Heathenry (new religious movement)

Heathenry is a religious movement based on the reconstruction of pre-Christian Germanic beliefs from northern Europe. The term comes from the word heathen, which itself originated from a Germanic word meaning “dweller on the heath, or uncultivated land.” It was used by early Christians to describe people who did not worship the God of the Bible. The modern form of heathenry was developed in the early 1970s and encompasses several related belief systems, all of which are based on the traditions of ancient Germanic paganism. The Germanic religion was polytheistic, adhering to a belief in many gods who were seen as forces of nature that had a direct influence in the lives of humans. One of the most common forms of heathenry is called Ásatrú, which is based upon the traditional Norse religion. Ásatrú is officially recognized as a religion by the government of Iceland, where it had around 5,000 followers into the mid-2020s.

Background

The Germanic people were a group of nomadic tribes with a common linguistic background that are believed to have originated in northern Europe in the second millennium BCE. Little is known about the early history of the Germanic people until they encountered the forces of ancient Rome in the first century BCE. The Romans viewed them as barbarians and often battled the tribes over the course of trying to expand the Roman Empire. When the Western Roman Empire fell in the fifth century CE, the Germanic people were able to access new lands, migrating across Europe and settling in regions throughout Norway, Germany, France, and England.

By the fourth and fifth centuries, the Roman Empire had adopted Christianity and began to spread the religion among the people it encountered. Many of the southern Germanic tribes became Christianized about this time. After the fall of Rome, missionaries sent by the Church spread out across Europe to convert the “heathen” population. About 498, Clovis I, the leader of a Germanic people known as the Franks, converted to Christianity, creating a kingdom that would later grow into the nation of France. The Angles, Saxons, and Jutes, Germanic tribes from the European mainland, invaded the island of Britain in the fifth century, establishing several kingdoms that would evolve to become England. By the early seventh century, missionaries had converted most of the island to Christianity.

Because of distance and geography, the Germanic tribes in the far north of Europe had mostly remained isolated from the influences of the Roman Empire and the later spread of Christianity. This allowed them to maintain many of their traditional beliefs and develop independent and prosperous trading cultures. In the eighth century, the descendants of the northern Germanic tribes began a series of raids and conquests southward into the heart of Europe. Known as the Vikings, these raiders left their influence on many of the lands they conquered and established the modern-day nations of Denmark, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden. Christianity was slow to spread across this region, reaching some areas by the tenth century and establishing itself fully by the mid-twelfth century.

Overview

The Germanic peoples did not have their own written language, meaning most of the historical information about them came from outside sources. Archaeological evidence provides some information about their lifestyles and tendency toward warfare, but very little is known about their early culture and religious beliefs. Almost all the knowledge about Germanic pagan beliefs comes from later sources, such as the Icelandic literary works known as the Prose Edda and the Poetic Edda, both compiled in the thirteenth century. Other sources that mention the subject include the Icelandic sagas and the Old English epic poem Beowulf, believed to have been written between the eighth and eleventh centuries.

Germanic pagan beliefs were polytheistic, with their pantheon of gods and goddesses representing many of the forces of nature. Although Germanic deities shared many of the same characteristics, their names varied by time period and location. For example, the Germanic god Wodanaz was known as Woden to the Anglo-Saxons of Britain and Odin in later Norse beliefs. The Anglo-Saxons named their thunder god Thunor, while the Norse called him Thor. Odin’s wife, known as Frigg in Old Norse, was referred to as Frige by the Anglo-Saxons.

Through the medieval period, Christianity dominated as the primary religion throughout Europe, but in Scandinavia, the average person still held onto some of their old pagan beliefs. In the late nineteenth century, a growing public fascination with world mythology renewed interest in many of the old Norse traditions and legends. Religious movements dedicated to the old pagan gods began to form in northern Europe but were overshadowed in the mid-twentieth century by the rise of Nazi Germany. The Nazis began appropriating pagan symbols and practices to justify their belief in a “pure” Germanic race. The followers of the old religious ways did not adhere to the Nazis’ agenda, but their beliefs became associated with racism and hate nevertheless.

It was not until the 1970s that a belief in heathenry was able to recover and find acceptance during a time when interest in new-age religions was growing. In 1972, Icelandic poet Sveinbjorn Beinteinsson formed the Ásatrúarfélagid, or Ásatrú Fellowship, a group dedicated to reconstructing and practicing the ancient Norse religion. Through Beinteinsson’s work, Ásatrú was recognized as an official religion by the government in 1973. As Ásatrú was finding acceptance in Iceland, heathenry groups were popping up across Europe and the United States. Although they followed many of the same religious principles, the groups often had different names based on regional or ideological differences. For example, other groups that follow the traditions of Norse paganism are called Vanatrú or Forn Sed, which means “old customs.” Heathenry that focuses on the Anglo-Saxon tradition is called Fyrnsidu or Theodism; other groups use the names Irminism, Odinism, or Wodenism.

Heathenry is a reconstruction of the pagan Germanic religion and worships the same group of deities and spirits as its predecessors. This includes Odin (Woden); Thor (Thunor); Frigg (Frige); and other deities such as Tyr (Tiw), the God of War and Justice; and Baldr (Balder), the son of Odin and Frigg. The deities themselves are divided into three tiers: the Aesir, Vanir, and Jótnar. The Aesir are the major group of gods and goddesses who are led by Odin and reside in Asgard at the top of the world tree, Yggdrasil. The Vanir are a group of lesser deities associated with fertility and the earthly forces of nature. While related to the major gods, the Vanir live apart from the Aesir in the realm of Vanaheim on a lower branch of the world tree. The Jótnar are a group of giants who represent chaos and are constantly at war with the Aesir. This battle between the Aesir and the Jótnar will one day bring about a final war called Ragnarok in which many of the Aesir will be killed, and the world will end and be reborn. Followers of heathenry also worship several types of nature and land spirits that go by various names, including elves, landvaettir, and alfar.

While heathenry maintains many of the rituals and practices of the Germanic tradition, many of these have been adjusted to fit more modern sensibilities. In ancient times, practitioners of a ritual known as blót would sacrifice an animal to the gods, land spirits, or the ancestors. In contemporary times, the blót is carried out by leaving a gift of beer, juice, or mead. Another ritual called symbel involves passing a horn filled with mead or another type of drink among a group. The individual members each make a toast, tell a story, or sing a song before passing the horn to the next person. Typically, the first round of toasts is made to the gods, the next to the spirits or ancestors, and the next to whatever the person wishes. Other rituals are held to swear an oath to the gods, name children, perform marriages, and mark the time of death.

Followers also celebrate numerous seasonal holidays, although these holidays can vary depending on the region and local culture. For example, Yule is celebrated in late December to mark the winter solstice. Midsummer is celebrated in June, near the time of the summer solstice. In Great Britain, the festival of Ēostre is celebrated in spring to honor the Anglo-Saxon goddess of the same name. Freyfaxi is a harvest celebration held in August, in which sacrifices are often made to the Vanir deity Freyr.

While some forms of heathenry strictly adhere to tradition, others are more open in practice and acceptance. One type of heathenry known as folkish has stirred controversy by insisting its members be of English, Germanic, or Scandinavian descent. Its followers have been accused of being racist, although they insist they do not preach hatred against other groups. They believe that their reconstructed beliefs should only be for those whose ancestors were original followers of the religion. Many heathen groups believe in a concept known as wyrd, which is a spiritual force that connects everything in the universe. They also believe in a code of conduct known as the nine noble virtues. These include loyalty, responsibility, hard work, honesty, generosity, fairness, bravery, strength, and moderation.

Bibliography

"About the Ásatrú Association." Ásatrúarfélagið, asatru.is/um-asatruarfelagid/. Accessed 21 Jan. 2025.

Duir, Alexa, and Arlea Hunt-Anschütz. “Heathenry.” Asatru UK, www.asatruuk.org/whatisheathenry. Accessed 21 Jan. 2025.

Fontaine, Andie Sophia. “Pagans Are The Largest Non-Christian Faith In Iceland.” The Reykjavik Grapevine, 22 May 2020, grapevine.is/news/2020/05/22/pagans-are-the-largest-non-christian-faith-in-iceland. Accessed 21 Jan. 2025.

“Germanic Tribes/Teutons (North-West Indo-Europeans): 10th Century BC - 7th Century AD.” The History Files, www.historyfiles.co.uk/KingListsEurope/BarbarianGermanics.htm. Accessed 21 Jan. 2025.

“Heathen FAQ.” Temple of Our Heathen Gods, heathengods.com/faq/index.htm. Accessed 21 Jan. 2025.

“Heathenry.” Pagan Federation, paganfed.org/index.php/paganism/heathenry. Accessed 21 Jan. 2025.

Krasskova, Galina. A Modern Guide to Heathenry: Lore, Celebrations, and Mysteries of the Northern Traditions. Weiser Books, 2019.

Lafayllve, Patricia M. A Practical Heathen’s Guide to Asatru. Llewellyn Publications, 2013.

Strom, Caleb. “Return of the Ancient Gods: The Resurgence of Paganism.” Ancient Origins, 10 Sept. 2020, www.ancient-origins.net/ancient-places-europe/return-ancient-gods-resurgence-paganism-008033. Accessed 21 Jan. 2025.

Wigington, Patti. “Asatru—Norse Heathens of Modern Paganism.” Learn Religions, 5 July 2019, www.learnreligions.com/asatru-modern-paganism-2562545. Accessed 21 Jan. 2025.