Asatru UK

An Introduction to
Heathenry
An Ancient Religion, Relevant in
the Modern World
To Join us in Asatru UK please visit the membership page of our
Website
https://www.asatruuk.org/membership
Contents

An Ancient Religion, Relevant in the Modern World ...........1

Sources ..........................................................................................2
Gods and Other Beings .............................................................2
Structure .......................................................................................4
Rites and Celebrations ................................................................5
Festivals ........................................................................................6
Magic and Seership .....................................................................7
Wyrd and Ethics ..........................................................................7
After Death ..................................................................................8
Extremists and Misappropriation of Heathenry.....................9
Heathenry and Other Contemporary Pagan Spiritualities . 10
Credits ........................................................................................ 12
 An Ancient Religion, Relevant in
the Modern World
HEATHENRY IS A TERM USED TO describe the religious
practices of two main groups of people, one historical and one modern.
The original Heathens were the pre-Christian North European
peoples who lived a thousand and more years ago in the lands around
what is now called the North Sea. These included the peoples of
Anglo-Saxon England, Scandinavia, Germany and Frisia (Modern day
Belgium and the Netherlands).
Modern Heathen groups around the world are reviving these old
practices under various names including Asatru, The Northern
Tradition, Odinism, Forn Sed, Germanic Pagan Reconstructionism or,
simply, Heathenry. In Iceland, which did not convert to Christianity
until the 11th Century, Heathenry has once again become an official
(nationally recognised) religion, and there are groups and individuals
working for the same level of recognition in many other countries.
Heathenry is officially recognised by the Department of Defense in the
United States, and in the UK the Defence Pagan Network has ensured
that Heathenry in recognised in the Ministry of Defence, alongside
other forms of paganism.
Heathens work to build healthy relationships with Gods and
Goddesses, ancestors, spirits of the land, and others in their
communities, both through holy rites and through their day to day
actions.

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 Sources
THERE ARE LITERARY SOURCES THAT TELL us how
Heathenry was practised before the advent of Christianity. The main
such sources include medieval Icelandic Eddas and Sagas, Anglo-
Saxon poetry, the works of the 8th century English monk Saint Bede,
and the Germania by the Roman historian Tacitus.
Although most of these were written in Christian times, they record
the religious beliefs and practices of a culture that existed before
Christianity came to Northern Europe. Archaeological evidence
continues to be discovered which supports this picture of Heathen
religion obtained from such classical and medieval literature.
Alongside these historical sources, modern Heathens experience
their own, personal, understanding of their religion as lived today, and
their own relationship with their Gods.

Gods and Other Beings

HEATHENRY, LIKE ALL ANCIENT EUROPEAN pagan
religions, is polytheistic and recognises a large number of Gods and
other spiritual entities. Although the Heathen Gods are best known
from Norse mythology (and often called by Anglicised versions of their
Old Norse names) they were honoured by many peoples outside of
Scandinavia. For example, the God known to early Germanic tribes as
Wodhanaz became Odhinn in Old Norse, Woden in Anglo-Saxon and
Old Saxon, and Wuotan in Old High German. He is now most
commonly known as Odin. Some of the most well known Heathen
Gods are enshrined in our English days of the week. Tuesday is named
after Tiw (Tyr), Wednesday after Woden (Odin), Thursday after
Thunor (Thor) and Friday after the Goddess Frige (Frigg). There are
also many place names across the country named for Heathen Gods.
For example Dewsbury is named for Tiw (Tyr), and Wensleydale is
named for Woden (Odin).

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 In addition to the better known 'major Gods', the names of several
dozen local or tribal Gods are known through medieval literature, runic
inscriptions, and votive stones. Most Heathens choose to actively
honour a subset of Gods with whom they have developed personal
relationships, although offerings are also often made 'to all the Gods
and Goddesses'. The Gods and Goddesses that Heathens form closer
relationships with are often those that they feel have a particularly
strong influence on their lives. Heathens relate to their Gods as
complex personalities who each have many different attributes and
talents. For example, whereas Thor is popularly known outside
Heathen circles as the mighty hammer-wielding God of Thunder, in
Eddic poetry he is called by names such as Deep Thinker, Man's Well-
Wisher, and Consecrator Thor, revealing a gentler side to his nature.
There is also crossover in the areas of influence of different Gods and
Goddesses. For example there is no one 'God of the sea'. Njord is the
God most associated with coastal areas and fishing. Aegir and Ran rule
beneath the waves. Thor brings the winds that are so important to
sailors. And all of these Gods also have other aspects to their character.
As well as being a God of the deep, Aegir is also the God of brewers.
In addition to Gods, Heathens recognise and relate to a wide variety
of spiritual beings or 'wights'. These include the Norns - who are three
female entities who weave the web of wyrd - and the Dísir - who are
female ancestral spirits attached to a tribe, family, or individual.
Heathens also work with 'hidden folk' such as elves, brownies, dwarves
and etins. They interact with the housewights who live in their homes
and the landwights who occupy features of the landscape such as
streams, mountains, forests or fields. Having a relationship with
landwights is an important feature of Heathen religion and outdoor
Heathen rituals will not proceed until the permission of landwights is
sought and obtained.
Another characteristic of Heathen religion is the respect given to
ancestors in general. These may be a person's literal forebears, or may
be people now dead who have inspired them in some way. When

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seeking guidance, most Heathens will look to their ancestors, who have
a vested interest in their wellbeing, before the Gods, who may or may
not be interested in their predicament.

Structure
THERE ARE NO CENTRAL authorities in Heathenry and no
single organisation to which all Heathens belong, though there are
national and international organisations created to facilitate networking
between Heathens. Asatru UK is one such organisation, which is open
to Heathens across the country and has over 2000 members, and is run
by a kindred council of 9.
Many Heathens belong to smaller regional groups made up of
Heathen friends and family members. These groups are sometimes
called 'hearths', 'kindreds' or 'kiths' and meet for religious rituals,
discussion and socialising in members' homes, outdoor spaces, pubs
etc. Some hearths and kindreds have recognised leaders. Others are
entirely egalitarian.
The Heathens of Yorkshire is an example of such a group. At the
time of writing they have around 200 members, and the group is run
by a kindred council of 9. They meet monthly, in a private woodland
during the summer, and in pubs during the winter. They also have a
very active Facebook page, and many of the members have become
close friends and meet up regularly outside of the monthly moots.
The Confederation of UK Heathen Kindreds is an umbrella
organisation which groups can choose to be a part of to share ideas
and work together towards projects that benefit the whole Heathen
community. The confederation has no authority over its member
groups, and the chair is rotated on an annual basis.
There is no widely recognised priesthood, although sometimes
individuals may be recognised as Godhis and Gydhjas (priests and
priestesses) within their own communities. There is no 'qualification',
and no Heathen is obliged to recognise anyone as a Gothi. Some

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groups do not have a recognised spiritual leader at all, and share the
role between all their members.

Rites and Celebrations

THE MAIN RITES CELEBRATED IN HEATHENRY are called
blōt and symbel (pronounced sumble). Heathen groups and individuals
hold feasts and celebrations based around blōt and symbel at rites of
passage (such as weddings or baby-namings), seasonal holidays, oath-
takings, rites in honour of a particular God or Gods, and rites of need
(in which Gods and/or ancestors are asked for help).
A blōt was originally the ritual sacrifice of an animal to one or more
Gods, alfs or ancestors. A feast followed afterwards at which the meat
was shared amongst the participants. Blōts were held to honour the
Gods or to gain their favour for specific purposes such as peace,
victory, or good sailing weather.
A modern blōt centres around the offering of food or drink (often
mead) or other items to the Gods and tends to be followed by a feast.
It may be a simple rite or a more elaborate one depending on the
purpose of the blōt and the number of participants. In an indoor blōt
where food is offered, it is common to lay a place for the God, ancestor
or alf at the table. During a blōt held outdoors offerings are often
thrown onto a fire.
Symbel is a ritual drinking ceremony in which one or more drinking
horns or other vessels are filled with mead (or another appropriate
drink) and used for toasting or boasting. It is common for modern
Heathens to pass the horn(s) around all those participating after liquid
is blessed. The first round of toasts may be to the Gods, the second
round to wights or ancestors, and the third round may be to whatever
else the assembled Heathens wish to toast. There may be many more
rounds, or the symbel may stop after a designated number. A separate
libation (drink offering) may be given to the Gods, landwights or
housewights, or some of the contents of the horn may be poured out
as an offering to them.
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 As well as major offerings to the Gods or alfs, Heathens like to leave
gifts for their domestic hidden folk: the wights who live in their garden
and house. For this purpose, many Heathens keep a special bowl to
leave offerings in the house of cakes and ale, or may leave food or drink
on or near a small garden altar. Many Heathens will give offerings to
their housewight whenever baking or brewing, as these things can
easily go wrong, and so it is important to have the wights favour. It is
also important when dealing with wights to be respectful of their space.
In the case of a housewight this can be done by keeping the house
clean and tidy.

Festivals
DIFFERENT HEATHEN COMMUNITIES and individuals
celebrate different cycles of seasonal holidays based on their cultural
affiliations, local traditions, and relationships with particular Gods.
There is no fixed calendar of Heathen festival dates. The three Heathen
festivals most commonly celebrated in the UK are Winter Nights -
usually celebrated in October or November, Yule - a twelve-day
festival that begins around the time of the winter solstice, and a festival
for the Anglo-Saxon Goddess Eostre in the spring.
In recent times the Asgardian Heathen Festival has become an
important part of the Heathen calendar in the UK. Whilst it does not
tie in with any historical festival, it is now the biggest annual gathering
of Heathens in the UK, with hundreds attending the summer event
each year. The festival involves rituals, workshops, talks and traders,
covering all aspects of Heathenry. In the years since the first event in
2016 Heathenry has seen massive growth across the country, with
national groups like AUK seeing a large rise in membership, and many
new groups springing up across the country. The festival has given the
opportunity for many solo practitioners to experience the community
aspect of Heathenry for the first time, and led many to get much more
heavily involved in the community.

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 Magic and Seership
MAGIC AND SEERSHIP WERE PRACTISED BY some
individuals within ancient Heathen cultures, and this is also the case
with today's Heathen community.
Some Northern European magical practices being revived by
Heathens include the carving of runes onto talismans and the chanting
of charms called galdor. Some Heathens are also rediscovering
Northern European shamanistic practices known as seidh. In a ritual
called 'oracular seidh' a seer or seeress answers questions or gives
advice to participants. Many modern Heathens also practice runic
divination.
Although magic was part of ancient Heathen culture, it did not play
a part in the religious rituals of blōt and symbel. Therefore, it is not
seen as an intrinsic part of the religion. Although most Heathens share
a belief in the ability of the Gods to enact change in the world, they do
not all believe in the ability of magicians to do so.

Wyrd and Ethics

ONE OF THE CENTRAL CONCEPTS IN Heathenry is wyrd,
the force that connects everything in the universe throughout space
and time. Heathens believe that all of their actions can have far
reaching consequences through the web of wyrd. They understand that
who they are, where they are, and what they are doing today is
dependent on actions they and others have taken in the past, and that
every choice they make in the present builds upon choices they have
previously made.
With an understanding of wyrd comes a great responsibility. If we
know that every action we take (or fail to take) will have implications
for our own future choices and for the future choices of others, we
have an ethical obligation to think carefully about the possible
consequences of everything we do. Thus, one of the principal ethics of
Heathenry is that of taking responsibility for one's own actions.

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 Another Heathen value is frith, the maintenance of peace and
friendship within a social group. Obligations towards friends, kin and
community are taken seriously by Heathens. Like many peoples living
far apart in a harsh climate, pre-Christian Heathens put great stress on
hospitality, and this is still valued by modern Heathens. A related
concept is the giving of gifts, though both gift-giving and hospitality
are bounded by reciprocity, a principle that Heathens consider
important.
Plain speaking, honesty and forthrightness are also important to
Heathens. This may be seen as part of a value system based upon
personal honour, which eschews deceit and dishonesty towards
members of the social group. Thus, Heathens place great value on the
giving of their word, and any form of oath-taking is taken extremely
seriously. This often means that Heathens will not sign their name to
something unless they can assent to it in both letter and spirit. Breaking
an oath is one of the worst social taboos a Heathen can commit and
has the potential to destroy ones reputation.

After Death
HEATHENRY IS FOCUSED ON RIGHT LIVING in the here
and now and does not place as great an emphasis on the afterlife as
some other religions. Whereas Valhalla - Odin's hall - is popularly seen
as the Norse equivalent of heaven, this is a misconception. According
to the mythology as recorded in the Eddas, Valhalla is only for warriors
who die in battle. Even then, half of these battle-slain warriors go to
Freyja's hall and half to Odin's hall. Those who drown at sea go to the
Goddess Ran's hall. People who die of natural causes go to the hall of
the Goddess Hel. Most of today's Heathens see Hel as a neutral place
where they will be reunited with their ancestors.
Sources do not enable a complete reconstruction of the pre-
Christian Scandinavian and Anglo-Saxon views of the soul. One
concept, however, which is still retained in folk stories, is that of the
fetch or fylgia. The fetch was held to be a part of the person which

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might be contacted during life, but which would not be physically seen
until just before death. The sight of one's fetch was, indeed, a signal of
the ending of one's life.
There are a few passages in the sources which are interpreted by
some as indicating an ancient Heathen belief in reincarnation, but they
are far from compelling. Some modern Heathens believe in the
continuation of part of a person through reincarnation, while others
do not.

Extremists and Misappropriation

of Heathenry
UNFORTUNATELY, LIKE MANY religions, Heathenry does
suffer from some unsavoury elements, and whilst the majority of
Heathens do not associate or engage with these groups or individuals
in any way, they do exist. This darker side of Heathenry is more
prevalent in the US and Canada, however there are unfortunately also
some elements in the UK. These individuals use Heathenry as a mask
for racist and discriminatory beliefs. They argue that Heathenry should
only be open to those of northern European descent. They also tend
to have discriminatory beliefs towards women and members of the
LGBTQ+ community, and place an unhealthy emphasis on
masculinity.
These beliefs are universally rejected by the majority of Heathens,
as they are simply not compatible with Heathenry. Heathens believe
Odin wanders the whole world, and with his brothers created all
mankind. This includes people of all races and ethnicities. Heathenry
has many strong female Goddesses, and historical evidence suggests
that women historically had far more importance in society under
pagan rule than they did under Christianity. There is also no
justification for homophobia or transphobia in Heathenry. Indeed,
evidence from mythology suggests that there are hardly any sexual
taboos at all amongst the Gods. Cross dressing, homosexuality and
polygamy all feature. Ironically, the beliefs of these groups have far
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more in common with fundamentalist Christian groups like the KKK
and Westboro Baptist Church than they do with Heathenry. They have
adopted Heathen symbols, and cherry-picked parts of the mythology
that fit their agenda, but ignored the vast majority of Heathen values.
In the same way as the KKK does not represent Christianity, and
Daesh does not represent Islam, these racist groups do not represent
Heathenry.
Unfortunately, the media loves sensationalism, and as a result the
unsavoury side of Heathenry gets a disproportionate amount of
coverage, with stories of ‘neo-nazi rituals’ dominating the headlines,
and normal, peaceful and inclusive Heathens being largely ignored. It
is vitally important that we work to dispel the myths, and raise
awareness of what true Heathen values are, and that there is no place
in our beliefs for discrimination of any kind.

Heathenry and Other Contemporary

Pagan Spiritualities
HEATHENRY IS A LIVING RELIGION based on literary and
archaeological sources for the religious practices of a particular pre-
Christian culture and extended by the relationships of modern
Heathens with their Gods. It differs from Wicca and other modern day
non-reconstructionist pagan paths in a number of ways. Perhaps the
primary difference is that Heathens are 'hard polytheists': they honour
a large number of individual Gods, Goddesses and other spiritual
beings whom they see as existing independently from humans. And in
common with many indigenous religions world-wide, they also honour
their ancestors.
Heathens differ from Wiccans and many of the other modern day
non-reconstructionist pagans in many other ways. They reject the
concept that all Goddesses are aspects of 'The Goddess' and that all
Gods are aspects of her consort. They also reject the Jungian concept
of Gods and Goddesses as archetypes in the unconscious mind.
Heathen festivals do not follow the 'Eight-Fold Wheel of the Year'
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based on solstices and equinoxes. Their rituals do not involve 'casting
circles' or 'calling quarters'. Magic is not an essential or central part of
Heathenry, and the majority of Heathens do not consider themselves
'witches'. There are no 'degrees of initiation' within Heathen religion
and no 'high priests' or 'high priestesses’.
Despite these theological differences, many Heathens are involved
in the wider pagan community for social and political reasons, and
despite the differences, there are also plenty of similarities.

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 Credits
Our thanks to Alexa Duir, Arlea Hunt-Anschütz, from Jenny Blain, Jez
Green and UK Heathenry who wrote and contributed to the Heathenry page on the
BBC website in 2003. This document has drawn upon much of the work done for
that article. It has been added to and brought up to date by Dan Coultas and the
Heathens of Yorkshire, as a lot has changed over the nearly 2 decades since. Layout
and design by Geoff Davison of Runecast Copper.

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To Join us in Asatru UK please visit the membership page of
our Website
https://www.asatruuk.org/membership