As so many people ask me: "What exactly is this Ásatrú???", I tell them all the same thing in a short sentence,
however since this is on the site and I won't have to keep explaining it to everyone, I'll do it in detail here.
To start, Ásatrú in Old Norse means 'True to the Æsir'. The Æsir are a race of gods, the Norse Gods, the
same gods the vikings worshipped, but the vikings weren't the only ones who worshipped them. Ásatrú is the religion in
which a practioner is called an Ásatrúr, or for plural, Ásatrúar. I simply just say I am Ásatrú.
It is a nature based religion, in which we revere the world as a living being and that everything as a soul: stones,
trees, birds, the Earth itself. It is also a polythiestic religion, meaning we worship many gods.
Many people get the misconception that Ásatrú is a religion for fascists, neo-nazis, racists, Satanists, etc. however
that is very untrue. People that call themselves Ásatrú and are neo-nazis or any of the above mentioned, are not truly.
Nor are we anti-Christian. Although you will find some people tend to be a bit edgy around Christians and Christianity
because they were born and raised in a strict Christian family and have had the theology and ethics instilled in their
head since birth.
Many if not all Ásatrúar follow a code of ethics or virtues called the Nine Noble Virtues (NNV). This is not a dogmatic
code, in which were you not to adhere to them you would go straight through Nåstrand to Niflhel, rather it is just a very
good way to live your life by. The NNV (in no particular order) are:
HONOUR COURAGE TRUTH HOSPITALITY DISCIPLINE INDUSTRIOUSNESS FIDELITY SELF-RELIANCE PERSERVERANCE
We have many Holy Days that we observe and usually hold blót (sacrifice, ceremony) to the Gods. While there are many,
there really are only four High Feast Days that must be observed, these being: Yule, Ostara, Midsummer, and Winter Finding.
Most practioners of Ásatrú are easily noticed, for they wear a Thór's Hammer. This pendant is believed to represent and give it's
bearer strength and protection. Here's a picture of my hammer:
I'm looking to get a new one, but haven't found a design I like yet :/
