic neopagan and reconstructionist groups widely identify themselves as Ásatrú, particularly in the USA. In this wider sense, the term Ásatrú is used synonymously with Germanic neopaganism or Germanic paganism, along with the terms Forn Sed, Odinism, Heithni, Heathenry and others.

Terminology

Etymology

Ásatrú is an Old Norse term consisting of two parts. The first is Ása (genitive of Áss) referring to one of two families of gods in the myths. The second part, trú, means "belief". Thus, Ásatrú means "belief in the Æsir".

Alternatively it is often instead translated as "faith" in the Æsir, especially by Americans; possibly because of differing cultural attitudes to religion. -tru/-tro can in some contexts be read as "faithful", but in the case of the oldest usage of the term Ásatrú/Asetro, and also later by most Scandinavians, it simply means belief in the gods.

The term is the Old Norse/Icelandic translation of Asetro, a neologism coined in the context of 19th century romantic nationalism. One of the first uses was by Edvard Grieg in his 1870 opera Olaf Trygvason, but it may originate from around 1840-50. The use of the term Ásatrú for Germanic paganism preceding 19th century revivalist movements is therefore an anachronism. Likewise, to use Ásatrú as a synonym of "Germanic Neopaganism", while widespread in the USA, can be misleading.

Pluralisation

Ásatrúar, sometimes used as a plural in English, is properly the genitive of Ásatrú; this usage is believed to have been coined by English speakers. Some Scandinavians have adopted the similar Asatroere (with the normal forms Asetroende/Asatroende, meaning "believers in the gods").

Usage

Groups identifying themselves as having Ásatrú cover a wide political and theological spectrum, ranging among left-wing environmentalist groups, New Agers, universalists, tribalists, reconstructionists, folkish groups and even neonazi (e.g. Artgemeinschaft) movements.

In Scandinavia and the Nordic countries there still exists a heathen low mythology, which in common terms is simply called den gamle tro (the old belief), or skik, sæd og brug, which may be translated as simply "custom and use", with the connotation of "the way things are". Since about 1900 the old belief has faded rapidly, but there are still those who grow up with it, and swear to it as theirs.

As the pagan low mythology and high mythology are very different, a mixture seldom works very well, even though some Asetroende try to combine elements of the two.

In mainland Scandinavia, the denotation of Ásatrú/Asatro/Asetro has been narrowed down from relating to all of pre-Christian high mythology, low mythology as passed down in oral form, and modern high mythology neo-heathenism, to meaining only the last of these. Most Asetroende in Scandinavia take a firm stand against right-wing or Nazi appropriations of the term. Genuine similarity with U.S. universalism is normally only found in Norse Wicca.

Members of the Íslenska Ásatrúarfélagið are somewhat unhappy with the semantic widening of the Icelandic term Ásatrú, and would prefer its usage to specifically apply only to reconstructed medieval Norse high mythology paganism.

History

Ásatrú originated as a second (or third) revival of Germanic paganism in the 1960s and early 1970s. The Íslenska Ásatrúarfélagið was founded on summer solstice, 1972, and was recognized as an official religion by the Icelandic government in 1973, largely due to the efforts of Sveinbjörn Beinteinsson. At about this time, Stephen McNallen, a former U.S. Army Airborne Ranger, began publishing a newsletter titled The Runestone. He also formed an organization called the Asatru Free Assembly, later renamed the Ásatrú Folk Assembly which is still extant. Else Christensen's Odinism, which is sometimes identified with the term Asatru, originated around the same period. An offshoot of McNallen's group is the Asatru Alliance, headed by Valgard Murray, publisher of the "Vor Tru" newsletter. The Asatru Alliance held its 25th annual "Althing" gathering in 2005.

Ásatrú and related paganist movements are gaining popularity among white inmates in U.S. jails. According to prison authorities and correction experts, it attracts prisoners seeking power, unity and mutual protection, and can be interpreted as encouraging violence in the context of prison gang culture. Michael Lenz was executed by Virginia at Greensville Correctional Center on July 27, 2006 for killing fellow inmate Brent Parker before a makeshift Ásatrú altar. [4] Lenz says he and inmate Jeffrey Remington killed Parker, who was serving a 50-year sentence for a brutal skull-crushing murder, because he was manipulating the group for his own ends and did not respect the faith. According to trial testimony and affidavits, Parker had also repeatedly threatened Lenz and Remington's lives for interefering with his use of the group as a money making scheme. Furthermore, at trial the jury consulted a Bible when deciding whether to sentence Lenz to life or death. Experts say there is nothing in Ásatrú that justifies Lenz's actions. Remington committed suicide on death row in 2004. [5]

Politics

Ásatrú organizations have memberships which span the entire political and spiritual spectrum. Many adherents are solitary practitioners who practice their religion alone with their family or a small local community, and are not involved with organized Ásatrú. Despite the wide divergence of beliefs and politics, the sole common denominator amongst adherents of Ásatrú is the goal of reconstructing and practicing the historical pre-Christian religion of the Eddas.

While Ásatrú is generally a tolerant religion, it is sometimes erroneously identified with neo-Nazi and "white power" organizations which also use Odinist symbols. The three largest American Ásatrú organizations have specifically denounced any association with racist groups. There is actually an antagonistic relationship between many neo-Nazis and the membership of most Ásatrú organizations in the USA, who view "national socialism as an unwanted totalitarian philosophy incompatible with freedom-loving Norse paganism". The often problematic association comes from the fact that among neo-Nazis, there tend to be specifically 'white power' forms of Ásatrú and Odinism, which are viewed in such groups as being important attempts to retrace early segments of white european history, and they tend to be popular among those who view Christianity as a fundamentally Judaic religion. Associations with paganism, heathenry, stereotypical vikings and other such "old ways" have always been popular in romantic movements, and as such were adopted by the early racial precursors of national socialism, eventually making their way into contemporary neo-Nazism and causing all the contention evident today. It has been primarily in the past sixty years, however, that such associations have become specifically and significantly problematic.

See also

• Asatru Folk Assembly
• Eldaring
• Germanic Neopaganism
• Heathenry
• Irminenschaft
• Íslenska Ásatrúarfélagið
• Neopaganism
• Odinic Rite
• Reconstructionism
• Stephen McNallen
• Sveinbjörn Beinteinsson
• Theodism

External links

Neutral descriptions

• Asatru (Germanic Paganism) - ReligionFacts

Organizations

• Iceland / Scandinavia
  • Ásatrúarfélagið Iceland (since 1972)
  • Åsatrufellesskapet Bifrost Norway (since 1996)
  • Sveriges Asatrosamfund Sweden (since 1994)
  • Nätverket Forn Sed Sweden (since 2003)
  • Asatrofællesskabet Denmark (since 2003)
  • Forn Sidr Denmark (since 2003)
• North America
  • Asatru Folk Assembly (since 1994, previously the Asatru Free Assembly from 1972 until disbandment in 1986)
  • The Rune Gild (since 1979)
  • Asatru Alliance (since 1988)
• South America
  • Kindred Folkvang Argentina (since 1992)
  • Hermandad Odinista Drakkar Chile Chile (since 2002)
  • Asatru Vanatru Forn Sed Brasil Brazil (since 2002)
• Germany
  • Eldaring (since 2000)
• Belgium
  • Asatrú-Werkgroep Traditie
• The Netherlands
  • Het Rad
• Northern Italy
  • Comunità Odinista