Asatru

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[[Image:Mjollnir.svg|thumb|right|Mjollnir (Thor's Hammer), a symbol of Asatru. This is the one you should avoid stealing, lest Thor dresses in drag and kills you.]]
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[[Image:Mjollnir.svg|thumb|right|Mjollnir (Thor's Hammer), a symbol of Asatru. This is the one you should avoid stealing, lest [[wp:Þrymskviða|Thor dress in drag and kill you.]]]]
  
'''Asatru''' (or '''Odinism''') is a religion attempting (or claiming) to cobble together an actual religion from [[Norse mythology]]. One would think this is hard, as Norse mythology lacks any teachings or social codes besides "Do not steal Thor's hammer!", but that hasn't stopped anyone from trying.
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'''Asatru''' (or '''Odinism''') is a religion attempting (or claiming) to cobble together an actual religion from [[Norse mythology]].
  
 
==Questions of accuracy==
 
==Questions of accuracy==
  
There is some question regarding how closely they have actually managed to recreate these beliefs, and of whether Germanic mythology ever qualified as an organized religion as it is understood today.  Many Asatruar go to great lengths to link themselves with the past, such as taking on a Nordic "baptismal name" like Heimgest or Gunnar. Presumably when there are more than a dozen Asatruar widely known by these names, patronymics will be introduced. When more than 4 can actually agree on something, you get a group known as a "Black Metal" band, which will then scream about Odin as if they have swallowed boiling grease.
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There is some question regarding how closely they have actually managed to recreate these beliefs, and of whether Germanic mythology ever qualified as an organized religion as it is understood today.  Many Asatruar go to great lengths to link themselves with the past, such as taking on a Nordic "baptismal name" like Heimgest or Gunnar. Presumably when there are more than a dozen Asatruar widely known by these names, patronymics will be introduced. When more than 4 can actually agree on something, you get a group known as a <s>"Black Metal" band</s> kindred, which will then scream about Odin as if they have swallowed boiling grease.
  
According to the neo-Druid Isaac Bonewits, some practitioners of Asatru are "mesopagan," meaning that they try to make their practice as close to the old form as possible with no intentional (but some unintentional) modern influences, while others are [[neopagan]].<ref>http://www.neopagan.net/PaganDefs.html</ref> Practitioners typically prefer to be called [[heathen]]s rather than [[pagan]]s; if you really want to piss these people off, call them neopagans — within their community, this is a [[snarl word]] used in the same way as "[[cafeteria Catholic]]." It is, however, odd, being as none of them (And not even the best historians on the subject) have any idea how the Norse people worshiped, thereby making them modern interpretations on Paganism. Neo-Pagans, if you will.
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According to the neo-Druid Isaac Bonewits, some practitioners of Asatru are "mesopagan," meaning that they try to make their practice as close to the old form as possible with no intentional (but some unintentional) modern influences, while others are [[neopagan]].<ref>http://www.neopagan.net/PaganDefs.html</ref> Practitioners typically prefer to be called [[heathen]]s rather than [[pagan]]s; if you really want to piss these people off, call them neopagans — within their community, this is a [[snarl word]] used in the same way as "[[cafeteria Catholic]]."
  
 
==Rituals==
 
==Rituals==
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That is probably a higher turnover rate than [[Mormonism]] has, which speaks volumes. Indeed, it seems to be one of those religions disproportionately favored by disgruntled ex-Mormons, strongest in Utah, Arizona, and Idaho, and — not surprisingly — weakest in states like [[Minnesota]] and North Dakota, which are full of people who would not need to make up "baptismal names" if they converted, because their actual first names would do the job admirably.  You figure it out.  
 
That is probably a higher turnover rate than [[Mormonism]] has, which speaks volumes. Indeed, it seems to be one of those religions disproportionately favored by disgruntled ex-Mormons, strongest in Utah, Arizona, and Idaho, and — not surprisingly — weakest in states like [[Minnesota]] and North Dakota, which are full of people who would not need to make up "baptismal names" if they converted, because their actual first names would do the job admirably.  You figure it out.  
  
It should be noted that if white supremacists really want a religion that suits their views perfectly, it would be best to convert to Mormonism. However, it is questionable as to why someone would willingly expose themselves to such a firestorm of criticsm unless they want to piss off as many people as possible without making any commitments or changing their behavior. Asatru remains the gold standard for this activity.
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It should be noted that if white supremacists really want a religion that suits their views perfectly, it would be best to convert to Mormonism. However, it is questionable as to why someone would willingly expose themselves to such a firestorm of criticsm unless they want to piss off as many people as possible without making any commitments or changing their behavior.
  
 
==Asatru vs. Odinism==
 
==Asatru vs. Odinism==

Revision as of 04:01, 29 January 2010

Bouncywikilogo.gif
There is a broader, perhaps slightly less biased, article on Wikipedia about Asatru
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For those living in an alternate reality, Conservapedia has an "article" about Asatru
Mjollnir (Thor's Hammer), a symbol of Asatru. This is the one you should avoid stealing, lest Thor dress in drag and kill you.

Asatru (or Odinism) is a religion attempting (or claiming) to cobble together an actual religion from Norse mythology.

Contents

Questions of accuracy

There is some question regarding how closely they have actually managed to recreate these beliefs, and of whether Germanic mythology ever qualified as an organized religion as it is understood today. Many Asatruar go to great lengths to link themselves with the past, such as taking on a Nordic "baptismal name" like Heimgest or Gunnar. Presumably when there are more than a dozen Asatruar widely known by these names, patronymics will be introduced. When more than 4 can actually agree on something, you get a group known as a "Black Metal" band kindred, which will then scream about Odin as if they have swallowed boiling grease.

According to the neo-Druid Isaac Bonewits, some practitioners of Asatru are "mesopagan," meaning that they try to make their practice as close to the old form as possible with no intentional (but some unintentional) modern influences, while others are neopagan.[1] Practitioners typically prefer to be called heathens rather than pagans; if you really want to piss these people off, call them neopagans — within their community, this is a snarl word used in the same way as "cafeteria Catholic."

Rituals

Asatru believers usually follow two rituals, the Blot and the Sumbel. The Blot is a round of toasts to the gods of Norse mythology; the Sumbel is a round of drinking involving oaths and toasts to each other. Both involve the imbibing of mead from a horn. A lot of Asatruar are homebrewers because the mead sold in liquor stores is frankly garbage. Needless to say, Asatru worship services tend to end with everyone falling all over themselves drunk, causing gothar[2] to fall over themselves insisting that one does not need to get drunk to practice Asatru. [3] Not that far removed from Episcopal priests after the Eucharist, or teenagers with their first bottle of Thunderbird, no?

Racist interpretations

In the United States, Asatru has long had to contend with white supremacist types claiming the religion because it has "Aryan" cred and (unlike Christianity) did not originate among the Jews. The Nazis were big into Norse mythology, as well.

This does not mean most Asatruar are racist; in fact the opposite is often the case and Asatruar are all over the map politically. In practical terms what it means is the religion is notably fractious and argumentative with the racists and anti-racists proclaiming "oaths" and "curses" against each other and the rest caught in the middle not wanting to have anything to do with either side, and something approaching a 90% turnover in adherents.

That is probably a higher turnover rate than Mormonism has, which speaks volumes. Indeed, it seems to be one of those religions disproportionately favored by disgruntled ex-Mormons, strongest in Utah, Arizona, and Idaho, and — not surprisingly — weakest in states like Minnesota and North Dakota, which are full of people who would not need to make up "baptismal names" if they converted, because their actual first names would do the job admirably. You figure it out.

It should be noted that if white supremacists really want a religion that suits their views perfectly, it would be best to convert to Mormonism. However, it is questionable as to why someone would willingly expose themselves to such a firestorm of criticsm unless they want to piss off as many people as possible without making any commitments or changing their behavior.

Asatru vs. Odinism

There is some dispute as to whether the religion should be called "Asatru" or "Odinism," but prominent gothar under both banners do not consider there to be very sharp differences between the two terms at present. Heimgest, the leader of the U.K.-based Odinic Rite, stated:

Asatru is basically just another name for Odinism. There are in fact a number of different names used, Odinism and Asatru being the most common, but Forn Sed is another term used by some, so is Germanic Heathenism and various others. But all this is basically a matter of semantics and essentially they are the same religion.[4]

Michael J. "Valgard" Murray, the founder of the Arizona-based Asatru Alliance, compared the terms this way:

[Odinists] worship the same gods that we do ... for instance, the difference between a Catholic and a Baptist might be pretty stark if you're a Catholic or a Baptist, but if you're Asatru, you wouldn't know the difference ...
Asatru is Scandinavian in origin. Odinism is Continental European in origin. Where we follow the Scandinavian or the Icelandic model, they follow the English model.[5]

There was historically a division in the use of the terms based on political and racial emphasis vs. religious emphasis. The term "Odinism" was coined by Alexander Rud Mills, an Australian Nazi sympathizer who founded an Odinist church in 1934. The name was carried on by Else Christensen and her Odinist Fellowship; Christensen's newsletter, The Odinist, contained more Liberty Lobby-esque political content than religious content.

The term "Asatru" was coined in Iceland in the early 1970s. The Icelandic practitioners, led by Sveinbjörn Beinteinsson, were more about practicing the religion than forming a political bond, so on average "Odinism" saw more use among the political group and "Asatru" saw more use among the apolitical group. Since Christensen's death and the dissolution of her Odinist Fellowship, this division is not so pronounced. The Odinic Rite, which describes itself as "Odinist," has no historic association with either Mills or Christensen and is more religious than political, but was founded before the term "Asatru" became popular.

The white-supremacist David Lane, recognizing that "Odinism" is now used primarily by non-racist groups, and realizing that Wotan, the German name for Odin, is an acronym for "Will Of The Aryan Nation," advocated the use of the term Wotanism for an explicitly racist version of Asatru. Today "Wotanism" still refers exclusively to these racist variants, which have had much syncretic influence from Christian Identity and Mormonism; for example, Lane himself was a supporter of polygamy, which cannot be conclusively stated to have existed as an institution in pagan Scandinavia.[6]

Edred Thorsson (real name of Stephen Flowers), an occultist who at one point called himself Asatru, tried dodging the name issue entirely by calling his organization the "Ring of Troth." The revelation that he was also a member of the Temple of Set unleashed a brief round of Satanic panic among the Asatruar.

No relation to


See also

References

  1. http://www.neopagan.net/PaganDefs.html
  2. Priests — yes, this religion has its clerics as well.
  3. http://www.odinic-rite.org/The%20Mead%20of%20Inspiration.html
  4. http://www.odinic-rite.org/PAB/PresentingtheTruth.pdf
  5. http://www.odinic-rite.org/Valgard-deposition.pdf
  6. Gwyn Jones on Norse polygamy
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