UNDER CONSTRUCTION

Introduction 

 

Odinism is the modern revival of an ancient religion widely practiced by various people throughout northern Europe, primarily, the Norse. Odinism goes under many names. To those who study the religion from the outside, it may be called “Germanic Neopaganism.” For those who practice the religion, it may go under the title Heathenry, Ásatrú, and a slew of other names (but to save time, this paper will refer to the whole under the umbrella term “Odinism”). While the religion has technically been in existence since the creation of it by the Norse people, the modern revival of these beliefs began in the early 20^th century.

 

 

Research Direction

 

Odinists would say that their religion has never had a revival, and that the same beliefs and practices that are done today are the same practiced by their Norse ancestors. Within Odinism, beliefs and practices vary widely. Some may have a focus on the traditional practices of their heritage (which will sometimes call themselves “Heathens” to differentiate from pagans whose rituals come from modern sources). Others may romanticize the Viking belief system and take more of a occultic or mysticist approaches. In either case, all contemporary accounts of Odinism are based off of existing records of Norse mythology dated back to the 11^th century.

 

Because of the connection to ancient Germanic identity, some Odinists today have links to Neo-Nazism and white supremacism. While the Neo-Nazi’s that practice their ancient indigenous religion will always call themselves Odinists, and usually never Ásatrú, not all Odinists will call themselves Neo-Nazi’s. This difference is illustrated between “folkish” Odinists, which believe that you must have ancestral blood to be a follower, and “universalist” Odinists, which believe anyone can be a follower. However, my research will not focus on the racialist aspect, as my research partner has covered that extensively here. In my research, I will clearly identify what it means to be an Odinist through looking at the history, practices, ideologies, and customs of Odinism. I will then be comparing this contemporary take on the faith to the “religion” of the historical Norse, or Vikings.

 

Basic Tenants of Odinism

 

History

 

Early Germanic Paganism

 

All religions of the ancient times before monotheism, specifically the Juedeo-Christian belief, are pagan. The ancient Greeks, the Romans, the Egyptians, the Babylonians, etc. all practiced paganism, or polytheism. Among these ancient civilizations we can also mention the Teutons, of which one branch of paganism descended from, which can be called Germanic Paganism.

 

The Teutons, or Germanic peoples, consist of several different tribes in northern Europe, possessing a common origin and sharing many cultural affinities, who speak one or other of the Germanic languages. The important Germanic tribes of ancient times include the Ostrogoths, Visigoths, Lombards, Franks, Burgundians and Vandals. All of these nations were originally worshippers of the gods and goddesses of the same pantheon. The descendents of these tribes include the modern peoples of the Germans, Dutch, Flemings, Danes, Swedes, Norwegians, Icelanders, and the Anglo-Saxons of England and lowland Scotland.

  

While the Odinic gods and goddesses are often synonymous with the Vikings, or the Scandinavian peoples, it actually is a product of the aforementioned Germanic people. While the Gods may go under different names, their nature is quite similar. For example, the Germanic Mercury, the Old English Woden, and Norse Odin all descend from the common “poetic warrior God” of Wodanaz. While the Viking period lasted 500 years, Germanic paganism (which includes Odinism under its umbrella) has an organized history of about 8000 years. Most of what is known about this Germanic religion is derived from descriptions by Latin writers such as Julius Caesar and Tacitus, descriptions from early Christian missionaries, and archaeological evidence including cult objects, amulets, grave goods, and place names. The Germanic brand of paganism is one of the oldest pre-Christian religions that is still in practice today.

 

The success of Christianity largely displaced paganism in Europe during the medieval period. Norse Paganism, the brand of Germanic Paganism that Odinists have revived, died out during this period as well. Anglo-Saxon England was converted from Norse paganism in the 7^th century, Scandinavia in the 10^th century, and finally, Lithuania officially converted in 1386, which was the last Norse pagan stronghold in Europe. Worship of the Odinic gods and goddesses only lingered in secret in underground movements such as the Odin Brotherhood.

 

First Revival

 

Of all the brands of Germanic Paganism, Norse Paganism was easily survived due to being much better documented than any of its predecessors through Norse mythology depicted in the Prose Edda and the Poetic Edda, as well as the sagas, written in Iceland during 1150 – 1400 A.D. Because of the preservation of these documents, popular and scholarly interest for the history and culture of the Vikings became part of 19^th century Romanticism. This movement was called The Viking Revival, or Septentionalism, of which Thomas Gray, William Blake, William Blake, and J.R.R. Tolkien were apart of.

 

One individual, Guido von List, became particularly interested in the Runes. In 1862, von List visited the crypt of St. Stephens Cathedral (which was a former pagan shrine), and swore an oath to build a temple to Wotan (the Germanic Odin). This was the birth of Germanic Neopaganism. Von List contributed to other organized pagan and occultic groups during this time, such as the Germanische Glaubens-Gemeinschaft (which still exists) and the Thule Society, which studied German antiquity. While many members of the Nazi Party were part of these movements, Adolf Hitler discouraged such pursuits, and Neopagan societies were even persecuted during this time.

 

Second Revival

 

With the first resurgence of the religion squashed, the second revival began, properly, the birthplace of the Viking Sagas and the Eddas; Iceland. In 1972, a farmer and poet named Sveinbjörn Beinteinsson, created an organization called Ásatrúarfélagið (“Fellowship of the Aesir faith”). This organization was instrumental in helping to gain recognition by the Icelandic government for Odinism in 1973. This allowed the church, whose godi (or priest) was Sveinbjörn Beinteinsson, to conduct legally binding ceremonies and collect a share of the church tax. During most of his life, membership did not exceed 100 people.

 

Sveinbjörn Beinteinsson, first contemporary Odinist priest.

 

 

 

The Nature of Odinism: Folkish vs. Universalist

 

                It is important to make a distinction between the folkish and the universalist Odinists before delving into the nature of Odinism. Universalist Odinists refers to the new age movement of the last 40 years and those that would like to cultivate some form of spirituality and find it in the Norse spirituality. While they may not have any Norse blood in their veins, they like the ideas of Runes, and warriors, and living with nature, etc. These Odinists may even interject other forms of paganism and Native American spiritual practices in with their Odinist spirituality. A good example of this kind of Odinist is one who owns a Viking rune set they bought from Barnes and Noble and uses it for fortune telling similar to Tarot cards, even though the Norse people did not use them in that manner.

                From the Folkish Odinist perspective, the Universalist Odinist is a joke. The President of the Asatru Folk Assembly (AFA) Steve McNallen describes this best in his article aimed at Europeans interested in Native American Spirituality “Asafolk and Native American Spirituality.”  Here is an excerpt:

“Perhaps the most significant issue in Indian spirituality today is the all-pervading presence of a new tribe - the Wannabees. These are non-Indian, overwhelmingly European American, men and women who want to adopt or adapt bits and pieces of Indian religion. Peace pipes and smudge sticks are sold in New Age bookstores , and dream catchers are even more ubiquitous; they clutter the checkout counter and the local five-and-dime. Non-Indians make big bucks sponsoring sweat lodge experiences, drumming sessions, and vision quests. Perhaps the worst abuses are the sun dances done on Astroturf, and the sex orgies conducted under the guise of Cherokee tribal ritual.

The Indians are angry, and who can blame them? Excerpts from the "Declaration of War" that accompanies this piece, documents their determination to end the ripping off of their religion. As followers of an ethnic religion ourselves, we cannot help but be sympathetic. Before you moan about us giving space to non-Asafolk, think: Today, they are being ripped off; tomorrow it will be us. In fact, the theft of Asatru started ten years ago with Ralph Blum's Book of Runes, and continues today in the form of attempts to de-tribalize and universalize Asatru.

                Folkish Odinists are more serious about their faith and see it as reviving their connection to their fellow community. Because of this, they believe you must be a descendent of the Norse bloodline to be a part of their faith. While this may be used by white supremacists to bolster themselves above other cultures, most Odinists advocate that while you must belong to the Norse or Germanic bloodline, they do not necessarily discriminate against other races or faiths. They simply believe that each respective bloodline has its own pagan faith to practice. For a Germanic person to practice Native American spirituality or a Native American to practice Odinism seems illogical to them.

            Representatives of true Native American spirituality tend to agree with these ideals. To fix the problem of Europeans stealing away their spirituality and commercializing it, Indians are turning away Europeans to their own cultures. Mohawk newspaper editor Doug George said, in a recent issue of New Age magazine, ("A Theft of Spirit?", August 1995) "If you look far enough back, you'll find the Celts and the Anglos and the Saxons and the Jutes all have similar rituals of thanksgiving based on the cycles of the moon and the growing seasons of the Earth. That is what needs to be revived. Maybe we can use this as a kind of spiritual judo. When people come to you with a desperate need to know more, just turn that around and say the solution is within your own self. The solution is in your own community."

                Perhaps the most controversial tag with folkish Odinism has been that it is inherently racist. While some Odinists may be racist, not all are (in the same way that the Ku Klux Klan is racist and Christian).  Many who align themselves with the “Asatru” tag (which fights with the tag “Odinism” for the label to apply to the contemporary Viking religion label)try desperately to distance themselves from being attached to Neo-Nazi’s, white supremacists, or other “racially aware” organizations. One webmaster of a popular Asatru site posted the following after finding out his site had been attached to Neo-Nazi sites:

“It has been the sad fate of Asatru to have had our faith highjacked by some subhuman maggots who are trying to hitch their sick and twisted political wagon to our faith.

It is the position of The Raven Kindred, Asatru Today, myself personally, and all legitimate Asatruar that race and ethnicity are completely irrelevant to Asatru and Norse Paganism.

Asatru is a religion. It is open to anyone who wishes to join it. Those persons who would limit its membership on the basis of race, sex, sexual preference, or other such criteria are not only mentally challenged, but are traitors to the Gods. If the Gods call someone to their service, it is not our business to deny them based on their genetic origin. To do so is to go against the Gods, and thus is to commit treason against Asgard.”

 

 

Some Odinists find a middle ground between the Asatru perspective and white supremacy Odinists. While they do not advocate racism, they do believe that the only way to be a true Odinist is to have Viking blood flowing through ones veins. Anyone with different blood, by this perspective, should practice their own native ancestral faith. Steve McNallen exemplifies this perspective in his article:

 

“Is there a connection between race and religion, between biology and spirituality? If we say "yes," does that mean we're racist? Where is the line between pride in one's people - a desire to see one's tribe perpetuated - and the phenomenon the media calls "racism"?”

 

However, the split between racialist Odinists and non-racialist Odinists is irrelevant to my research, accurately the Viking religion has been reproduced in the contemporary age.  The split that is necessary to address is between the Asatru and folkish Odinists and the universalists Odinists. Where the former studies texts and artifacts, and even learns the original languages, to return to the original mindset of the Vikings. The ladder look at information which is readily accessible and freely build upon it, borrowing from other traditions such as Indians, the Chinese I Ching, and Kabalistic (or Jewish) mysticism.  This paper will look at the Asatru/folkish Odinists and the differences and similarities between their practices and those of the Vikings.

 

The Religion of the Vikings:

Before looking at the beliefs and practices of contemporary Odinists, it is important to look at the Vikings and their religion. If Odinists are “reviving” the ancient practices of the Vikings, then looking at the Viking’s religious practices is a good place to start in drawing a comparison.

What we know about the Gods comes from Snorri Sturluson (1179-1241) who recorded the myths of the Gods. However, he wrote two hundred years after Iceland became Christian, so he says little about actual practice. This has caused problems for groups of Odinists today trying to return to their ancient Nordic beliefs. Many have studied the old religion, but are left filling in the gaps, and deliberately adding new elements to adapt to modern times. As a result, there are several variations in contemporary Odinist practices, especially since there is no central authority or official dogma. However, this, if anything, makes the contemporary Odinism more similar to the religion as it was during the Viking Age, as Vikings had a very similar approach to their faith between different clans.

 

Beliefs:

    As said before, Odinists beliefs come from the works of Snorri Sturlusson. In relation to belief’s, these particularly come from the Elder Edda and the Prose Edda. It is important to again note that the original Vikings did not have access to these books, so their views of the spiritual world, names for Gods, and cosmology could have been different from Snorri Sturlusons representation.

 

 

Priests and Priestesses

 

Old Germanic practice allowed the chieftain or leader of a district to act as the gothi (priest) hosting feasts and leading rituals. Women were considered to have great spiritual power, and could lead rituals or perform divination or prophecy. Family rituals were led by the householders, and individuals with a devotion to specific deities were free to act as priest or priestess (gyhthja) and establish shrines. Volva or thul were magical specialists.

 

Views of the gods:

 

While Vikings respected their gods, they did not revere and honor them in the way that Christians do. They respected them, and considered them more powerful than men, but saw them as equal and couldn’t wait to fight by their side in the after life. Their gods were not all-powerful, all-knowing, or even entirely good. Like men, they ate, fought, played jokes, farted, and even died.

The Blot

 

The Vikings primary method of worship was through sacrificing animals to them. To Odin, this sacrifice may even go to include humans. In fact, after a series of bad years with a lot of starvation, legend tells that the Swedes sacrificed their king to the gods for better harvests.

 

They fed on food dedicated to the Gods. The blot was considered an exchange of energy between the human and divine. The other part of the celebration was called the sumbel, in which a horn of mead or ale is dedicated to a god or ancestor and passed around the circle as each person adds praise or prayer.

The Blot was what the Vikings called this sacrificial festival. It occurred three times out of the year. The first was in the Spring. This was called Sumarmál and worshipped the goddess Eostara. This was the most important time of blot as crops were sown and the survival of Viking families depended on these crops. This was also the time to celebrate fertility. This blot is where we get contemporary Easter.

 

The second was during the Summer, which was considered the “thanksgiving” sacrifice in the late summer to thank the gods for their help in producing a good harvest. This festival usually took place during mid-October and honored ancestors. This is

 

The last was the Yuletide, which would occur at the darkest time of the year. The old year was coming to a close, and the people offered their gods good food and drink to please them in hopes of a good year. This blot was called “The Twelve Nights of Yule,” which we now celebrate as Christmas. The idea of the Christmas tree actually comes from this celebration, as Vikings would decorate trees to attract ancestral spirits to accept their offerings.

               

Places of Worship

 

Traditionally, Viking religious ceremonies pre-Christianity took place in the open air or in a special feasting hall. Later in the Viking Age, more and more places in Scandinavia began adopting simple sheds or small temples for places of worship. These buildings can still be found throughout Scandinavia and most have been converted into Christian churches. These churches can be identified by the last three letters HOV, like, for example, Torshov. Today, any church with an HOV suffix was likely a place of pagan worship at one time.

 

However, elements of Odinism could be seen in the Christian religion. Easter, for example, is a celebration of Odinic fertility celebrations, and Christmas is the Odinic “Twelve Nights of Yule.” Even the Christmas tree comes from Odinists, who would decorate trees to attract ancestral spirits to accept their gifts.