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Heathenry in the United States

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This is an old revision of this page, as edited by Dbachmann (talk | contribs) at 10:39, 27 December 2005 (sorry, I took this for the "Germanic Neopaganism" article. You are right that GGG are not Asatru of course.). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

Ásatrú (Icelandic "Æsir faith") is a new religious movement which is attempting to revive the pre-Christian (Viking Age) Nordic religion as described in the Eddas.

It was established in the 1960s and early 1970s in Iceland, by the Íslenska Ásatrúarfélagið which was founded by Sveinbjörn Beinteinsson. Ásatrú was recognized as an official religion by the governments of Iceland (in 1973), Denmark (in 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 or Heathenry and others.

Terminology

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, literally means "troth" or "faith". Thus, Ásatrú means "faith in the Æsir." The term is the Old Norse/Icelandic translation of Asetro, neologism coined in the context of 19th century romantic nationalism, first used by Edvard Grieg in his 1870 opera Olaf Trygvason. Therefore, the use of the term Ásatrú for Germanic paganism preceding 19th century revivalist movements is an anachronism. Likewise, use of Ásatrú as a synonym of Germanic Neopaganism, while widespread in the USA, can be misleading. Groups identifying themselves as Ásatrú cover a wide political spectrum, ranging from left-wing environmentalist groups, New Agers, universalists, tribalists, reconstructionists, folkish groups and even neonazi (e.g. Artgemeinschaft) movements.

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 paganism.

Ásatrúar, sometimes used as a plural in English, is properly the genitive of Ásatrú.

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, in the United States, Steve McNallen, a former U.S. Army officer, began publishing a newsletter titled "The Runestone". He also formed an organization called the Asatru Free Assembly, later renamed the Asatru Folk Assembly which is still extant. Else Christensen's Odinism, which 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.

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 divergance 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, in the USA neo-nazis and advocates of white power are ostracized and shunned by most organizations. Template:Fn The three largest American Ásatrú organizations specifically have denounced association with racist groups. Template:Fn 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" Template:Fn

Notes

  • Template:FnbGardell, Matthias, Gods of the Blood: The Pagan Revival and White Separatism, Duke University Press (2003), ISBN 0822330717 pp.269-283
  • Template:FnbThe positions of the AA, the AFA and the Troth:
From the Asatru Alliance's Bylaws: "The Alliance is apolitical; it is not a front for, nor shall it promote any political views of the 'Right' or 'Left'. Our Sacred temples, groves and Moots shall remain free of any political manifestations." [1]
From the Asatru Folk Assembly's Bylaws: "The belief that spirituality and ancestral heritage are related has nothing to do with notions of superiority. Asatru is not an excuse to look down on, much less to hate, members of any other race. On the contrary, we recognize the uniqueness and the value of all the different pieces that make up the human mosaic." [2]
From the Troth's Bylaws: "Discrimination on the basis of race, gender, ethnic origin, or sexual orientation shall not be practiced by the Troth or any affiliated group, whether in membership decisions or in conducting any of its activities." [3]
  • Template:FnbGardell, p.276. Referring to Stephen McNallen, Valgard Murray and Edred Thorsson; the respective founders of the AFA, the AA and the Troth, which are the three largest Ásatrú groups in the USA.

Neutral descriptions

Organizations

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