Glossary - exWitch Australia (formerly 'Born Again Pagan')

NORSE PAGANISM

A branch of Neo-Paganism that worships the Norse Pantheon of deities and stresses conservative values of honor, honesty, courage and duty to one's family, kin and friends. In the 1970s a number of Norse Pagan groups sprang into existence almost simultaneously, and independently of one another, in America, England and Iceland.

This form of Paganism has a small but dedicated following, which belong to various groups. The largest is the Asatru Free Assembly, based in Breckinridge, Texas, formed in 1972 by Stephen McNallen, who at the time was a student at Midwestern University in Wichita Falls, Texas. McNallen found little appeal in Wicca or Magick but was drawn to the Vikings and Norse deities. He originally named his organization The Brotherhood and began publishing a quarterly journal, The Runestone. The Brotherhood's name was changed to the Asatru Free Assembly (AFA) in 1976.

In Old Norse, Asatru means "loyalty to the Aesir." The Aesir are one of two branches of Norse deities, the race of sky gods that includes Odin and his wife Frigga, Thor, Loki, Balder and others. The second branch is the Vanir, concerned with earth, agriculture, fertility and the cycle of death and rebirth. Norse Paganism, and the AFA, embrace both branches of deities, and most followers of Norse Paganism are pantheistic. Odimism, a form of Norse Paganism, recognizes only the Aesir.

The symbology in Norse Paganism is Norse and Germanic, including Runes, spears, warriors and the Swastika - an ancient symbol that represents Thor's hammer and the wheel of the sun.

While the warrior imagery has a macho appeal to men and the religion is regarded by Wiccans who are unfamiliar with it as being patriarchal, women in Norse Paganism find the Norse Goddesses to be strong and assertive. Freyja, the Goddess of fertility, does not shrink from a battle; Odin sends his warrior-maiden Valkyries off to the battlefields to bring dead heroes to Valhalla.

Festivals center on the seasonal equinoxes and solstices, and Norse holidays such as Ragnar's Day, March 28, which commemorates Viking Ragnar Lodbrok's sacking of Paris in 845.

The AFA holds an annual festival called Althing. There is little interest in the Magick and meditation that plays much larger role in Wicca and other branches of Neo-Paganism, though the AFA has a guild on shamanism. Other guilds, which are intended to build skills and foster fellowship, are devoted to artistry and writing, brewing, warrior skills (martial arts), computers and other areas of interest to the membership.

Many adherents to Norse Paganism are attracted by the emphasis on blood ties and genetics, the warrior ethic and the Norse symbology. The religion provides many with a way of identifying with Scandinavian or German ancestral roots. However, Norse Pagan groups constantly face accusations of white-supremacy racism, especially since the Nazis borrowed Norse motifs and probably tainted some forever, particularly the Swastika and the rune for the letter 'S' (see NAZI MYSTICISM). Neo-Nazis have resurrected these symbols.

In Drawing Down the Moon (1986), Margot Adler notes that there are a few extreme right-wing Norse Pagan groups, who believe they have founded a religion upon the Aryan race; some do include Neo-Nazis. Most Norse Pagans consider these people a fringe element not connected to their religion.

see also: ASATRU

PLEASE NOTE:
One of the major problems with 'defining' Paganism and/or its beliefs and practices is that it is an 'organic' movement, in that it is undergoing constant change and re-evaluation from within, and as such any 'one-size-fits-all' approach to understanding Paganism will be found wanting.

Due to the very 'organic' nature of Paganism, and the many differing Paths and Traditions within it, in many cases no one definition may be universally accepted by all Pagans. Therefore, where such cases of possible conflicting and/or contradictory meanings of certain terms occur I have endevoured to give not only the generally accepted meaning, but also any major 'variations' in belief and/or practice.

Christians who believe this difference in meaning of certain key terms, beliefs and practices to be unique to Paganism need to remember that such conflicts also arise within the Body of Christ - the Church. Take for instance the differing practices amongst Christians concerning Baptism and the different attitudes towards women in the clergy.

- Jean-Luc