Have you heard the Silent One?
The Fourth Conversation
Younger: I was having a discussion today and one of my friends said all the Asatru stuff is a modern invention people made up recently.
Elder: That is somewhat correct.
Younger: Really! I thought this was the ancient religion of my ancestors.
Elder: That is somewhat correct as well.
Younger: Another thing that requires me to make up my own mind about it?
Elder: Another correct thing, to a certain extent. The old ways of your ancestors were rarely written down. That means we do not have really good records. In many cases, it was outsiders who did the writing, so they only provided their view of things. Researchers today must piece together all those writings, as well as archeological evidence, to find things out the best they can. Since Scandinavia was one of the last places to convert to another religion, more of their version of our religion survived and we tend to use their words and names.
Younger: So it is an ancient religion.
Elder: Some parts are. We can find other parts in the practices of related cultures who kept some of the religion alive. Even in places where Christianity took over, they often adapted parts of our religion into theirs. Practices found at Christmas and Easter were often borrowed, and many smaller, local traditions are carryovers from our folks.
Younger: Then why would anyone say that Asatru is a modern, made up religion?
Elder: There are two reasons for that. The main one they reference is the fact that we have to fill in all the missing pieces from the historical record. When we do that, it is our best guess. We can never be absolutely sure that our ancestors believed the things we think they did. All of that guessing makes it seem like we could make up anything.
Younger: That makes sense. What's the other reason?
Elder: Many religions seem to hit a point where they stop and that is all there is to it. Our religion is still alive. Our Gods still live and do things. Our people still have religious experiences and create new books. Since our religion is so dynamic, some parts are brand new because they only happened today.
Younger: I never thought of that. It seems like other people are only interested in the old version of their religion and never look for something new. And all of this was recent?
Elder: That depends on what you mean by recent. There have always been little groups that decided to serve the Gods as best they could. A revival in interest happened in the 1800s, but that had good and bad sides to it. The good was that scholars did a lot of research and promoted knowledge of the religion, if not belief. The bad was that this was often used to promote white supremacy and eugenics in some circles.
Younger: Like the Nazis?
Elder: Yes, the Nazis based many of their beliefs on some of the ideas coming out of the 1800s and they really butchered some of our history. For example, they adopted the Saxon hero Widukind as an example of a Germanic hero who fought to stop the flood of Hebrew-based religion into northern Europe. Widukind himself was just trying to defend his people against the Franks. Likewise, the Nazis and similar groups used Arminius, whom they call Herman, who led Germanic tribes in a decisive victory against the Romans in the Battle of Teutoburg Forest in the year 9. He was obviously a hero, but probably would not approve of the Nazis.
Younger: Sounds like there would have been a lot of anti-Asatru backlash after the Second World War.
Elder: There would have been if most people knew anything about Asatru. Instead, there was a general anti-German sentiment before, during, and after the war. Many of our symbols were banned in Europe, not because they were our symbols, but because the Nazis used them.
Younger: So we've been slowly growing since then?
Elder: In the early seventies, there were a few large groups formed. Some tried to put together a coalition, but infighting usually prevented that. By the eighties, only a few groups stood, and some are still out there. You can seek them out, if you are so inclined, but it is not required.
Younger: The seventies and eighties were before the Internet, right?
Elder: Before the Internet as it is known today. The Internet has been a great help to Asatru people everywhere. It has made the spread of information easier. It has let people connect to each other; something important when there are so few of us in the larger population. Many kindreds have put up websites. Even the big temple in Iceland has a website.
Younger: Kindreds? I've seen that around. That's like a church, right?
Elder: Using that analogy, it is more like a congregation, by which I mean it is just the people. An actual "church" building is often called a Hof or Hearth.
Younger: Are there a lot of these kindreds?
Elder: That's hard to say. Asatru people are very tribal and tend to keep to themselves. Any group can form a kindred and never tell anyone else. That said, there are quite a few that are open about their status. Some will welcome outsiders to join them in an unofficial capacity, but they usually only let known and trusted people become official members.
Younger: You said before that there is no central Asatru authority. So if they make their kindred do they have to register it with the government or anything?
Elder: No, not unless they want the tax exemption for being a religious organization; then they need to file paperwork with the IRS if they're in the United States. Some jurisdictions may require them to register if they have a group money pot or account, or if members will be performing marriages. Other jurisdictions don't care about that.
Younger: So I can start my own kindred? I just decide to start it and there it is.
Elder: Yes. However, there are many people called "Solitary Practitioners" who do not belong to a kindred but are still part of the religion. This is perfectly okay; everyone has their own path to follow, so it is nothing to be ashamed of. Some solitary practitioners will interact with a kindred or two, or some may choose to gather for the occasional holiday.
Younger: If I want to be in a kindred but don't want to start one, I should just find an existing kindred and try joining them?
Elder: That's one way. You want to be careful. Not everyone has the same interpretation of what it means to be Asatru. You need a kindred that is compatible with your ideology. For example, there are some white supremacist groups that claim to be Asatru but don't actually practice the religion. Instead, they tend to want to believe that they are inherently better for having light skin and they use Asatru symbols and call to Asatru Gods to give them strength. If you don't agree with that, you would want to avoid such a group.
Younger: Are they all violent extremists?
Elder: No. As with everything else, there is a wide spectrum. You may encounter the term "folkist". This is a more lightweight form of racism. They usually say they hold no hostility toward persons of other ethnicities, but they think those people should worship their own culture's gods and leave ours alone.
Younger: But aren't the Gods the Gods of everything and everyone?
Elder: Yes. You can see this is just a way to isolate from different people. The folkists are usually otherwise pleasant; they just have this quirk of ideology.
Younger: It sounds like I may want to be a Solitary Practitioner for a while and see what comes up.
Elder: That is a valid option. Here are some books to help get you started:
- Northern Tradition for the Solitary Practitioner by Galina Krasskova and Raven Kaldera
- To Walk a Pagan Path by Alaric Albertsson
- The Rites of Odin by Ed Fitch
- Asatru Book of Blotar and Rituals by the Asatru Folk Assembly
Important Points from the Conversation
- Much of modern Asatru is rebuilt using what we can find of historical records and our best guesses from surviving components of the religion.
- Some who have done research into our religion bent the research to support non-Asatru political and social goals.
- The Asatru religion is still alive, so there are new facets showing up all the time.
- The Internet has been beneficial to the Asatru community by fostering connection and the sharing of information.
- A kindred is a group of Asatru people similar to a congregation in a Christian church. When the kindred has a specific building where they meet, it is usually called a Hof or Hearth.
- When interacting with a kindred, make sure their overall ideology is compatible with yours.
- You can start a kindred of your own. Official paperwork is not usually needed unless your group shares money.
- It is common to be a Solitary Practitioner and not belong to a group. You can still interact with others for religious purposes.