What is Asatru?

This is an introductory article I have written to give a breif overview on what Asatru is and how it works. I hope you enjoy.

What is Asatru? The word is strange and invokes images of mist-shrouded fjords, longships with fearsome dragon’s heads and even fiercer warriors onboard. It brings to mind valiant deeds and heroic conquests, dragons slain and maidens won; strong men and beautiful women. These are the ideas most often brought to mind when one says “Asatru” or “Nordic Heathenism”, and while there are these elements within this beautiful and varied tradition, there are also much, much more. Let us begin by looking at the word itself.

       

Asatru is an Icelandic word that means literally, True to the Aesir, or Faith in the Aesir. It is the name that the ancient Folkway, the Forn Sed of the Teutonic peoples has taken for itself in these modern times. The Folkway’s rebirth into our modern era began in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century during the Romantic Era of literature. This was a time when the People of the Blood began to turn back to the Old Ways, dissatisfied with the soullessness of Christianity and the Industrial Era, however the face of modern Asatru would not be truly formed and recognizable until the early 1970s.

       

In Ancient times the practices of the Forn Sed dominated Northern Europe, with each tribe having tribal specific practices and cults, worshipping specific deities moreso than others. It was, and still is a very family oriented belief system, with the men and women acting as the priesthood for day-to-day rituals, only turning to the Godfolk (the priesthood) for major issues mostly of a mundane, judicial nature. The Godhvolk were the lawyers, the judges, the lawmakers and the central heads of spiritual government. They were active only in the larger affairs of the tribe, leading the people in major rituals of sacrifice and in times of war when workings were done against the enemy and blessings laid upon the warriors. Thus it was the matriarch and patriarch of each family that was turned to for private rituals and wisdom.

       

The Gods were viewed as being the original ancestors of the Tribes, and it was most likely this combined with the insular culture of the Norse that made it the last of the Polytheistic European cultures to succumb to Christian influence. Sweden was ruled by a Heathen king until 1085 CE, and Iceland was the second last country to fall to the Roman Beast. There are many horrific tales of martyrs who died refusing to revoke their faith in the Shining Ones.

       

The reason for the conversion of the Northern Peoples was largely economic in nature. Christianity ruled the civilized world, dominating the material marketplace as well as the spiritual. The Pope released a papal bull requiring Catholics to refuse to buy from or sell to the Heathens from the North, and as the ages progressed the Norse began to depend more and more upon commerce, rather than on going a-viking. Thus, the kings of the Northlands began to make pacts and alliances with the Church, forcing conversion upon their people in return for economic stimulus.

       

The Heathen tradition is probably one of the most hardy of all the Pagan faiths. It has successfully survived, albeit in a more watered down version, from its inception to modern day. If one were to visit Sweden, Finland, Holland and Germany, one will see the Old Ways alive and well, if only masked superficially by the face of Lutheranism and Catholicism. Roads are built around ancient trees where Landspirits live, and old buildings are left to rot away on their own that are purported to be the haunt of elves and ghosts. Very few of the ancient faiths survived, even in a covert way, with the success that the Forn Sed has. Many documents have survived, from sagas and myths to Roman journals such as Tacitus’ Germania, which give us plenty of information, when coupled with current folklore and superstitions throughout Northern Europe to reconstruct a true and powerful path to our Ancestral gods.

 

       

Now you have probably seen “ancestors” mentioned a lot in the past three pages. There is a reason for this, and it is the most important piece of the Asatru puzzle. Asatru is an ancestral, ethnocentric spirituality. It is a folkway, an entire outlook and belief structure for life completely centered and dependant on the Norse culture, ethos, and mindset. There are no Sunday Asatruar, this is not a spiritual path per se but rather an entire life path. If you do not eat, sleep, think and live Teutonic, then you are not Asatru. This has a tendency to cause hurt feelings amongst the larger Pagan community, and often times they mistake Asatruar zeal and passion for their people’s culture for racism and arrogance. This could not be further from the truth. Asatruar for the most part are wonderful, loving, honorable people who just don’t find the idea of mixing traditions exciting or particularly respectful to the traditions, spirits and Gods within those traditions. They also fear that if their beloved folkway is mixed with another that it will lose it’s truth and power.

       

However, just because Asatru is an ancestral path does not mean that one must be full or even mostly Germanic in ethnicity. Most Americans today have at least a little Germanic heritage, whether that be by direct origin or from English, Irish, or Scottish ancestry. Yes, most Scots, Irish, and English are largely Germanic in origin. And, if you are of an origin that is none of these, do not fear. America speaks English. Modern English is derived from many various languages but the bulk of it comes to us from Old English which was a Germanic dialect. Language, as you will see, is very important to the Asatru folkway. Language is the gift of the Gods and it is what binds a tribe together. It tells other tribes who is who and it delineates between Peoples. Italians are Italian because they were born in Italy and speak. . .Italian! Land and Language; two of the most sacred ideas for the Germanic tradition.

 

       

Now that the preliminaries are out of the way, we can continue to the meat of the folkway. Please remember that this class is only to give a taste of what Asatru is. There is no way that a single class could teach someone all the multifaceted intricacies of this ancient faith. However I will attempt to give a true and accurate overview on the subject.

 

The Nine Noble Virtues

This is the code of ethics that was gleaned from the Sagas and old folktales. This is the closest Asatru comes to a set of guidelines on how to live. If one follows these, they will surely garner the favor of both Gods and Men. Below are nine sayings of wisdom, and further down are the Virtues.

Strength is better than Weakness

Courage is better than Cowardice

Joy is Better than Guilt

Honor is better than Dishonor

Freedom is better than Slavery

Kinship is better than Alienation

Realism is better than Dogmatism

Vigor is better than Lifelessness

Ancestry is better than Universalism

-------------------------------------------------

Courage

Truth

Honor

Fidelity

Discipline

Hospitality

Self-Reliance

Industriousness

Perseverance

 

 

Map of the World

The first step to understanding the Germanic world view is to understand their cosmology. In the Norse tradition there are nine major worlds. These are:

1.)        Asgardh: Home of the Aesir

2.)        Vanaheim: Home of the Vanir

3.)        Alfheim: Home of the Elves and Ancestors

4.)        Muspelheim: World of primal Fire and the Fire Giants

5.)        Nifleheim: World of primal Ice and the Frost Giants

6.)        Midgardh:World of Humanity, our current material plane, crossroads of the Tree Yggdrasil

7.)        Jotunheim: World of the Giants both Good and Evil

8.)        Helheim: World of the Dead, Queendom of Hella

9.)        Swartalfheim: Home of the dark elves, also called dwarves 

10.)    Utgardh: Not a world per se, but more of the vacant void that howls in chaos around Yggdrasil. Utgardh is nothingness, and a horrific place to be, however it holds many mysteries. Loki and Thor traveled to Utgardh, but found only confusing illusions.

 

Spiritual Hierarchy

In all things there is a hierarchy, whether that be politics or spiritual government. This is true in the Forn Sed. It was viewed as being very bad form for one to petition the Gods for every single little problem we face here on Midgardh, but there was a wealth of other spirits one could seek aid and succor from.

 

The first line of action was one’s own self. In all the Norse believed each human had twelve souls. We will not get into all of these in this class, as that subject could be a two hour class in itself. The only two we will touch on here is Hamingja and Fylgja or Fetch-wife. The Hamingja was one’s inherited Luck, a Holy Guardian Angel of sorts. This was the blessing inherited from father and mother, a powerful spiritual entity that acts as a teacher, guide and protector. The hamingja varied from person to person, and often would manifest as an animal. The Fylgja, or Fetch-wife / Fetch-husband was the spiritual mirror of one’s self. It was opposite sexed and acted as your consciousness’ lover and guide. When problems arose and the darkness threatened self and tribe, it was these internal spiritual resources that sought after first. These entities are powerful teachers for the modern follower of the Folkway and are a direct source for personal gnosis of the ancient ways. The ancient Norse would have surely agreed with our modern adage, “If one does not find what they are seeking within, they will never find it without.” If the ancient ones were faced with a problem that was beyond their own resources then they would turn to the second line of help, the Landvaettir.

 

Landvaettir were also called Wights and Landspirits. These timid spirits are the mystic force, called Od or Orgone, in Northern mysticism, but known to other cultures as mana, energy etc., of the Land itself. They are what make the trees grow, keep the water clean, and give the vital nourishment to food. The people of ancient Germania lived close to these beings, leaving them offerings of mead, water, bread, berries and the like. In return these beings would help their crops to grow strong and safeguard their cattle. In the modern era, these beings are powerful allies for concerns regarding career, prosperity, and gardening.

       

For problems and requests regarding the home and family life, it was the Alfar (paternal ancestors) and the Disir (maternal ancestors) who were called upon. These beings were honored in many ways, and it varied from tribe to tribe. Many ancestral wights would dwell in their grave, and families would visit the tomb as often as possible to speak with them and leave them food and beverage. Some ancestors preferred to dwell in the home, and shrines were built to house them inside.

 

If one is not sure in these modern times where their ancestors prefer to dwell, it is safe to assume that they would like an invitation to a shrine you have built for them. Most ancestral spirits are lost in the void due to long centuries of neglect from the Living. However you can easily call them, blood calls to blood, bone to bone. Your prayer will be like a guiding light in the dark terror of outer Utgardh. On this shrine you can place pictures of loved ones who have passed on, as well as images that represent your entire ancestral past, maps of Germania, paintings of landscapes or Viking heros, and pictures of artifacts. Make sure that you feed your ancestors regularly. As long as they are well taken care of, they will take care of you. Your ancestors do not need to eat richly nor expensively. They do enjoy partaking of the family’s meals, so set aside some of whatever you are eating for them. You can also feed them oatmeal, bread, and salt with a nice glass of water to wash it down. Wine, beer, and mead should only be given as a thank-offering, never when asking for something. You don’t want your ancestors drunk while attempting to help you!

 

The next and last recourse one has is to the Gods. The Gods are the last and final line of defense simply because they have so much more to worry about than petty concerns. Don’t get offended, but most human matters are petty when seen from the perspective of the Gods. The Gods not only rule our world but all eight others as well. Woden especially is highly unapproachable at most times merely because he is quite busy wandering the worlds attempting to stave off Ragnarok, the Doom of Gods and Men. There are however many stories of the Gods taking interest in human affairs or taking human comrades. But they do this of their own volition, not because we ask. The Gods are not our servants, nor are we theirs, we are equal to the Gods, we just have more limitations.

       

The Gods are most likely to take an interest in your affairs if you are destined to be a great leader, a revolutionary, or have some great impact on the larger worlds. However they will take time out of their eternally busy lives to help you if the proper sacrifices are made. Just remember, do not approach them lightly nor without respect. Once you make yourself known to them, they have the right to place geas (taboos) upon you, and next thing you know you will no longer be able to eat meat or wear white, or some such ridiculous thing!

 

Proper Etiquette

In order to successfully work with these Germanic spirits, one must observe the proper etiquette and ritual structure. If you attempt to address them in a Wiccan ritual, they might not show up because you dialed the wrong number. View ritual as if it were a process of logging into a specific website. If you mess up the URL, instead of arriving at the White House’s News Page you will end up with adult material flashing all over your screen. The ritual structure is the URL to the Germanic spirits. When one raises a sanctified hammer and hallows the space, it reverberates through space and time and all wights, gods and holy dead will flock to see who in these muddled times are remaining Tru. So we will very quickly go over the processes for a typical Heathen Blot. A Blot (prn bloat) is the sort of ritual seen in most Kindreds, it is a simple ceremony for communing with and honoring the Shining Ones and the Spirits.

 

Bloting the Gods

Remember what I said about working with the Norse Gods? Well for the Blot’s sake, forget it. The Gods love to Blot. It is the way that they are fed and continue to survive. As I said before, it is extremely simple and practical. Here is what you will need:

Holy Hammer: This should be a double-headed mallet. It can be steel, wood, rubber or a full-sized sledge. Whatever floats your boat as long as it resembles Mjolnir (Thor’s mighty hammer)

Drinking Horn: Not only is this an authentic drinking tool, it is also a powerful ritual tool. Just take my word for it, if you want to know the symbolic reasons for this then please feel free to sign up for Asatru, Symbolism and Might, the second level class in this series.

Charcoal and Incense Burner: Unless you are going to be doing this Blot near a fire, this is essential. Buy some quick lighting charcoal briquets and a censer for burning the sacred herbs in.

Pine needles (or resin), Juniper Berries, and Cedar Bark: This is what you will burn on the charcoal or in the fire. These herbs help to carry the energies of the ritual into the lofty heights of Yggdrasil where the Gods and ancestors dwell.

A symbol of the Deity or Wight being honored: If you are honoring Frey for example, get a deer’s antler or an image of a boar, Freyja, a Siberian tiger or image of a vulva, Woden, a horse, or spear, etc. Do some research into the God you are going to honor so that you can represent them accurately.

Pork: The pig is a sacred animal in Asatru, and the Gods should always be honored with it’s meat.

Dark Bread: Something hearty and thick like pumpernickel or Rye.

Mead: Some Gods and spirits like other alcoholic beverages, but when in doubt, mead will always work.

A wooden bowl: This is the Blot-bolli, and all drink offerings should be poured into this bowl first. It can be as simple or as ornate as you like.

A piece of Saga: Find a saga that corresponds to what season or event you are honoring, or one that focuses specifically on a particular God’s great achievements. The Gods love to hear about their conquests. Read this in a powerful gloating voice.

 

Now that you have these things you are ready to Blot. Simply find a nice place, preferably outdoors, but indoors is ok. Take the Hammer to each quarter of the space, starting in the North, raising it above your head making the sign of the hammer in the air while saying: Hammer hallowed be our works without! After you have completed the circumambulation enter into the center of the space and raise the hammer above saying: Hammer hallowed be our works above! Lower the hammer below your waist saying: Hammer hallowed be our works below! Raise the hammer to chest height and say: Hammer hallowed be our works in center!

       

Now your space is hallowed. If you wish to claim this space as a permanent ritual area you must claim it by torch. This is simple as well, simply walk the circumference of the space bearing a torch, declaring that this space is now yours.

       

After hallowing is done you will tell those gathered with you, or the spirits if alone, what you are there for. Take a sip of mead from the horn and pour some into the bowl. If you have fellows with you, then pass the horn around the circle, you and each of your congregants shall say “Hail, _______.” Inserting the name of honored God or ancestor there. Once the mead has been passed, raise the pork to the sky, facing north, telling the Gods that the meat is to honor them. Then each shall take a small piece, leaving the greater portion for the God or ancestor. Once this has been done, read the saga you have chosen. After the saga’s telling is complete take the bowl of mead and the meat and pour both out onto the roots of a nearby tree shouting “WASSAIL!”

 

The blot is over and the feasting can begin.

 

While this ritual is extremely simplistic it is powerful for building worth, might and frith, the three mystic forces that nourish and empower mankind. If Blots are done regularly your luck will improve, your power grow, and your understanding of the Nordic path will deepen.

 

This is all that can be addressed in this class. As I said, more will be given in the second class, including a cursory glance into the natures of each divinity of the Aesir and Vanir, explanation of Norse ritual symbolism, and much more. Thank you for your time and may your sword always be sharp and your steed strong!      

 

Reviews

[222333]

Wait ... How do you know that the Alfs represent male ancestors? I've thus far interpreted the Alfs as messengers of either the Vanir or the Aesir, acting as intermediaries between the gods and goddesses, and humanity. From what I've read, Ljosalfheim is located at the upper level of Yggdrasil, along with Vanaheim and Asgard, and Svartalfheim is located at the middle level of Yggdrasil, along with Midgard and Jotunheim. Furthermore, I've also read that the Svartalfar are usually found deep below the ground, which would tend to indicate that Svartalfheim is somewhat closer to the lower level of the tree of Yggdrasil, where exists Muspellheim, Niflhel and Niflheim. I've always associated Muspellheim, the land of fire, with a primordial creator god known among the Celts as Dagda. (I usually prefer to spell his name "Deda" just because that's closer to how it's actually pronounced.) Likewise I've also always associated Niflhel and Niflheim both with the womb of a primordial creator goddess known among the Celts as "Morrigan". (I usually spell her name "Morihan" because once again that's closer to how it's actually pronounced. I have no idea why Gaelic words are spelled so differently from how they actually sound.) You see the same goddess in the Germanic, Celtic, Greek and even Arabian sources. In each case she has three manifestations: One a nubile young woman who presides over the creation of life, one a woman in her prime who presides over the maintenance of life, and one an old woman who presides over death. She represents the endless cycle of death and rebirth, destruction and recreation, through which we all pass endlessly throughout all time. You know those three armed swastikas you sometimes see, with their three arms chasing one another around endlessly in a circle? I suspect they're probably symbols of the primordial triple goddess. You can see the same triple goddess in Norse mythology as well. She manifests as the three Norns: Urd, Verandi and Skuld. Because Niflhel is the place where people go when they die, and Niflheim is the place from where life comes, I've interpreted Niflhel and Niflheim as both representing the womb of the primordial goddess, with Niflhel being the womb of Skuld, the goddess of death into whose womb you go when you die, and with Niflheim being the womb of Urd, the goddess out of whose womb you emerge when you are reborn. I assume there's probably a Norse counterpart for Deda as well, but I'm not exactly sure which of the gods it is. Perhaps Freyr? Also, the Vanir seem more to represent natural forces and events which we are meant to understand, and the Aesir seem more to represent moral values by which we are meant to live, I would interpret the primordial god and goddess, including the goddess's three manifestations of Urd, Verandi and Skuld, as being of the Vanir. Consequently I would tend to interpret the Svartalfar as being industrious workers carrying out the work of the Vanir, and the Ljosalfar as being intermediaries between the Aesir and man. Any thoughts?

[222333]

My understanding is that they were carvings of horses' heads, not carvings of dragons' heads. There's an ancient Scandinavian superstition that if you cut off a horse's head and stick it on a pole staring at someone's land, it will drive away the land wights and thereby destroy the fertility of the land. Consequently as the vikings approached their enemy's shores in their boats, they would put carved horse heads on the prows of their boats, to bring misfortune on their enemies. Likewise they would remove the horse heads before returning home, so as to avoid accidentally cursing their own land.

[Wolfhilde]

You wrote it quiet well! very nice. Although i never heard if something like 'having twelve souls'. The atributs needed for bloting the Gods were a bit overdone, but it is still good.

Hail from the north, Hail wodan!

[Angelic Darkness]

This writing is very insightful and indepth. I learned a lot here.
You were very detailed, which was great in understanding.

It's sad at the beginning that those of the Norse beliefs were
shunned, left alone for not following a certain path.
Then they had to make pacts and alliances to get what they
needed. I agree about the German ancestors because I had someone
to do a family tree of my dads side of the family, and on down the line
some came from Germany, as on my moms side as well.

The ritual was very interesting, and I enjoyed seeing how something
like that was done. Thank you for sharing...AD

[KonxOmPax]

Thanks for sharing this. While I was already familiar with some of the material presented here I still gleaned quite a good bit of information from this introductory essay. The style is simple and direct making it easy to understand. I recommend a bit of editing here and there to make your essay a tad more readable.

[Kayla]

I've already read this I think...But its a great intro and I think you should write a book about Asatru and the Norse religion! :)
love you
Awena