Nordic mythology, Germanic paganism, Nordic Tradition, Asatru, Odinism are all terms for an ancient faith that is making a comeback today. There are many misunderstandings about this religion, such as that its followers are Nazis or slaughter and sacrifice animals. As diverse as the names are, so too are the approaches.
Asatru
Actually this means , Faithful to the Gods ,. The Aesir, that is. These Gods live in Asgard, one of the places in the sky. The best known and most important god here is Odin . He is the god of magic, poetry and he is a Rune Master. He is associated with ravens (his ravens are called Huginn and Muninn), wolves (Freki and Geri). If we look at traditional images, he may look familiar. That may be true, the character Gandalf from Lord of the Rings is based on him. (If you delve further into the mythology you will find many more similarities between the Norse Tradition and Lord of the Rings) –
Tyr is the god of law, justice and oaths. Many oaths are taken on the ring of Tyr. Tyr’s most famous feat is that he held his right arm between the jaws of the wolf Fenrir. The gods pretended that they wanted to test the wolf’s strength as a game by putting an increasingly stronger chain on him. When they finally wanted to put the magical chain on Gleipnir, Fenrir no longer trusted the gods. He made the gods promise to release him if he failed to do so. Tyr was the only god who dared to hold his straight arm between his jaws as proof of good faith. When it turned out that the gods did not keep their promise, Fenrir bit off Tyr’s arm.
Thor is the warrior god. His most famous symbol is the Hammer (called Mjölnir). Many modern-day pagans wear this symbol as a sign of their faith, or to strengthen their bond with Thor. This hammer is said to be able to create lightning. Thor is a true hero. He kills giants, but he is also protector of the farmers. Its Germanic name is Donar (Thunder) and this is where Thursday comes from.
In addition to the Aesir, you also have the Delusions
The Delusions are fertility gods, the gods of the sea and abundance. Where the Aesir were seen as outspoken acting and often warring gods, the Delusions were seen as rich, wealth-giving, the patterns of fertility, happiness and peace and, together with the Aesir, of unity.
The best known and most beloved goddess of Norse mythology is Freya , she is the goddess of love, fertility and lust.
In addition, she is a spicy aunt. She is the ruler of the Valkyries. And on the battlefield, half of the fallen are received by her in Folkvangr (literally people’s field). Her most famous attribute is Brinsingamen, a necklace made by Dwarves. Freya, who loved beauty, had to have this necklace at all costs. To get it, she slept with the four (hideous) dwarfs who made the necklace. The Brinsingamen was her most prized possession. This necklace makes the beautiful Freya even more beautiful than she already is.
Opposite these positive forces are the Jotuns , the giants. They are older than the Gods. They represent Chaos, Uncontrolled Primal Force, Primary Drives and Destructive Energy. Giants and Gods, and with them the forces they represent, are engaged in an endless battle that will ultimately lead to Ragnarok, the end of the world.
Family
In Asatru as well as in Odinism, family and ,clan, are considered very important. This collection of family friends and believers is called kindred. Supporting and helping each other is central to kindred, even when it comes to disputes or blood feuds in earlier times. The kindred do rituals together and the rituals or blods are written down in a blod book, much like a book of shadow in Wicca or a spell book.
The main rituals are held during the seasonal festivals. Most parties are held on summer and winter finding and on Litha and yule. The latter is seen as the most important because in the Scandinavian countries winter meant that people did not really leave the house. Yule celebrated the end of winter, the warmth and therefore social contact started again.
Most of these festivals are celebrated, as with any pagan religion, with the usual gods and goddesses for that season and such as with summer finding or ostara with eggs and such. There is another festival that most Asatru also celebrate. Einherjar that is celebrated around or after Samhain. It is the festival in tribute to the fallen who joined Odin’s warriors in Valhalla.
The number 9
Nine is a common number within Asatru. For example, there are 9 worlds: Asgard, Vanaheim, Jotenheim, Nifleheim, Midgard, Muspel, Nevelheim, Alfheim, Svartalheim. These worlds are connected by the tree of life Yggdrasil.
Nine are also the Nine noble values.
This is a kind of summary of what defines being an Asatruar. These values are of course great to find in everyone, regardless of faith. They are not rules, the values cannot be compared to the 10 commandments, for example.
The nine noble values are:
- Hospitality , being generous, good and loyal to everyone you deal with in daily life
- Courage not only in battle, but also to be who you are, and to stand for what you believe is right.
- Truth and recognizing the truth.
- loyalty and the well-being of people who deserve it in your eyes
- Honor and maintaining your honor, but also respecting the honor of others
- Self-help: being able and willing to take care of yourself
- Diligence so that you can take care of yourself, but also of others
- Perseverance to achieve what you want to achieve.
- Discipline to put yourself to work.
The Eddas
A very large part of the mythological stories and legends of our ancestors have been collected in what are called the Eddas. The Eddas can be divided into two main groups: the Poetic Edda and the Prose Edda. The Poetic Edda or Konungsbók Eddukvaedi (Icelandic) – contains an important collection of Old Norse God and Hero poetry. The most important manuscript was written in the second half of the 13th century and is known as Codex Regius. The Prose or Snorra Edda – written around 1220 by the Icelander Snorri Sturluson. A significant section, called Gylfaginning, describes Nordic cosmology. This makes the Snorra Edda an extremely important source of mythological information. The two other main parts are called Skáldskaparmál and Háttatal respectively.
For pagans it is an important source of information but also of inspiration.
Prejudices
Unfortunately, some Neo-Nazi groups have used paganism as a tool to justify their actions. For example, they use runes and symbols from mythology and give them their own twist. This has led, for example, to the fact that pagan symbols are forbidden in Germany. You can even get arrested for it! This has to do with Hitler claiming that the pagans had already predicted the coming of the Third Reich, hence all the pagan and Nordic symbols and runes. People also draw conclusions too easily, for example, Pagans believe that you should be proud of your origins, which is confused with Nationalism. Pagans believe that everyone should be proud of his or her origins, not just as a Dutch person in the Netherlands. The Nordic tradition welcomes everyone, of every race, gender and sexual orientation.