Heathen Gods And Rites Some Frequently Asked Questions

Book: Heathen Gods And Rites Some Frequently Asked Questions by The Troth

Our gods belong to two "tribes", the Aesir and the Vanir. Our myths speak of a time when the Aesir and Vanir were at war, but made a truce and exchanged members. This myth may be based in part on Historical battles between human tribes who later formed an alliance; at the same time, it reflects the ways in which our gods work together. Perhaps the best-known of the Aesir is Odin.

He is the god of many things: inspiration, ecstasy, poetry, healing, the runes, and death. Frigga, whom we see as Odin’s wife, protects homes and families. Thor is the storm-god who defends the world of humans. The lightning is his weapon, the Hammer; the rain that he brings makes the fields fruitful. Tyr is the upholder of right order and justice, both among humans and in the universe. Heimdall is the watchman of the gods, and also the progenitor and teacher of the human race.

The Vanir are sometimes called "fertility gods", but they are far more than that; they are the gods of all the things in this world that we are meant to enjoy, whether good harvests, sexual love, or riches. Frey is invoked for peace and plenty; he and Odin were also the founders and protectors of many dynasties of Heathen kings. His sister Freya rules over magic, sexuality, and riches, but is also a battle goddess—she takes half of those slain in battle to be with her. Their father Njordh watches over the sea, ships, sailors, and trade.

The Jotnar or "giants" are a third group of Powerful beings. Many of our myths tell of fights between the gods and the giants. However, the Jotnar are not "evil" as the word is usually understood. On one level, some of the Jotnar represent the impersonal forces of nature: not malicious, but sometimes destructive, and not especially heedful of human concerns. Yet others of them are depicted as wise and helpful. In fact, some giants have been adopted among the gods, and nearly all our gods have giants in their ancestry.

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The Troth - Heathen Gods And Rites Some Frequently Asked Questions

Green Runa

Book: Green Runa by Edred Thorsson

This is an anthology of shorter works written by Edred Thorsson for various Asatraodinist and Rune-Gild publications from the late 1970s to the early 1980s. Many of these essays have become classics, and include the first introduction of the Odinist world to the ritual known as the symbel. Contains material previously unavailable to the general public on matters of runelore and Germanic religion. Includes a short biography of Edred by James A. Chisholm.

From the late 1970s to the early 1980s Edred Thorsson produced a significant volume of material which was produced in rather obscure Asatru or Odinist journals such as The Runestone in the USA and The Raven Banner in England. Additionally, Edred's own then fledgling Rune-Gild published a number of shorter works. All of these would have ended up virtually "lost" if they had not been collected and edited for presentation in this volume.

Also includes a biography of Edred Thorsson by James Chisholm.

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Heathenry

Heathen (Old English h?den, Old Norse heidinn) was coined as a translation of Latin paganus, in the Christian sense of "non-Abrahamic faith".

In the Sagas, the terms heidni and kristni (Heathenry and Christianity) are used as polar terms to describe the older and newer faiths. Historically, the term was influenced by the Gothic term *haili, appearing as hai?no in Ulfilas' bible for translating gune Hellenis, "Greek (i.e. gentile) woman" of Mark 7:26, probably with an original meaning "dwelling on the heath", but it was also suggested that it was chosen because of its similarity to Greek ethne "gentile" or even that it is not related to "heath" at all, but rather a loan from Armenian hethanos, itself loaned from Greek ethnos.

The Miercinga Rice Theod and several other groups, narrow the sense of the word to Germanic Neopaganism in particular, and prefer it over Neopagan as a self-designation.

Heathenry is used for strictly polytheistic reconstructionist approaches, as opposed to syncretic, occult or mysticist approaches. While some practitioners use the term Heathenry as an equivalent to Paganism, others use it much more specifically. It is used by those who are re-creating the old religion and world view from the literary and archaeological sources. They describe themselves as "Heathen" in part to distinguish themselves from other pagans whose rituals come from more modern sources.

Heathenry is now the most widespread term for Germanic Paganism in the UK and is promoted by UK groups such as Heathens For Progress.

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Race And Religion Creating A Group Identity

Religion plays a large part in many white supremacist movements. Not just because it seems to be an easy scapegoat and, especially in the United States, an easy way to claim discriminatory speech is protected. Social movements generally contain elements that challenge the way a dominant system works, and so new sub-cultures are created as an answer to the prevailing system. This is also a result of peoples’ tendency to seek identity within a group setting—religion offers an easy way to do that. Dobratz writes, “Although religion may be viewed as an individual matter, it is mainly a shared experience that links one human being to others; bond and tradition are major concepts associated with religion…they [religions] can also be used to foster collective identity in various social movements.” Odinism is not at all unique in its use of religion to inspire ethnic conflict. This is a tactic we often see used against Judaism, the idea that the Jews are somehow “different.”

In 2001, a Professor of religious History at the University of Stockholm minced no words when asked about neo-paganism, and more specifically Odinism, in white supremacy. He asserted that, in the 1990’s, neo-paganism had overtaken Christian Identity movements in white supremacy. In The Role of Religion in the Collective Identity of the White Racialist Movement, Odinism is specifically named as one of the three religious affiliations that has been most influential in influencing and developing the white nationalist/racialist movement. This article makes a separation between racial Odinism and other neo-pagan religions. While most other neo-pagan groups tend to see their religion as somehow “universal” in scope and would normally be classified as quite liberal, Odinists, “do not believe in universal religions…unlike most other neopagans, support neotribalism, emphasize racial purity.” It is important to note that the lack of belief in a universal religion is something generally attributed only to Folkish Odinists. There is much Universalist literature suggesting belief in the idea that the Old Norse gods are simply different iterations, or even only different names, of the same pagan gods worshiped worldwide.

It has been suggested that, “religion, broadly conceived, offers the most promising path toward realization of the white nationalist dream” (Dobratz). As a broad category, religion is very helpful in recruiting for new movements. It works to provide a common history and group identity, something very attractive to potential recruits. While they may privately compete among themselves, the number of different religions that have parts in the white supremacist/white nationalist movement actually serves to attract more members than if it were homogenous. Dobratz writes, “The different religious views provide alternatives from which people can choose.”

Lately, however, Odinism seems to have become the go-to religion of white supremacists who are disillusioned with Christianity. As churches have become both more liberal and more accepting of changing societal norms (such as homosexuality or women clergy), more and more interest in Odinism and other “ancestral religions” has popped up. Frank DeSilva, a member of the Silent Brotherhood, argues that a break from Christianity in favor of Odinism is occurring within white supremacy. “Religion is for the race-culture that created it. In consequence to this, the movement is becoming increasingly non-Christian.” He goes on to cite the fact that religions are become more integrated or “non-white” as a main reason for this shift. The idea of Christianity as a Jewish plot is also gaining popularity. In a rare case of reasoning that is (somewhat) logical, one reason for white supremacists reject Christian movements is explained—

“I’m an Odinist, and I really wish that all this Christian Identity stuff would just like fade away…me and a lot of my friends just think that it’s the stupidest thing around—Christian Identity. I mean, I believe Christianity is Jewish. I mean, in nature, Jesus Christ was Jewish—it comes from the Middle East—it’s a Middle Eastern religion. I don’t think it’s for us as a racial movement—why should we take a Jewish religion if we’re so anti-Semitic?”

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Seidr Magic

Book: Seidr Magic by Ed Richardson

Of all the reconstructed systems of archaic magickal practice, Seidr seems to be one of the most misunderstood. This is partly because of its sinister reputation, and partly because of sexist notions that only women ever practised divination. All too often Seidr is mistaken for the craft of the Volva, where in reality (if such a notion is useful) the Volvas were only part of a far wider practice. In order to make sense of the collection of beliefs and practices which make up Seidr, some definitions shall be considered, followed by a look at some of the practices involved and their implications. This whole essay shall illustrate examples found in the myths of Northern Europe.

Seidr literally means 'seething' or 'boiling' and has much in common with shamanism and other forms of primitive magick. Indeed it is highly likely that Seidr is an adaptation of shamanic practices to suit the culture and times, when primitive society evolved discovering religion, agriculture and metallurgy. However, Seidr is not a religious practice; it is a magickal practice which is where some of its sinister reputation originates. Jan Fries explains that the Seidr magickians would sell their craft, which makes them something akin to occult mercenaries. Its use is always pragmatic and is reflected as such in the myths. The myths play a vital role in understanding Northern magick as they show how the Aesir, Vanir, Giants and Humanity used magick to deal with problems, hinting at techniques that may be useful today.

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Wicca The Complete Craft

Book: Wicca The Complete Craft by Dj Conway

It's hard to imagine a more comprehensive or well-written resource for students of Wicca than Wicca: The Complete Craft. D.J. Conway, whose earlier books include Moon Magick and The Celtic Dragon Tarot, speaks about the Wicca religion with seasoned authority, making this one of the best guidebooks on the market. She begins with an overview of Wicca, explaining its historical roots and dispelling common assumptions. For example, the practice of magic is not the focus of Wiccan religion, just a sideline, she notes. Conway also possesses a strong voice of integrity. Unlike some fad-feeding authors, she discourages teens from becoming involved in wiccan magic without the explicit approval of their parents. In fact, even advises teens to avoid the practice of magic altogether, since "the vast majority of teenagers lack the life experience or emotional maturity to deal correctly with the ethics involved with magic." This sort of ethical vigilance is carried throughout the book. Conway offers over 500 pages worth of lessons and rituals, including the making of a witch (expect to study at least a year and a day), developing psychic abilities, protection and self-defense, puberty rites, breaking spells, astral projection, magical herbs, and ritual tools. This is the book for beginners, and is certainly a respectable resource for more mature witches.

While this book certainly is not "the definitive" wiccan book (as if there was such a thing), it certainly offers a wealth of information about this ancient religion. This book was mentioned to me as a great place to learn more about "the Craft," in fact the person who first told me about it called it a "Wiccan textbook." While someone not new to Wicca may find this book covers a lot of material mentioned elsewhere, someone new to this as I am will find this book fascinating.

What I liked about this book was that it provides a very nice overall reference to Wicca, which as someone new to this religion is something very important to me. There is a tremendous amount of information in this book, in fact at times it was almost overwhelming. Among areas covered are examples of rituals for various Sabats, handfasting, and Drawing Down the Moon and Sun, herbs, essential oils, candles, words and terms used in Wicca, pantheons of Gods and Goddesses of different cultures, nature spirits, and so on. Reading through this book gave me a sense that the information contained within it can be a source of "great power" if used correctly.

Popular pagan author D. J. Conway introduces readers to the religion of Wicca, or witchcraft, and dispels many common misconceptions about it. Conway offers a comprehensive overview of Wiccan philosophy and tenets and provides a useful primer for practicing Wicca as a spiritual guide. Wicca is an ancient nature religion that teaches respect for others as well as responsibility for one's actions. Conway emphasizes that it is not associated with cults, devil worship, or animal sacrifice. Wiccans believe in the sanctity of all life and recognize a dual deity, both a goddess and a god. Included are chapters on sacred space, ritual tools, holy days, meditations and visualizations, spells and the art of spell casting, as well as terms used in Wicca.

As I said before, this may not be "the one true Wiccan book," and those with some knowledge may already know most of what in here, but still I found it to be an excellent guide to Wicca.

Buy Dj Conway's book: Wicca The Complete Craft

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Sunday Sacredness In Roman Paganism

Book: Sunday Sacredness In Roman Paganism by Robert Leo Odom

With most of the Christian world honoring Sunday as their day of worship, the question of its origin becomes important.

Over the past hundred years much has been written about the use of the week among ancient pagan peoples. However, little has been done to compile such historical material into an easily accessible book for the general public.

Robert Leo Odom for years has conducted special research on the Sabbath-Sunday question. In "Sunday in Roman Paganism," he leads readers through the pages of history showing the rise of the planetary week and its "day of the Sun" in the heathenism of the Roman world during the early centuries of the Christian era.

This book is not a capsulated history of Sunday as a church festival, but rather the history of the planetary week as it was known and used in the pagan world, and to show whether or not its "day of the Sun" was then regarded by pagans as being sacred to their Sun-god.


Robert Leo Odom is author of The Certainty of Life After Death, Sunday in Roman Paganism, The Lord's Day on a Round World, and What Do The Astrologers Know?

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Tree Cults In Northern Magic

Book: Tree Cults In Northern Magic by Tommie Eriksson

From the earliest times, trees have been the focus of religious life for many peoples around the world. As the largest plant on earth, the tree has been a major source of stimulation to the mythic imagination. Trees have been invested in all cultures with a dignity unique to their own nature, and tree cults, in which a single tree or a grove of trees is worshipped, have flourished at different times almost everywhere. Even today there are sacred woods in India and Japan, just as there were in pre-Christian Europe. An elaborate mythology of trees exists across a broad range of ancient cultures.

According to the Roman Authors Lucan and Pomponius Mela, the Celts of Gaul worshipped in groves of trees, a practice which Tacitus and Dio Cassius say was also found among the Celts in Britain. The Romans used the Celtic word nemeton for these sacred groves. A sacred oak grove in Galatia (Asia Minor), for example, was called Drunemeton (Strabo, Geographica, XII, 5, 1). The word was also incorporated into many of the names of towns and forts, such as Vernemeton near Leicester in England.

The names of certain Celtic tribes in Gaul reflect the veneration of trees, such as Euburones (the Yew tribe), and the Lemovices (the people of the elm). A tree trunk or a whole tree was frequently included among the votive offerings placed in ritual pits or shafts dug into the ground. Others shafts had a wooden pole placed at the bottom. The Celts believed trees to be sources of sacred wisdom, and the hazel in particular was associated with wisdom by the Druids.

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Neo Druids In Ireland

In Ireland, neo-druids staged public gatherings for the Midsummer Solstice on the Hill of Tara, intermittently from 1996 to 2005. Currently, a number of Irish neo-druids are working with the various Save Tara Heritage campaigns to preserve the Tara-Skryne Valley from the potential environmental impact if the M3 motorway that is planned for the area goes through. The proposed construction would place a large, 38 acre, eight-lane motorway interchange within a mile (1.6 km) of the Hill, making it clearly visible from one of Ireland’s most sacred and historic sites, and irreparably damaging important archaeological evidence of Celtic and pre-Celtic history.

A number of small orders and groves exist in Ireland, with varying practices and beliefs; most of these have come into existence in the 1990s or later. Druidism in Ireland is still relatively young, is still in the process of establishing links between groves and orders, and so a stable neo-druidic community does not yet exist.

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Henge Of Keltria

Initially an offshoot of Ar nDraiocht Fein, the Henge of Keltria is a non-profit Church and the largest Celtic-focused Druid organization in the United States. They focus upon practices based upon honoring their ancestors, revering the spirits of nature, and worshipping the Gods and Goddesses in their unique manner. They are an initiatory mystery tradition. They have members and adherents throughout the United States and Canada.

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A Irmandade De Odin In Portuguese

Book: A Irmandade De Odin In Portuguese by Mark Mirabello

O Odinismo tambem conhecido como "Asatru" (termo islandes para "Lealdade aos Deuses") e, em sua encarnacao moderna, a tentativa de reconstruir o mais fielmente possivel a antiga religiao Nordica. Devido a falta de textos, artefatos ou templos sobreviventes alguns detalhes estao para sempre perdidos. Para preencher esses detalhes, os adeptos tem que recorrer a pesquisas arqueologicas, trabalhos academicos e textos sobreviventes. As principais fontes literarias sao as Sagas islandesas e vikings, bem como os textos conhecidos como "Eddas" (existem duas versoes o chamado "Edda Poetico" e o "Edda em Prosa"). Embora nao tenham o status de "livros sagrados" ou "revelacoes" esses trabalhos nos dao as informacoes mais importantes sobre as crencas e os principais deuses venerados na epoca dos Vikings. De uma certa maneira, A irmandade de Odin, e uma rendicao moderna do conteudo dos Eddas. Mas e muito mais do que isso.

As primeiras manifestacoes publicas dessa nova/antiga fe em nossos tempos aconteceram em 1960, na islandia. O livro que voce agora tem em maos nos da, entretanto, uma nova e desconcertante visao: o Odinismo nao apenas teria sobrevivido a furia das conversoes cristas no norte da Europa como tornou-se uma religiao clandestina, preservando suas crencas e iniciando seus membros desde 1421. A palavra "iniciando" deve ser tomada em seu sentido esoterico: um grupo de guerreiros, homens e mulheres extraordinarios, teriam fundado uma sociedade secreta que preservou rituais poderosos e um conhecimento incomum sobre os deuses e deusas dos povos nordicos.

Mesmo que o leitor nao possa aceitar as crencas descritas neste livro (e a propria tendencia em ver as informacoes aqui contidas como "alegoricas" e visto como um sinal de decadencia de nosso mundo atual), acredito que ele nao saira intocado pela forca e brilho do tipo de ser humano que e valorizado pela irmandade. Mesmo que nao se possa aceitar a existencia da irmandade de Odin tal como descrita aqui, e impossivel negar que mais do que nunca precisamos do espirito e da visao que esta por tras da irmandade. Se o leitor conseguir incorporar em si esse espirito, entao pelo menos um dos objetivos da irmandade de Odin ja tera sido atingido.

Gostaria de agradecer as pessoas que tornaram essa traducao possivel: Em primeiro lugar, ao Dr. Mark Mirabello por sua imediata adesao e suporte a ideia de traduzir seu trabalho para o Portugues. Aos meus irmaos e irmas Odinistas (alguns deles membros da irmandade) que me apoiaram, incentivaram e responderam as minhas diversas duvidas ao longo do processo. E finalmente, mas nao menos importante, a minha esposa, Raquel, que faz todas as coisas valerem a pena. - Marcos Rogerio Estevam

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Icelandic Poetry Or The Edda Of Saemund

Book: Icelandic Poetry Or The Edda Of Saemund by Loptsson

The Poetic Edda is a collection of Old Norse poems primarily preserved in the Icelandic mediaeval manuscript Codex Regius. Along with Snorri Sturluson's Prose Edda, the Poetic Edda is the most important extant source on Norse mythology and Germanic heroic legends.

Codex Regius was written in the 13th century but nothing is known of its whereabouts until 1643 when it came into the possession of Brynjolfur Sveinsson, then Bishop of Skalholt. At that time versions of the Prose Edda were well known in Iceland but scholars speculated that there once was another Edda—an Elder Edda—which contained the pagan poems which Snorri quotes in his Prose Edda. When Codex Regius was discovered, it seemed that this speculation had proven correct. Brynjolfur attributed the manuscript to Semundr the Learned, a larger-than-life 12th century Icelandic priest. While this attribution is rejected by modern scholars, the name Semundar Edda is still sometimes encountered.

Bishop Brynjolfur sent Codex Regius as a present to the Danish king, hence the name. For centuries it was stored in the Royal Library in Copenhagen but in 1971 it was returned to Iceland.

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Sources Of Nordic Paganism

Although the Eddas and Sagas are by far the most respected and influential texts consulted by modern Nordic Pagans, other texts and sources of information are widely shared and discussed. The Heimskringla, also written by Snorri Sturluson, is a semihistorical, semimythological account of ancient Norwegian kings that provides information about gods, ritual practices, and life and society on the Scandinavian mainland (as opposed to the Icelandic focus of the Sagas). Skaldic poems, an archaic Icelandic genre from Viking times, provide vivid accounts of warrior heroes and gods.

There are also non-Norse, non-Icelandic texts. The medieval Anglo-Saxon poem Beowulf, which tells of Scandinavian warrior life, is a valued literary treasure from England. More fragmentary Anglo-Saxon texts, such as the Nine Spells Charm (Rodrigues 1993), provide insight into the Anglo-Saxon variants of Norse Paganism—for example, the Norse Odin worshipped as the Anglo-Saxon Woden in England and the poem The Dream of the Rood, which blends Christian and Norse Pagan motifs in strange and startling ways. A fragmentary German text, the Merseburg Charm, tells of spells and incantations containing mythological information. The German epic Nibelungenlied is popular as an illustration of warrior ethics. German and Scandinavian folk and fairy tales are also valued as expressions of Nordic sensibility toward life and nature. The Gesta Danorum, a history of the Danes written in Latin by an antiquarian monk, Saxo Grammaticus, provides alternate and sometimes strikingly different accounts of Eddic myths and gods. The Roman historian Tacitus’s Germania, an account of German tribes on the fringes of the Roman Empire, is also studied with interest as the earliest documentary text related to Germanic-Scandinavian peoples. Most Nordic Pagans read these texts in English translation, but scholarly Pagans study these documents in their original languages.

Various nontextual sources of information about past Nordic life and culture are highly valued. Archaeological remains in the Scandinavian nations—from the ancient kings’ tombs in Denmark and Sweden to Viking tombstones and runic inscriptions on the Baltic island of Gotland to the site of the original Icelandic Thing parliament at Thingvellir—are sites of Nordic Pagan pilgrimage. Discussions of the history and significance of such sites are followed with intense interest in both popular and scholarly media, from documentary programs on the Discovery Channel television network to archaeological journals. Runes, the ancient Scandinavian writing and symbol system, receives intensive interest because of the widespread belief among modern Nordic Pagans that the runes possess esoteric, ritual significance.

Although it is doubtless true that modern Nordic Pagans take an extremely positive, even romanticized view of past Nordic history and culture, theirs is not an entirely uncritical view. They seek to reconstruct only select aspects of the worldview and lifestyle of the Vikings and other past Nordic peoples, and they acknowledge that there are other aspects, such as slavery and wanton violence, that they are all too happy to leave in the past. A good many Nordic Pagans follow scholarly debates about Nordic history and are conscious that the contemporary understanding of the Nordic past is continuously evolving through the clash of multiple perspectives and interpretations, like modern Nordic paganism itself.

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Norse Mythology A To Z

Book: Norse Mythology A To Z by Kathleen Daly

"Norse mythology A to Z, Third Edition" examines the characters, objects, and places whose stories make up the folklore of the Norse people, who lived in the region known today as Scandinavia. Passed down through the generations by word of mouth and finally written down in the 13th century and later, these myths include tales of gods and goddesses; heroes, giants, and dwarfs; and serpents and dragons that inhabit enchanted realms. This colorful volume brings to life many of these Nordic myths. Entries of this title include: the most famous gods and goddesses, such as Odin, Thor, and Freya; plants and animals important to Norse mythology, such as the oak tree and the eagle; stories and poems, such as "Treasures of the Dwarfs" and the "Poetic Edda"; and, much more.

The term mythology can refer to either the study of myths or a body of myths. For example, comparative mythology is the study of connections between myths from different cultures, whereas Greek mythology is the body of myths from ancient Greece.

The term "myth" is often used colloquially to refer to a false story; however, the academic use of the term generally does not pass judgment on its truth or falsity. In the study of folklore, a myth is a symbolic narrative explaining how the world and humankind came to be in their present form. Many scholars in other fields use the term "myth" in somewhat different ways. In a very broad sense, the word can refer to any traditional story

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The Nature Of Folk Religion

In the modern Western countries, religion is largely an individual matter. People meditate or pray, seek self-improvement, search for personal spiritual enlightenment, or find individual salvation. Religion is only a set of beliefs and practices, which can be chosen by the seeker as easily as we buy a new car - and changed for a new one even more easily.

This is a very new notion, one that has risen in direct proportion to our separation from nature and from our ancestors. To people in traditional cultures, this self-centered interpretation of religion is strange indeed.

Certainly all spiritual or religious paths have an individual component that is valid and worthy of pursuit. In America and the rest of the West, however, we often focus on the individual to the exclusion of the group aspect. This doesn't mean that we don't yearn after community; many neighborhood churches provide this for their members, and this role as a provider of community has become even more vital as our families disintegrate under the pressures of modern living.

What Westerners do not understand is that folk religions - native religions, indigenous religions, whatever you want to call them - are linked to a particular cultural and biological group...a people. Religion is not something apart from the life of the group; indeed, it is one more manifestation of the group's existence. Religion springs from the very nature of the people and is an expression of the totality of their experience from the beginning of time.

Folk religions are deeply ancestral. Those who have gone before, those forefathers and foremothers of times past, are still connected to the tribe or nation. The bonds of kinship transcend space and time. Indeed, many of us who follow Asatru believe that the ancestors are continually reborn into the family or clan. There is an interweaving of ancestry throughout lifetimes and across generations. We have been here, together in this world, before. Blood is not only thicker than water, it is stronger than death and distance!

From this perspective, it is unthinkable that religion should be seen as just an accessory, something to be shucked off like a coat or a hat. Rather, religion becomes a manifestation of our very essence, a part of us like our legs or our head. Asatru is not what we believe, it is what we are.

It is only natural that we seek out the spiritual path that our ancestors walked. On the most mundane level, we are more like those forebears than we are like anyone else. We carry their essence. One can try to rationalize this by pointing out that so many things about humans are influenced by heredity, and perhaps that is part of it, but ultimately the connection is spiritual. We are linked to those ancestors and to our descendants by special bonds that we do not share with others. When we find the ways of our own people, we discover things we cannot find anywhere else.
It is these two factors - the focus on the group nature of religion as a counterbalance to the individual aspect, and the importance of the ancestors, that set folk religions apart from modern, rootless, artificial constructs.

Asatru is not just a belief or a set of practices, it is an expression of who we are as men and women of European heritage.

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Introduction To The Elder Edda

Book: Introduction To The Elder Edda by John Ronald Tolkien

The Elder Edda is not a single continuous narrative, but a collection of poems, most of which are preserved in the Konungsbok, or Codex Regius (King's Book), copied in Iceland about A.D. 1270. The poems are the work of many poets. Their language suggests that they were composed between 800 and 1100 A.D. and first written down between 1150 and 1250 A.D. The poems are a rich source of information for culture and belief among the Vikings. They are not, however, purely Scandinavian. Christian Irish influence is likely, while the Sigurd story draws on actual events among the tribes that invaded the Roman Empire between 350-600 A.D.

The Elder Edda first came to scholarly attention in the seventeenth century as antiquarian interest in the non-classical past was growing in Europe. It was published in its entirety just as intense romantic and nationalistic interest in the perceived tribal Ancestors of the European nation states emerged towards the end of the eighteenth century. This interest, combined with the new science of philology, ensured popular and scholarly interest in texts like the Elder Edda. Some of the lays were available in bowdlerized versions even for children by the later nineteenth century. In the hands of Richard Wagner, the Elder Edda became the foundation of one of the century's masterpieces. While northern legends and the scholarship based on it were misused by the Nazis to develop and further their ideas of race, they are seriously misrepresented by such ideas. In the 1960s, the poet W. H. Auden in collaboration with an Old Norse scholar, Paul B. Taylor, produced a translation of sixteen of the poems.

Download John Ronald Tolkien's eBook: Introduction To The Elder Edda

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Futhark A Handbooks Of Rune Magic

Book: Futhark A Handbooks Of Rune Magic by Edred Thorsson

Complete book of rune instruction including definitions of the 24 runes of the Elder Futhark. Includes discussion of phonetic values, derivation and magical qualities of each rune, as well as exercises, chants, rituals, all geared for self-development.

This book is written by a very experienced historical linguist and practicing Norse pagan. The former means he won't miss any known information about the runes, but unfortunately the latter means that he has lots of speculative material of the own which he mixes in with his scholarship. This wouldn't be so bad, but he rarely bothers to tell you which is which, so if you want to know the strictly historical facts about the runes, this is definitely NOT your book.

"Futhark" remains the best available introduction to Rune magic. While one should read from many sources (including other works by the same author), this work holds the kernel of all the techniques one needs to follow and practice the path of Rune Work. Much has been written concerning Thorsson's/Flower's adherence to other cults and it must be admitted that this led to schism between the author and the Odinic Rite. Personally, I believe that what Edred gets up to elsewhere is his affair. Technically speaking, this book is still the best introduction. If you are seriously interested in the runes, read it.

Edred Thorsson whose real name is Stephen Edred Flowers (a well known academic) has become a contraversial figure within Asatru/Heathenism and Academic Runology due to his Setian/Satanic memberships and Odian veiws. However this book, his first to be published on the runes, was written whilst he was a member of the Asatru Free Assembly and the Odinic Rite UK so some of the ideas in this book reflect this. The book is mostly a combination of Armanen rune lore mixed with Asatru/Odinism and Neo-Pagan magical practices plus academic runology. For a beginner in rune study, a difficult book to separate fact from fiction. For an advanced student, if you can already seperate the false from fact, you won't need this book! Probably a book better suited to those who want to study Armanen Rune Yoga in an 'Elder FUTHARK' and Neo Pagan/New Age format.

Find Edred Thorsson's book in amazon.com:
Futhark A Handbooks Of Rune Magic

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Victory Or Valhalla The Final Compilation Of Writings By David Lane

Book: Victory Or Valhalla The Final Compilation Of Writings By David Lane by David Lane

David Lane was a prolific writer who tackled all of the issues imperative to the survival of our race. Some of the material contained in these pages will be familiar to those who have read Deceived, Damned & Defiant. However, this book also contains newer writings, including his fictional story "KD Rebel" as well as his last interview.

The 14 words created by David Lane are immortal words. The White Race is in great danger. This collection of writings by David Lane is fantastic. He was a "MAN AGAINST TIME". In Germany a lot of people know David Lane's 14 words. We also enjoy his great writings. David Lane had been a competent author with wide-ranging knowledge of the world. We must unite our race to survive.

Buy David Lane's book: Victory Or Valhalla The Final Compilation Of Writings By David Lane

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The Reality Of The Holy Powers

What makes us think that the Holy Powers honored by our ancestors actually exist? Here are a few reasons -

1. Our ancestors - hundreds of generations of them - considered the Gods and goddesses to be as real as their own family, as real as the mountains looming over their homestead, or the clouds blowing through the sky. Of course, it is easy today to say that our ancestors were stupid, or at best ignorant and naive, but can that really be true? The human brain has not significantly changed over the last few thousand years.

In terms of innate intelligence, some of our brighter forebears could have invented the theory of relativity or quantum mechanics a thousand years ago. This didn't happen, of course - because the conceptual foundations had not yet been laid by others, and because our ancestors were busy doing other things, such as growing food and fighting off the tribe from the next valley over. Discovering quantum physics is one thing, but inventing the necessary mathematics and all of classical physics at the same time, while planning raids and sowing the crops, is a little much to ask! Lack of brainpower, per se, was not the problem
.
2. Tribal Europeans (and just about everyone else in the world) lived in an environment that selected intensely for intelligence and hard-headed practicality. Stupid people tended to make mistakes that got them killed. Impractical dreamers likewise met untimely and tragic ends. By comparison, we live much more protected lives, insulated from the effects of the natural environment and from hostile people armed with axes and swords. Fools, self-deceivers, the gullible, and dreamers did not fare well in early society. The ancient Germans and Celts are not likely to have believed in the Gods and Goddesses unless they had some reason to do so. We on the other hand, living in an environment with much less evolutionary stress, are much more likely to believe in superstitions like dialectical materialism and the good intentions of politicians.

3. The enemies of the Gods - the Christian missionaries and later chroniclers - believed the Gods and Goddesses were real. The Christian kings of Norway, tyrants who made free folk into royal subjects and forced them to give up the old ways or die, met Thor and Odin in mysterious encounters that have come down to us in the sagas. One can argue, of course, that the stories are made up, but the very existence of the stories clearly reflect a belief that the old Gods were real. Nowhere in the surviving sagas do the Christian writers think of Odin, Thor, Frey, or any of the others as delusions. In fact, the oath required of the Saxons upon converting to Christianity specifically renounced the old deities, thus by implication acknowledging their existence.

4. The Gods and Goddesses manifest to living men and women today. The old religion of the pre-Christian Nordic and Germanic lands has been revived in an organized form for hardly thirty years, but the might of the Gods and Goddesses has shown itself many times. These instances are of varying types and qualities. When we make requests of the Holy Powers, we often get dramatic results. In other words, our prayers are answered. People get healed, children are born, difficulties are resolved, the future is foretold, and so forth. In short, the Gods work!

Other times, the Gods and Goddesses (and other entities described in the Nordic lore, for that matter) actually appear to people in visions. You can call these delusions or hallucinations, but they are generally associated with real results that happen, then or later, in the real world.

Finally, there are cases, admittedly rare, when Gods and Goddesses manifest to humans under conditions that do not appear to be visions at all - when they are as real as your house or the rock on which you stub your toe.

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Religious Propaganda And Celtic Traditions

The main aim of religious propaganda…has been to tell us that Below is Bad, Above is Good. Celtic tradition tells us something different.

The main aim of religious propaganda in our culture has been to turn humanity away from the Earth, telling us that Below is Bad, Above is Good. Why ? Well, historically, this was to get customers away from the pagan religions and sacro-magical practices, and into those early and poorly funded churches. Such outer evangelizing hides a more subtle inner campaign, for power at a spiritual level. Ancient pagan practices were substantially based upon Earth powers, prophecy, healing, and the widespread worship of goddesses whose divine attributes were founded in the land, the ocean, the Earth . The evidence for this in Ireland is widespread, and central to many ancient Irish manuscripts, and permeates many aspects of folkloric tradition. To the early Christians, any masculine deity became a deo falsus, a false god. Deo falsus has often been proposed as the origin of diabolus or “devil”.

“Let no man indulge in that most filthy habit of dressing up as a stag” thundered St Augustine : but he did not reveal the real reasons why. Animal/human magic, horned deities such as Pan or Cern, are manifestations of UnderWorld power, and drawing that power up to the surface was central to the old ceremonies. Likewise, the goddess powers of wells, streams, rivers, and sacred mounds, were repudiated and often transformed into semi-historical figures or amalgamated with saints.

To this day a most potent figure in Irish legend is the feminine Sovereignty or goddess or fairy queen of the Land.

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