Germanic neo-paganism
As Germanic paganism , even Germanic paganism , neugermanisches paganism or simply Paganism in the narrow sense, refers to contemporary efforts to revive a pre-Christian ethnic religion , citing culture, mythology and religious beliefs of the Germans . At the end of the 19th and beginning of the 20th century, folk and right-wing esoteric movements in Germany and Austria also showed neo-pagan aspirations. A second wave of resuscitation began in the early 1970s. The beliefs and emphases of the individual followers can be very different. They range from strictly historical- polytheistic reconstructionism and romantic - folkloristic approaches ( Folktro ), to syncretic - eclectic and pragmatic- psychological ( Jungian archetypes ) to mystical approaches. There is a wide range of Germanic-neo-pagan organizations worldwide.
Definitions of terms
There are many different terms for the different currents of Germanic neo-paganism. Some terms are specifically related to a group, while other terms are used across the board. In 1997, an article in the magazine Pagan Dawn listed a number of terms that are more or less synonyms, including the terms Nordic tradition , Nordic custom , Ásatrú , Odinism , Germanic Paganism and Teutonic religion .
In general (both by laypeople and in the specialist literature) the term Germanic paganism or neo-paganism is used as an umbrella term for all currents, while other terms were coined to name specific cultural currents or religious focuses. So were z. B. Forn Siðr and its modern Scandinavian form Forn Sed are common religious names in the Scandinavian neo-pagan milieu, whereas Urglaawe denotes the neo-paganism of the Pennsylvania Deitchen .
The adjective pagan ( Old High German heidan , Old English hæðen , Old Norse heiðinn ) found its first historical use in the Gothic form * haiþi or haiþno in the Gothic Bible of Wulfila as a translation of the expression gynē Hellēnis ("Greek woman") in the Gospel of Mark 7 : 26, where "Greek" as the opposite of "Christian" or "Jewish" denotes the followers of Greek polytheism. It possibly goes back to a borrowing of the Armenian hethanos , which is itself a borrowing of the Greek term éthnos . According to other theories, it goes back to ancient Germanic * haiþinaz , which is related to the New High German heath, “barren land that has not been made arable”. Nowadays paganism generally refers to a non- Abrahamic religion . In the Icelandic Sagas , Heiðinn siðr and Kristinn siðr form a pair of opposites that contrast the pagan religion with the Christian religion.
Currents and their names
Asatro, Ásatrú, Asatru
In Asatro is a Danish - Swedish neologism consisting of asa , the genitive plural of Danish carcasses or Swedish carcasses " Ase " and tro "faith". The Nordic word tro is etymologically related, but not synonymous with the German word Treue or the English word truth . The term Asatro first appears in the writings of the Scandinavian national romanticists at the beginning of the 19th century . At that time, these coined a number of names for the ancient religion of the Vikings such as B. Asalære , Asareligion , Asadyrkan , Asakult and just Asatro . These efforts were mainly initiated by the Danish poet and pastor Nikolai Frederik Severin Grundtvig with his work Om asalæren . In Swedish, the term was first used by Carl Gustaf af Leopold , according to the Svenska Akademiens Ordbok .
In Norwegian , the term Asatro appears for the first time in 1870 in Bjørnstjerne Bjørnson's unfinished opera Olaf Tryggvason as a name for the pagan belief of the northerners. The music for this opera was composed by the Norwegian composer Edvard Grieg .
The Icelandic and internationally widespread spelling Ásatrú was first used in 1945 by Ólafur Briem in his work Heiðinn siður á Íslandi ("Pagan customs on Iceland"). The Ásatrú followers are called Ásatrúarmenn in Icelandic . Nowadays, the term Asatro or Ásatrú is mainly used by Nordic-Scandinavian or Viking Age reconstructionist groups for their beliefs. Jörmundur Ingi Hansen defined Ásatrú in the following way in 1992: “In my opinion, the world is shaped by two essentially different primal forces, the constructive forces of the Æsir, and the destructive forces that we call giants. […] Ásatrú or paganism basically only consists of recognizing this dichotomy and deciding for the side of the Æsir. "
The term Ásatrú is sometimes viewed critically and even explicitly rejected, especially by Swedish groups, as a self-designation for the Germanic-pagan religion. Reasons for this are its roots in national romanticism , the semantic implication of a doctrine of faith ( tro ) and its association with the theory of metagenetics in American organizations such as the Asatru Folk Assembly . Asatru is used as an English abbreviation for the Icelandic religious movement Ásatrúarfélagið and is now also in use in Germany. The spelling Asatro is used less in German-speaking countries. Some of the supporters of this movement refer to the Heimskringla . Ásatrú is sometimes - especially in the USA - translated as "loyalty to the Aes", which, however, does not apply to many followers of this movement, since they do not always focus on the Aesir, but also worship other Scandinavian deities. In the US-American-speaking area, Heathenry (paganism) has often been used as a demarcation from the occult Ásatrú movement there since 2016 when Ásatrú is meant.
Odinism
In the English-speaking world, the term Odinism (Odinism) is often used for Germanic neo-paganism, sometimes synonymous with the name Ásatrú . The term first appeared in the American philosopher Orestes Brownson's Letters to Protestants in 1848 and was revived in Australia in the 1930s by Alexander Mills and his First Anglecyn Church of Odin, as well as in his work The Call of Our Ancient Nordic Religion . The name has been used in North America since the 1960s by Else Christensen, first on behalf of her Odinist Study Group and later the Odinist Fellowship, which she also founded, and from 1973 in Great Britain by the Odinic Rite (originally and until 1980 Committee for the Restoration of the Odinic Rite / Odinist Committee ). The latter protests against designations such as B. Ásatrú on the grounds that the Viking Age was only a small epoch in the history of Germanic belief and religion.
The Odinic Rite counters the often misunderstood view that this is a tendentially mono- or henotheistic variant of the faith in its leaflet Odinism - A European Folk Religion by using the term as a synonym for other popular denominations such as B. Ásatrú explains.
Vanatrú, Waincraft
Analogous to the term Ásatrú , the term Vanatrú ("Vanenglaube") was coined in order to clarify the belief focus on the gods of the Vanes . Vanatrú can, like Ásatrú, be understood as a branch within Nordic paganism ( Forn Siðr ). In contrast to the Vanatrú followers, who also include the Aesir in addition to their focus on Wanen, the Waincraft followers exclusively worship the Wanen gods, who they see as pre-Indo-European deities, who were worshiped before the Aesir arrived in Europe.
Rökkatrú
Rökkatrú is a direction within the Germanic neo-paganism, especially their followers the jötunn , the giant prehistoric times such as the underworld deity Hel , the Midgard Serpent Jǫrmungandr, the Fenris Wolf and "adopted" by the gods giant Loki worship. Within the broader Germanic-neo-pagan movement, Rökkatrú is largely not regarded as part of religion, since the beings in focus here are mostly opposed to the other deities in their work.
Reconstructions based on local traditions
Folketro
The Folketro ("popular belief") is a direction within Germanic neo-paganism, which sees its basis primarily in the respective regional folk customs . Mythological foundations form regional legends. Traditional elements such as folk dances and folk songs with partly assumed pre-Christian-pagan roots are taken up and viewed in a new or old context.
In some cases, one even distances oneself from the actual Ásatrú movement, since here Ásatrú is understood in the narrower sense as the reconstruction of the religion of the Viking Age and in parts as the national romantic transfiguration of this time. In Folketro one understands the religion of that time rather as an expression of the popular belief of that time. Representatives of Folketro are in particular the two associations Foreningen Forn Sed (Norwegian "Association Firne Sitte") in Norway and Samfalligheten för Nordisk Sed (Swedish "Union for Nordic Customs") in Sweden.
Influences from New Age , Wicca and the thelemic teachings of Aleister Crowley are stringently rejected by the representatives of the Folketro . The Folketro is because of this attitude of disparaging their critics as funtrad , which is an abbreviation for fundamentalistisk traditionalisme referred to is ( "fundamentalist traditionalism").
Forn Siðr
A name for the old pagan religion, which is often used synonymously for Ásatrú , is Forn Siðr , an old Norse term that means something like "old custom" (also Firne custom ). It is made up of Old Norse forn "old" and siðr "custom". The term Forn Siðr and variants such as forn landsiður "old country custom " or fornri siðvenju "old custom" can be found in a number of sagas, for example in the Faroese saga , the saga Magnús konungs Erlingssonar , the saga Ólafs hins helga or the Skjöldunga saga .
In contrast to the newly coined term Ásatrú , inn forni siðr is a term that can already be found in Old Norse literature and is juxtaposed with Heiðinn siðr "pagan custom" with the terms inn nýi siðr "the new custom" and Kristinn siðr "Christian custom" becomes. In a narrower sense, Forn Siðr and the modern Scandinavian form Forn Sed describe the reconstruction of the Nordic Viking Age paganism based on old Icelandic legends and myths. Forn Siðr is u. a. the preferred name of the largest neo-pagan religious community in Denmark : Forn Siðr - Asa og Vanetrosamfundet i Danmark ("Forn Siðr - Asen and Van faith community in Denmark").
Fyrn Sidu
The Anglo-Saxon Fyrn Sidu is the Old English equivalent of the Old Norse Forn Siðr and is widely used as a name for Anglo-Saxon neo-paganism, which is so differentiated from the mainly Nordic-Scandinavian neo-paganism, which is commonly referred to in English as Odinism . The term Fyrn Sidu is mainly used by the US association Geferræden Fyrnsida as a denomination of religion.
Þéodisc Geléafa (Theodism)
The Þéodisc Geléafa ("Tribal Faith ") or the theodic community is a neo-tribalist movement that emerged in the United States in the 1970s, initially trying to reconstruct the ritual practice and beliefs of the Anglo-Saxon tribes that originally settled in England. The basis for this was mostly the Germanic legal texts handed down from early English history. The Old English adjective þéodisc (into modern German as theo disch adapted) derives from the noun THEOD from, which means as much as "regular" or "Thing Community" and etymologically with the word German and the Common Germanic * Theudo "people" is used. From the original, purely Anglo-Saxon theodic community, tribalist currents later developed, which also refer to other “tribal traditions”. So there are now Frisian, Norman, Gothic, Jutland, Danish and Swedish theodic groups. Most of them are based in the United States .
The Firno Situ
The Firno Situ is the old Alemannic loan translation of the Old Norse term Forn Siðr and is accordingly a form of Germanic neo-paganism with a focus on the historical Suebian - Alemannic regions. It is based on the traditions and archaeological finds of this area as well as on the folk customs that are still alive today. The Old High German term Firni Situ with a general focus on the Elbe Germanic regions is to be viewed as closely related. The deities like Wodan , Ziu , Donar , Volla and Frija Hulda are worshiped under their Old High German or Alemannic names. The most important rituals are Pluoz , Sumbal and Chuofa .
Urglaawe
Urglaawe ("Urglaube" in Pennsylvania-German ) is a branch of the Germanic neo-paganism, which is particularly strongly oriented towards continental Germanic traditions and southern German customs. It shows strong parallels to the Firno Situ . In principle, the Urglaawe can only be found in US-American areas with a population of German descent , such as in Lancaster County in Pennsylvania . His core ideas come from German folklore and custom , the customs of the German-American people, as well as from traditional healing practices, but to a lesser extent also from other Germanic, especially Scandinavian, sources. Cult languages of the Urglaawens are both English and Pennsylvania Deitsch. As with the other branches of Germanic neo-paganism, the adherents of the Urglaawens have a wide range of beliefs from polytheistic reconstructionism to syncretistic-eclectic views to psychological-mysticistic approaches.
Religious content
Unlike Christianity, for example, Germanic paganism is not a book or revelation religion , which is why all its typical features such as monotheism , ideas of sins , paradise and hell are completely or largely missing, depending on the interpretation. In this sense, there is also no belief in Germanic paganism, as this would imply the idea of the existence of a given that goes beyond what can be directly experienced, while - as the name Ásatrú already suggests - it is more about being faithful than true accepted traditions, beliefs and customs. The author Fritz Steinbock wrote in his book “The holy feast, rituals of traditional Germanic paganism in today's time” in this context (analogously): “In the past (in the Germanic religion) one asked not which gods do you believe in, but which ones Do you sacrifice to gods? ".
The Swiss religious scholar Hans-Peter Hasenfratz classified the Germanic neo-paganism as a cult religion with an eidetic - tactile religious symbol system. This primarily addresses the ability to see and touch and is conveyed through them. There are images and representations of gods, such as the statues in the temple of Uppsala or various stake gods , but no holy scriptures . In addition, Germanic paganism is not about an “individual path to salvation”, since it is about the salvation of all clans involved in the community, which are of great importance due to the gods once manifested in them .
In addition to ancestor worship , Germanic neo-paganism also has elements of a mystical religion, as harmony with nature and / or the gods is attempted, for example in the form of the Utiseta (meditative stay in nature) or the Blót .
Deities
Ásatrú or Forn Siðr is a polytheistic religion. The main deities of the Ásatrúarmenn usually belong to the two sexes of the Aesir and Vanir. According to Germanic mythology, however, at the end of the so-called Wan War all known Wan gods by name are accepted into the ranks of the Aesir. So the belief in the Vanatrú , the Vanatrú , is to be seen as an integral part of the Ásatrú and not to be understood as a separate belief. Significant deities are:
- Wodan / Odin (an. Óðinn ) is the one-eyed sky and wind god. Since he is the father of all sir, he is called, among other things, the all-father. His veneration takes on partly henotheistic traits.
- Donar / Thor (an. Þórr ) the god of thunder, is Wodan's and Erdas (an. Jörð ) son.
- Fro Ing / Frey (an. Freyr ) is a name of the Germanic fertility god. He originally belongs to the Wanen .
- Frouwa / Freya (an. Freyja ) is the goddess of love and fertility. Before Odin she chooses half of the fallen heroes who come to her in Folkwang instead of Valhalla .
- Frick / Frigg (an. Frigg ) is Wodan's wife.
- Ziu / Tyr (an. Týr ) is the one-handed Ase who is the god of war and loyalty.
- Loptr / Loki was born Thurse , but also an Ase through blood brotherhood with Wodan / Odin. He is the god of fire and cunning and conjures up the end of the sir through Balder's death .
In addition to the main deities, several local deities such as Jecha , Ostara , Tamfana , Hludana or Nehalennia are honored. The followers of Ásatrú see themselves as the children of the gods.
Worship of nature and animism
As is common in other neo-pagan currents, supporters of Ásatrú or Forn Siðr occasionally use the concept of " natural religion ", which is not secured by religious studies, to describe themselves. Among them, first, a "natural" grown religion - as opposed to revealed religions - understood to another on the central role of nature as a source of religious and spiritual reference experience.
The original North Germanic religion had a strong tendency towards animism . This can be seen from various sagas, such as the one about a magician who swims to Iceland in whale form to see if one could invade there. According to the saga, he was attacked and driven away by the land spirits of Iceland.
The Germanic neo-paganism partially adapted these ideas, which is expressed in the form of admiration and belief in the existence of fabulous beings of lower mythology (e.g. elves ), various beings of folklore ( goblins , goblins ). Some of the Ásatrú followers perceive nature to be animated, whereby nature and its appearances are not worshiped as sacred, since they are not considered to be supernatural, but created by the gods. In sacred groves and mountains it is therefore only to "links" of the people to the gods, the objects, however, are not divine itself. Entering regions ruled by mythical creatures can be useful or harmful to those entering.
Objects are also felt to be inspired by some Aes loyalists and can have their own fate. These objects, mostly weapons, are given names. A well-known example is Sigurd's sword Gram . These objects are not "consecrated" before use, but carry their power and strength within them.
Religious practice
For the constant renewal and bonding of the Ásatrú followers to the gods, various customs and rituals are held and practices are performed, the main ritual forms being the Blót and the Sumbel .
Blót
As Bloz or blót (ahd. Bluoz on. Blót , Aeng. Blot ) is referred to the Germanic Opferfest. Etymologically, the word is derived from the ancient Indo-European * bʰlād- ("to sacrifice, to offer"). Some linguists suggest a relationship with the Latin priestly title Flemish , if this should go back to idg. * Bʰlādsmen . Originally it could not have been a noun agentis , but an old abstract of the meaning “victim”. Others assume a basic meaning “invocation” for Old Norse blót due to a Finnish loan word luote “enchantment” and other parallels in Lithuanian and Latvian . According to the current state of research, there is no relationship to nhd. Blood , as is repeatedly assumed, or to the Indian name of the Brahmins .
To bloody or blot a deity (ahd. Blôzan , an. Blóta , aeng. Blôtan ) means to strengthen the deity. The sacrifice made (ahd. Bluostar ), with which the Ásatrúar want to strengthen their deities or with which they want to intensify their relationships with them, is always in a certain relationship to the deity to be worshiped by it and can u. a. take the form of foodstuffs, objets d'art and pastry. The sacrifice of animals (namely horses) or people , as was customary in the original Germanic religion , no longer plays a role in neo-paganism. Houses or temples in which the gods geblozt were, was called in Old High German plôzhûs ( "Blozhaus"), where today, in the absence of existing temples, often outdoors geblozt is. In the name " Blocksberg " ( Blozberg ), the Bloz can be found in a slightly modified folk etymology .
Sumbel
The sumbel (an. Sumbl , aeng. Symbel , as. Sumbal ) is, put simply, a ritual drink or a ritual drinking binge . Roughly outlined, a Sumbel proceeds as follows: It is generally opened, directed and ended by a Sumbel giver (as. Symbelgifa ). In the middle of the participants there is a kettle which is filled with mead or beer . After the kettle has been consecrated, a drinking horn is filled with the drink from this kettle. This drinking horn then circles among the participants of the Sumbel, where it is passed on by a tapmaid and refilled if necessary.
In the first round, toasts are uttered to drink to the gods. In the second round, the deceased relatives are remembered. During the third and subsequent rounds, participants swear oaths, take vows and sing songs or poems.
prayer
As the name suggests, prayer is a request addressed to the gods (cf. the do ut des principle ). Prayer is generally performed in an upright position with arms raised and outstretched to the sides. The general direction of prayer is north if one does not address the respective deity directly. As a rule, the gods are invoked in their entirety within a blót , within a prayer the individual can of course place special emphasis on a certain god or goddess without the other gods being disparaged.
Galster
Galster (ahd. Galstar , aeng. Gealdor , an. Galdr ) is a type of ritual chant or poetry using the stick rhyme with a strongly parallelist structure of verse . The art of Galdr or Galster is considered to be its own form of magic, i.e. magic by conjuring in the sense of calling what is desired.
Seiðr
Seiðr is a generic term for certain magical practices that are less common than, for example, Blót and Sumbel. The word is related to the German "boiling", accordingly the Seidr was or was about the exercise of magic through heat-generating ecstasy techniques such as shaking, shaking or dance-like movements, possibly also sexuality. In the Scandinavian Eddas and Sagas, Seidr is considered unmanly in the sense of dishonorable ("ergi" = arg) and is primarily assigned to the goddess Freya, while the more respected form of magic Galdr is assigned to the god Odin.
Initially
The term Ansleich (ahd. Ansleicus , as. Ôslâc ) consists of the words Ans (ahd. Ans : "God") and Leichhardt (. Ahd lend , mhd. Equalize "bounce", "play") together. It is a performance or a game in the sense of a hymn to and for the gods. Certain mythical stories of the gods are performed according to the occasion. In spring, for example, the performance of “bringing the hammer home” by the god Donar , as rymskviða describes it, is particularly popular .
Funeral customs
The deceased are usually buried in or at so-called ship settlements . So far there are three official burial places for Ásatrú followers: the Grafreitur Ásatrúarfélagsins on Gufuneskirkjugarði near Reykjavík , the Assistens Kirkegård in Odense and the Voksen kirkegård in Oslo .
Courtyard (temple)
In Reykjavík , Ásatrúarfélagið is currently building the first temple in Iceland. The building site is just outside the city, south of Perlan near the coast near Nauthólsvík . A modern architecture was deliberately chosen for the building, building materials are rock, concrete, wood and glass. This is the first farm to be built in Northern Europe in almost a thousand years. Completion was originally planned for summer 2016. Due to the demanding architecture of the building, July 2017 was given as the deadline for completion in mid-2018, but this turned out to be not feasible due to economic and architectural difficulties. The completion was finally split up in stages: The office section is now due to be completed in 2020, the rest of the temple by 2022.
Holidays ( Hátíðir )
The regulations regarding the celebrated festivals, which are also referred to as Hátíðir (literally "high times"; cf. ahd. Diu hôha gezît , from which nhd. Wedding ) are not uniform within the various Germanic-neo-pagan communities.
The more syncretic-eclectic Ásatrú communities have taken over the Wicca annual cycle and adapted or modified it according to their beliefs. There are four major festivals and four smaller ones in this annual cycle, although the smaller ones are occasionally not celebrated. This division of the year according to important festivals is an artificial construction that is not based on historical facts.
In contrast to this, the more historical-reconstructive Firne-Sitte or Forn-Siðr followers are based on the historical lunisolar calendar of the Germanic peoples . In this calendar system, a leap month is inserted in the summer between the seventh and eighth month when a new moon can be observed in the twelve rough nights after the winter solstice. The most important holidays here are usually full moon festivals.
The following table provides information about the high times in the Forn-Siðr annual cycle:
| Festival names | date | Content of the festival |
|---|---|---|
| Midwinter , höku-Nótt , Þorrablót , Jólablót | first full moon after the winter solstice | Middle of the lunar winter period |
| Disting , old carnival | first full moon, the new moon of which appears after the last rough night | Time of the famous ting in Uppsala |
| Easter , Várblót , Sigrblót , Sumarmál | Fourth month full moon | Beginning of summer; The Várblót (Spring Festival) is also known as Sigrblót (Victory Festival), as the victory over the winter frost giants is celebrated here. The Várblót or Sigrblót is celebrated on the first day of summer (full moon of the fourth lunar month). In ancient times one differentiated only the two seasons summer and winter. It is a classic spring festival that most closely resembles Easter , which is known in Germany and England . |
| old midsummer Sumarblót Miðsumarsblót | Full moon of the seventh month | The Sumarblót or Miðsumarsblót (Midsummer) represents the summer high point of the year, the middle of the lunar summer period. |
| Winter night Vetrnóttablót Winterfylleth | Full moon of the tenth month | The Vetrnóttablót (Winter Night Festival) is the festival on the first day of winter (full moon in October). According to the information in the Hallfreðar Saga , sporting competitions (ball games) similar to those of the Greek Olympics were held at this festival . |
| Eight mothers ( Modranecht ) | Winter solstice | The longest night of the year and anchor date for the bound lunar calendar |
| Rough nights | the twelve nights after mother's night | Loose nights: observation of the crescent moon, decision period for inserting a leap month |
The Edda
The Edda , which can be further subdivided into Song Edda and Prosa Edda , is one of the most important sources in relation to Germanic mythology . Among the Edda songs, the Hávamál (Eng. "Songs [or sayings] of the high") occupies a special position. While most Edda songs reproduce purely mythological themes, the "Songs of the High" (meaning Wodan ) contain mythological content and above all proverbs that are often used for ethical orientation.
In addition to the Edda , other literary sources are also consulted , including the Germania of Tacitus , the Old Norse saga literature and folk tales from various parts of Germania. Another important source is the Gesta Danorum by Saxo Grammaticus , in which the gods are presented as people who lived in prehistoric times and thus lose their mythological character for the time being. However, some of the same myths are contained as in the Edda , for example Baldur's death, but occasionally with different courses of action. Although some scholars consider Saxo's versions to be more original than those of the Edda , his myths receive little attention in the Ásatrú, since Saxo Grammaticus himself took a myth-critical point of view .
history
Iceland
Especially the Icelandic folklore can look back on a largely unbroken tradition up to the settlement and, with the Edda and other writings, has literature that goes back at least almost to the time of the Teutons. Moreover, Iceland was isolated for centuries and the followers of the revitalized religion are predominantly Icelanders. Accordingly, the Icelandic neo-paganism is - with some caution - the only neo-ethnic religion in the Germanic language region.
In 1972 the Ásatrú in Iceland , under the name "Ásatrúarfélagið", was recognized as an official religion through the efforts of the poet Sveinbjörn Beinteinsson . He achieved this not least because of his personal relationships with the then Icelandic Minister of Justice and against the intervention of a Christian bishop. In Beinteinsson's view, Ásatrú was still the most deeply culturally rooted religion in Iceland that best suited the nature of the country. His efforts to have Ásatrú recognized as a religion with equal rights to Christianity in Iceland are to be understood in part as a reaction to the growing membership of the “Children of Jesus” (a Christian sect) in the early 1970s.
Today's Allsherjargoði of the 2382 followers "Ásatrúarfélagið" (as of January 1, 2014) is Hilmar Örn Hilmarsson , who also enjoys a good reputation as a composer and among other things composes film music.
On April 3, 2006, the Reykjavíkurgoðorð was recognized by the Icelandic state as another Aesic community. The Reykjavíkurgoðorð was founded by Jörmundur Ingi Hansen , a former Allsherjargoði of the Ásatrúarfélagið.
Sweden
At the beginning of the 1990s, the merger of the Viking group “Tor Hjälpe”, the Seið group “Yggdrasill” and other groups established what is now the largest Swedish Ásatrú connection, Sveriges Asatrosamfund . In 1998 it had around 300 members. However, a religious organization in Sweden needs 3,000 followers for official recognition as a religion. Due to the strong increase in membership, the Sveriges Asatrosamfund has been funded by the SST (“Statens stöd till trossamfunden” = “State support for religious communities”) since 2007. In 2010, Sveriges Asatrosamfund was renamed Samfundet Forn Sed Sverige ("Community for Firne Customs in Sweden").
Almost parallel to the Sveriges Asatrosamfund , the Samfäldigheten för Nordisk Sed was founded as an umbrella association for five local groups (so-called Gäll ) that did not want to organize themselves in the Sveriges Asatrosamfund for reasons not listed here . In 1999, under Keeron Ögren, a reorganization began in the sense of increased centralization of the initial umbrella organization in accordance with the Swedish government's new legal guidelines for religious communities. As a result of this restructuring, the so-called Torsåker Gäll separated from Samfäldigheten för Nordisk Sed and later dissolved completely.
Norway
In Norway, Åsatrosamfundet Bifrost was founded at the beginning of the 1980s on the initiative of Egil Haraldson Stenseth , which, however, dissolved again by the end of the 1980s. In 1993, Egil Haraldson Stenseth, in collaboration with Katrine Åstorp , who had met Sveinbjörn Beinteinsson , the then Allsherjagoden and founder of the Ásatrúarfélagið , in Iceland, succeeded in reviving Åsatrosamfundet Bifrost . In 1996, Åsatrosamfundet Bifrost was officially recognized by the Norwegian government as a religious community, which has allowed legally effective ceremonies such as marriages to be held since then.
In 1997 Jón Júlíus Fillippusson, who had moved from Iceland to Norway, became a member of the Åsatrosamfundet Bifrost . Due to internal divergences, however, he left after only one year and founded Foreningen Forn Sed with five other former Bifrost members . In 1999, Foreningen Forn Sed was also officially recognized as a religious community by the Norwegian government.
Denmark
In Denmark, too, initially twelve people, in particular from various Viking groups, joined forces in the name of the Ásatrú, which led to the foundation of Forn Siðr - Asa og Vanetrosamfundet i Danmark on November 15, 1997. After a long legal battle, Forn Siðr was officially recognized as a religious community on November 6, 2003 by the Danish Ministry of Churches. Originally, recognition by the ministry was rejected because it had doubts whether the Forn Siðr was a "real religious community" at all. According to the ministry, these doubts were based on the lack of dogmatic beliefs on the part of the Forn Siðr.
Germany
A reconstruction of the “old faith” could already be observed in Germany at the beginning of the 20th century, when several Germanic-pagan communities emerged. In 1913, on the initiative of the painter and poet Ludwig Fahrenkrog, several of these communities came together to form the Germanic Faith Community (GGG). The basis of the GGG was the creation of a religion geared towards the "Germans of this earth", which had its basis in German mysticism . The connection of the more or less pantheistic mysticism of God with the narratives of Nordic mythology was particularly promoted by Fahrenkrog himself.
The GGG experienced repression by the state during the National Socialist era , whereas the Research Association of German Ahnenerbe served to scientifically legitimize the Germanic myth of descent and the alleged superiority of the so-called Aryan race . Heinrich Himmler , who was interested in occult topics , used the Ahnenerbe as a research device for numerous activities.
The GGG existed until 1964. The Germanic Faith Community , newly registered as an association in Berlin in 1991, sees itself in an unbroken tradition with the previous organization. In contrast to other pagan associations in Germany, the new GGG claims to have a formulated uniform teaching with priests and shrines. It also lays claim to the Europe-wide leadership of the pagan religious communities, but could not prevail.
Most of today's clubs do not see themselves in the tradition of the 19th century, but in the definition of Ásatrús, as Sveinbjörn Beinteinsson defined it in Iceland in 1973 as an "old custom". In March 1995 a sister organization of the British Odinic Rites was founded in Cologne under the name "Odinic Rite Germany e. V. “(ORD) was founded. In April 2006 the association was given its current name Verein für Germanisches Heidentum e. V.
In the generally pagan-oriented Rabenclan e. V. organized in 1997 the independent Ásatrú group Nornirs unabhängigett . The Nornirs Ætt is organized supraregional, but also maintains several subgroups, which are called regional thing communities "Fylki". It does not have a valid legal form , but is a grassroots democratic association of friends. This Ásatrú organization is best known for its many years of educational work against right-wing extremist or racist influence on the Ásatrú scene.
In August 2000, Eldaring e. V. another association with the aim of living Ásatrú. In 2002 it was registered as a registered association at the Trier District Court. The Eldaring maintains good relationships with the Danish Forn Siðr - Asa- og Vanetrosamfundet , the Norwegian Åsatrosamfundet Bifrost and the Dutch Het Rad and is nowadays probably the largest club of this kind in Germany with around 358 members (as of the annual general meeting on October 5, 2019) . At the general meeting in October 2012 it was announced that Eldaring e. V. was recognized as a non-profit organization.
With the increasing spread of Ásatrú in Germany, the topic became attractive again for right-wing extremist propaganda . The NPD politician Jürgen Rieger (who died in 2009) held the domain asatru.de, which is also used to distribute the Nordische Zeitung . The Ásatrú movement distances itself to a large extent from it.
United States
In the early 1970s, former US Army Rangers Stephen McNallen began publishing The Runestone magazine . At the same time he also founded the organization Ásatrú Free Assembly , whose successor organization Ásatrú Folk Assembly still exists today. Also in the early 1970s founded Else Christensen the Odinismusbewegung Odinist Fellowship in the United States.
The dispute about the orientation between national Ásatrú (can only be lived by people who are of Germanic / European origin) and the universal Ásatrú, as well as the conflict as to whether a " white supremacy " is important with Ásatrú , led to the dissolution of the Ásatrú Free in 1986 Assembly. The universal supporters formed anew under the name The Troth , the folkish, partly racist-minded as Ásatrú Alliance (AA). McNallen founded the Ásatrú Folk Assembly (AFA) in 1994 as a people-oriented Ásatrú organization.
In 1997 the English Odinic Rite (OR) founded an American branch organization that is also folkish. In the same year, the three nationalist organizations (AA, AFA and OR) joined forces to form the International Asatru-Odinic Alliance , which broke up in 2001/2002 due to internal disagreements.
The question of universalism
In the Anglo-American language area in particular, a distinction is made between universalist and folkish Ásatrú.
Supporters of universalism are convinced that living out Ásatrú is a decision of the will and therefore anyone can accept this belief regardless of national or ethnic affiliation.
Supporters of the ethnic or national branch (English folkish ), however, take the view that Ásatrú is the ethnic religion of the Teutons. Religion, in their opinion, is a matter of heredity and blood. There are possible points of contact for right-wing extremism . This is rejected by many supporters, however, because they are far from discriminating against other ethnic groups who should live out their traditional religion accordingly. Some groups also run their own projects that are understood as enlightenment and are controversial in the scene, for example the Ariosophie project of the Nornirs Ætt or the writings of the Raven Clan.
The division into the universalistic or ethnic / national orientation is problematic in terms of definition and also highly controversial among the supporters of the Ásatrú. For example, a third stream was defined: the tribalist -Ásatrú, which refers to the cultural component of Germanic tradition and is differentiated from ethnic characteristics on the one hand and global claims on the other. Many Ásatrú practitioners reject any division as inapplicable.
In August 2014, the Icelandic Ásatrúarfélagið issued a statement that clearly opposed any appropriation by racist or militarist currents. In an interview with the daily Vísir, Hilmar Örn Hilmarsson specifically referred to Stephen McNallen, whose ideas are condemned as “Aryan Christianity” and “Nazi Christianity” and emphasizes that such views are not compatible with Ásatrúarfélagið or with Ásatrú practiced in Iceland.
See also
literature
- Freya Aswynn: The Leaves of Yggdrasil. Ed. Ananael, Vienna 1991, ISBN 3-901134-01-8 .
- René founder: Blótgemeinschaften: a religious ethnography of the "Germanic neo-paganism". Border Crossing, Volume 9. Ergon-Verlag, Würzburg 2010, ISBN 978-3-89913-798-9 .
- Debora Dusse: "A modern religion from ancient times". Germanic religious history and neo-paganism. In: Matthias Pöhlmann (Ed.): Odin's heirs. New Germanic Paganism: Analysis and Criticism. Evangelical Central Office for Weltanschauung questions, EZW -tex 184, 2006, ISSN 0085-0357 , pp. 37–50.
- Dagmar Fügmann: Contemporary Germanic Paganism in Germany. In: Michael Klöcker and Udo Tworuschka (Hrsg.): Handbuch der Religionen. 49. Supplementary delivery 2016, XII - 2.1. Loose-leaf work, Westarp Science - Fachverlage, Hohenwarsleben ISBN 978-3-86617-500-6
- Dagmar Fügmann: Asatru: Germanic neo-paganism. In: Michael Klöcker and Udo Tworuschka (Hrsg.): Handbuch der Religionen. 49. Supplementary delivery 2016m, XII - 2.2. Loose-leaf work, Westarp Science - Fachverlage, Hohenwarsleben ISBN 978-3-86617-500-6
- René founder: Germanic (new) paganism in Germany: emergence, structure and system of symbols of an alternative religious field. PeriLog, Volume 2. Logos Verlag, Berlin 2008, ISBN 978-3-8325-2106-6 .
- Kveldúlf H. Gundarsson, Kurt Oertel (Ed.): Ásatrú. The return of the gods. Edition Roter Drache, Rudolstadt 2012, ISBN 978-3-939459-63-7 .
- Andrea Haugen: The old fires from Midgard. Berlin 2003, ISBN 3-935684-01-0 .
- Géza von Neményi: gods, myths, annual festivals - pagan natural religion. Kersken-Canbaz, Bergen 2004, ISBN 3-89423-125-4 .
- Stefanie von Schnurbein : New Germanic paganism. Context - ideology - worldview. In: Matthias Pöhlmann (Ed.): Odin's heirs. New Germanic Paganism: Analysis and Criticism. Evangelical Central Office for Weltanschauung questions, EZW -tex 184, 2006, ISSN 0085-0357 , pp. 51–67.
- Fritz Steinbock: The holy festival. Rituals of traditional Germanic paganism in modern times. Junker, Hamburg 2004, ISBN 3-938432-00-4 .
- Jenny Blain .: Heathenry, the past, and sacred sites in today's Britain. In: Michael Strmiska: Modern Paganism in World Cultures. Comparative Perspectives. ABC-CLIO, 2006, ISBN 1-85109-608-6 , abc-clio.com .
Individual evidence
- ↑ René Glünder: Germanic (new) paganism in Germany: Origin, structure and system of symbols of an alternative religious field. Logos Verlag, Berlin 2008, ISBN 978-3-8325-2106-6 .
- ↑ Arlea Anschütz, Stormerne Hunt: Call us Heathens!
- ↑ Heide , m . In: Jacob Grimm , Wilhelm Grimm (Hrsg.): German dictionary . tape 10 : H, I, J - (IV, 2nd division). S. Hirzel, Leipzig 1877 ( woerterbuchnetz.de ).
- ↑ a b c Gunnar Creutz: Begreppen asatro och forn sed. (PDF) In: Mimers Källa. No. 22, summer 2009, ISSN 1404-2479 .
- ↑ Om asalæren (PDF; 260 kB).
- ↑ g3.spraakdata.gu.se
- ↑ pluto.no
- ↑ bergen.folkebibl.no (PDF; 682 kB).
- ↑ - Samfalligheten för Nordisk Sed - Summary in English
- ↑ Samfälligheten för Nordisk Sed - Vanliga frågor ( Memento of 9 September 2012 at the Internet Archive )
- ↑ Genetics & Beyond - Metagenetics - An Update ( Memento from November 9, 2011 in the Internet Archive ) In: RUNESTONE # 26, summer 1999.
- ↑ Stefanie von Schnurbein : Norse Revival. Transformations of Germanic Neopaganism. Leiden, Brill 2016, ISBN 978-1-60846-737-2 , p. 10.
- ^ Matthew H. Amster: It's Not Easy Being Apolitical: Reconstructionism and Eclecticism in Danish Asatro. In: Kathryn Rountree: Contemporary Pagan and Native Faith Movements in Europe: Colonialist and Nationalist Impulses. Berghahn, New York and Oxford 2015, ISBN 978-1-78238-646-9 , pp. 43–63.
- ↑ The Longship: FAQ. Accessed on July 20, 2020 (English): “Ásatrú in the United States developed with heavy Wiccan, Odinist, and occultist influences. Heathenry, in turn, developed partly as a response to these influences on Ásatrú. Though the term "Heathen" has been in use by some individuals who worship the Germanic gods since the late 1970s, the effort to distance Heathenry from Ásatrú truly started gaining momentum in 2016. "
- ^ Henry Francis Brownson, T. Nourse (ed.): The Works of Orestes A. Brownson: Containing the Second Part of the Political Writings. 1884, p. 257.
- ↑ Alexander Rud Mills: The Call of Our Ancient Nordic Religion. Northern World Pub.
- ↑ Odinism - A Defining Moment. Lecture by Hengest Thorsson OR, later published in: Odinic Rite Briefing. Issue 213, 2009.
- ↑ odinic-rite.org ( Memento from January 6, 2011 in the Internet Archive ) (PDF; 175 kB).
- ↑ Nicanthiel Hrafnhild: An Introduction to Vanatru.
- ↑ Nicanthiel Hrafnhild: An Introduction to Waincraft. 2011.
- ↑ Nicanthiel Hrafnhild: Walking the Wagon-Ways: Mastering the Elements of Waincraft. 2011.
- ↑ What is Rokkatru? Northern Traditional Paganism, accessed July 30, 2011.
- ↑ Galina Krasskova: The demonization of Loki. Part III. Patheos.com. The author discusses Rokkatru.
- ↑ Galina Krasskova: Exploring the Northern tradition. New Page Books, New Jersey 2005.
- ↑ a b c Grølheim's documentation page (Danish).
- ↑ Firn, firne. In: Jacob Grimm , Wilhelm Grimm (Hrsg.): German dictionary . tape 3 : E – research - (III). S. Hirzel, Leipzig 1862 ( woerterbuchnetz.de ).
- ↑ How did the pagan Germans call their religion? on firne-sitte.net
- ↑ Snorri Sturulson: Heimskringla, History of the Kings of Norway. translated by LM Hollander; University of Texas Press, Heimskringla
- ^ Karl-Heinz Hesmer: Flags and coats of arms of the world. History and symbolism of the flags and coats of arms of all states. Bertelsmann Lexikon Verlag, Gütersloh 1992, ISBN 3-570-01082-1 .
- ↑ Kveldulf Gunndarsson: Alf, Dwarves, land Wight, and Huldfolk. In: Our Troth. BookSurge Publishing, 2006.
- ^ Gerhard Köbler: Old Norse Dictionary . Fourth edition, 2014, sv "blōt" ( online ).
- ↑ Michiel de Vaan: Etymological Dictionary of Latin . Diss. 2002. Brill, Leiden 2008, sv “flāmen”.
- ↑ Guus Kroonen: Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Germanic . Diss. 2009. Brill, Leiden 2013, sv "blōtan-".
- ↑ magnus.jensson.is
- ↑ mbl.is
- ↑ iclande Monitor, July 15, 2017
- ↑ Birgir Olgeirsson: Taílenskir ásatrúarmenn gáfu 1000 evrur vegna Höfuðhofsins. February 3, 2020, accessed July 20, 2020 (Icelandic).
- ↑ The bound lunar calendar for Teutons and Celts. on firne-sitte.net.
- ^ María Erlendsdóttir: Pagan Beliefs in Modern Iceland. University of Edinburgh, 2001. p. 43.
- ↑ Website of the Icelandic Ásatrúarfélagið (Icelandic)
- ↑ Gisela Graichen: The new witches. Hoffmann and Campe Verlag, Hamburg 1986, p. 283 ff.
- ↑ number of adherents of the Icelandic religious communities ; listed at the Icelandic State Office for Statistics, statice.is (English).
- ↑ Mannfjöldi eftir trúfélögum 1990–2007 ( Memento from July 26, 2008 in the Internet Archive )
- ^ Nine years of Forn Siðr Denmark and the new Jellingstein. on firne-sitte.net.
- ↑ Forn Siðr - Asa- og Vanetrosamfundet website ( memento from May 2, 2007 in the Internet Archive ) (Danish).
- ↑ Michael H. Kater: The "Ahnenerbe" of the SS 1935-1945. A contribution to the cultural policy of the Third Reich. 4th edition. (= Studies on Contemporary History 6), Oldenbourg, Munich 2006, ISBN 3-486-59468-0 , partly originally a dissertation (Heidelberg 1966), online .
- ^ Nils Grübel, Stefan Rademacher: Religion in Berlin. A manual. Weissensee Verlag, Berlin 2003, p. 523.
- ↑ Press release by the Odinic Rites (D) and Eldarings on Géza von Neményis' claim to sole representation, July 18, 2003 ( memento of October 8, 2007 in the Internet Archive )
- ↑ Controversy about "Heiden-Pope". Material service of the Protestant Central Office for Weltanschauung questions, 11/03.
- ↑ Relinfo: Odinic Rite.
- ^ Website of the Verein für Germanisches Heidentum e. V.
- ^ Nils Grübel, Stefan Rademacher: Religion in Berlin. A manual. Weissensee Verlag, Berlin 2003, p. 520.
- ^ A b c d Nils Grübel, Stefan Rademacher: Religion in Berlin. A manual. Weissensee Verlag, Berlin 2003, p. 524.
- ↑ Web presence of the Nornirs Ætt.
- ↑ Homepage of Eldaring e. V.
- ↑ Statement (PDF; 139 kB) on rabenclan.de, 2005, accessed June 2, 2009.
- ↑ Nicholas Goodrick-Clarke : In the Shadow of the Black Sun. Aryan Cults, Esoteric National Socialism and the Politics of Demarcation. Marix Verlag, Wiesbaden 2009, ISBN 978-3-86539-185-8 , pp. 508-509. Original Black Sun , 2002.
- ^ See N. Goodrick-Clarke, 2009, pp. 509-513.
- ↑ asatru.is
- ↑ visir.is