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Ásatrú - An Introduction - by Dirk Schmitt

Many centuries before the introduction of other belief systems to the European peoples, there existed folk belief systems, already well developed, amongst those who inhabited the European peninsula. One of these is Ásatrú. Ásatrú is the original folk belief of many people who now live all around the world. Its origins are lost in the mists of antiquity, but we can be fairly certain that the beliefs existed a minimum of 10,000 years ago in some form. Symbols, which are still used today in Ásatrú, have been found in rock art from this period. And indeed the symbols that many hold dear today owe their origins to Ásatrú with their meaning only slightly modified to fit in with new, overlaid, beliefs. These original meanings and conceptualities can be restored to us. In fact the dating of the earliest forms have been dated back to a little over 40,000 years ago. And archaeological excavation has put at 5000BC, constructs, that are holy circles in much the same pattern as can be found around the European peninsula (e.g. Stonehenge and the like).

Ásatrú holds an important place in our modern world, being the original belief system of the people of Europe, which has developed over the centuries as we have, and only fell out of favour due to military and economic pressures over the past 2000 years. Often it is said that the external beliefs brought us to civilisation and brought us all that we have today. This is actually not the case. Our "primitive" ancestors had one of the earliest precursors to our modern democracy. Indeed Iceland has the record for the longest democratic society in history. Things we take for granted today, as signs of good governance and democracy such as trial by jury, precedential law, the rights of women, parliaments, representative governance etc, are all attributable to our ancestral folk.

The word Ásatrú is derived from the Old Norse words "Ás" and "Trú". Many take "Ás" to mean Æsir, who are one branch of the Gods and Goddesses of our tradition, but this is not exactly the case. Delving just a little further brings us to the meaning of "Ás" being "god" as in a generic term for a god (or goddess). Thus the term "Ás" in fact is inclusive of both the Æsir and the Vanir. As for the word "Trú", this is a form of the word "Troth". "Trú", is defined in Zoega's Old Icelandic Dictionary as being faith, or word of honour. Hence we see that Ásatrú is faith and a bond of honour with the Gods and Goddesses of our folk. You may be interested in whom the Æsir and the Vanir in fact are… well, they are the Gods and Goddesses of our folk as I have stated, but things are a little more interesting than this. The Æsir are the Gods and Goddesses of humankind, whilst the Vanir are the Gods and Goddesses of nature and natural processes. It is true that there is some overlap, but this comes from the alliance between the two.

Ásatrúar in general believe in a divine originative force. This force is to be found in the expression of Gunningagap, the opposing forces of Fire and Ice, which meet and clash to provide the right environs for life to exist. This can be said to be the force of life, but unlike the "Star Wars" ™ force, it goes much deeper and is much more powerful than that. Now, coming from this divine originative force we have come the races of Giants and the Gods and Goddesses. The giants are the embodiment of entropic forces, the Fire and Frost giants being inimical to life, seeking it's destruction, the Fire Giants by means of the power of fire (ever watched a bush fire or forest fire, you'll understand what I mean), and the Frost Giants by means of the power of ice (have a look at the Arctic or Antarctic). The third group of Giants are the Jotuns (also known as Thurs'), and these are the beings of Entropy. But whilst they are inimical to life, they also perform a vital duty, they are the embodiment of decay and death. You may be sitting there saying… there are no Giants in our world they don't exist. Well, you'd be pretty much right, they don't exist in the same way you and I do in this world, but they exist in their own worlds, and exert a force upon our world, just as surely as we experience gravity and other forces upon us. Now having addressed the concept of Giants (also known as Etins), we come to the Gods and Goddesses. The Gods and Goddesses it is told came of the same originating source as the Giants, the Gunningagap, but their origin was in a purer area and hence they are forces of life and indeed they are the progenitors in a sense of Mann. This progenitive aspect is related to us that three Gods gave us the level of consciousness we now have. Oðin gave us the breath of life, that is, the very essence of our complex soul elements. Hoenir provided us with consciousness itself and the higher mental faculties that accompany it, and Loðurr provided our physical form. As a Polytheist belief system we do believe in a number of Gods and Goddesses, who are quite real, as real as you or I, but in all ways more real than us. They live apart from us and have their own concerns, but just as you and I live apart, if we were friends, we would visit each other and share our lives with each other, it is in this way that we approach the Gods and Goddesses.

Let us now address the concept of folk, which I have mentioned a number of times already. Some may wish to see Ásatrú as being a path of exclusivity and division from the world at large. This is not the case. Indeed our ancestors were very tolerant of other beliefs and cultures. When trading they would wear the local fashions and observe local laws and traditions, not merely for economic purposes, but also out of respect for other peoples traditions. As a folk tradition, Ásatrú shares commonality of cultural integrity with the North American Indians, the Australian Aboriginals, and indeed, any other culturally based belief system. We can see in these people how their culture is intimately bound up with who they are. Often the continual references to folk, provides some people with the false notion that Ásatrú is limited in its' term of reference to people of the Scandinavian Peninsula. In fact Ásatrú as a folkway is the cultural inheritance of a wide group of folk. Basically anyone who is of "European" ancestry has as his or her natural tradition, Ásatrú or an antecedent of Ásatrú. Having said all this, we must also recognise that the level of ones cultural involvement will determine what one feels most comfortable with. It is important to look to ones own cultural background for the beliefs of ones ancestors. Only after having looked at this way, should we begin to look further afield if the way of our immediate ancestors doesn't sit well with us, and we should question why it does not. Ultimately, anyone can be Ásatrú, being a follower of the Æsir and Vanir, but, it will be more difficult for those who are not of an ancestral pathway to feel at home on a cultural level, due simply to the fact that their antecedents will not have held the same beliefs as they, and their cultural background will be different. This is not impossible, it is only difficult, as anyone who has tried to find his or her way in a faith, and has found it lacking, will easily attest. Some may wonder if we worship our ancestors in the manner of the Gods and Goddesses. The answer is a bit more complex than you may think. We do venerate our ancestors just as we do the Gods and Goddesses, if in a slightly different way. One could almost consider it the difference in the relationship one has with a best friend as compared with a close relative. We specifically address our ancestors and thank them, especially ancestors who have done great deeds, for their work during their lives, which give us a good foundation to build our own lives upon. In essence they have laid down the pattern of life for us, which we now continue, and so too we lay down the pattern of living for our descendants, who will follow in our pathways and they will build upon the pattern we have created, adding their own elements and so forth.

Not only are our beliefs in Gods and Goddesses, and entities outside our world, but also a code of ethical behaviour and standards of living that we should uphold in our daily lives. These are known as the Nine Noble Virtues, the actions of Ásatrú, and the Six Fold Goal, or the why of Ásatrú. I shall start in reverse, with the Goals first and foremost, the why of Ásatrú and then provide the how…

The Six-Fold Goal - Right is the justice of law shaped by the lore of our folk and meted out with good judgement and true by those who can see the truth. This is a goal rationally sought and rationally administered - the rule of rationality and enlightenment in the world. Wisdom is the hidden lore and powers welling up from the darkest depths of our souls and hovering high over our heads, shining beyond the clouds and leading us on into the unknown. In it are the wells of memory, and its expression is found in the ability to see and understand the whole. Might is the embodiment of the two fold goal of victory and defence. These require pure power to operate, but must be ruled over by Wisdom and Right, to find their true expression, and serve the goals of Harvest and Frith. Being a natural and intrinsic part of our nature it must find expression and aids us in maintaining the truth, to defend the folkway from things outside the truth of our tradition. Harvest is the reaping of things of the natural and good cycles of nature, which ensures the continuance of the folk in the world. Harvest not only includes the cycles of nature, but all economic cycles. It is the goodness of plenty, of wealth and physical well being that is there for all the folk. Frith is our own word for "peace". This is where all the parts of the Six-fold Goal are attained and expressed in our society. It is not a state of a lack of movement, but where movement exists in a state of freedom, where we can take our challenges to higher levels of expression. Love is not as one might consider the love of relationships, between folk, but the intrinsic desire to live. It is the pure force of life that is embodied in our sense of play and pleasure. Such things are right and good and it is indeed Love and Wisdom that hold all the Six-fold Goal together.

Now having looked at the why, let us look at the how… The Nine Noble Virtues - Honour is the feeling of inner value and worth from which one knows that one is noble of being, and the desire to show respect for this quality when it is found in the world. Of all the Virtues, this one is often the hardest to define, as each person's interpretation of this is different. It could translate as "self-image", or "self-esteem", and is important to recognise that this will be different from person to person. Truth is the willingness to be honest and to say what one knows to be true and right. It is often better to not say anything at all if one cannot be honest. But likewise, when one does say something, it is best to be truthful and speak what one sees, not what others would like to hear. We also have a caveat on the concept of Truth, and that is that whilst we should endeavour to speak the truth at all times, do not be fooled into speaking the truth when others lie to you. The Havamal councils us to respond to lies with lies, but then of course if people always told the truth we would not have to do this, but then this is not an ideal world in which we live. Courage is the bravery to do what is right at all times. This can be likened to being brave enough to live by the Nine Noble Virtues and for the Six-fold Goal. But as always, what one person believes is right, may not be what another sees as right. Perseverance is the ability to return from defeat and/or failure. Each time we have a setback, we recognise this, and if the purpose is a Trú one we continue until success is won. Fidelity is the will to be loyal to one's Gods and Goddesses, to one's Folk, and to one's self. How one interprets the concept of loyalty is largely up to the individual as there are many different levels of loyalty, and hence Fidelity. But each person knows within themselves, just what this means to them, and it is important that others understand this, to be able to form the bonds of loyalty that exist on all levels. Discipline is the willingness to be hard on oneself first and then if needed on others, so that greater purposes may be achieved. We must always be hardest on ourselves, to set the example. It is very easy to work at the level of do as I say, not as I do. But in this we dishonour ourselves and we dishonour others. Leading by example is what this is all about. Hospitality is the willingness to share what one has with one's fellows, especially when they are far from home. This is not the same as giving out all your worldly possessions to anyone who comes by a begging. It is the concept of sharing, which is reciprocated by all Trú folk when they have you as a guest in their homes. It is important to establish and reaffirm the bonds of friendship, and kinship that Hospitality is observed. Industriousness is the willingness to work hard, always striving for efficiency, as a joyous activity in itself. It is vital that we work hard at what we seek to achieve, for without consistent and well-directed effort, our goals will not be reached. But it does not mean that we should work all the time, indeed one should be industrious in ones leisure pursuits as well, and avoid the concept of making work for the sake of having work to do. Self Reliance is the spirit of independence, which is achieved not only for the individual, but also for the family, clan, tribe and nation. It is not a concept of denying ones interconnectedness with others, but of ensuring that one can take care of oneself first, then ones family and loved ones, then the extended family (clan), the tribe (ones local grouping) and the nation (all Trú folk no matter where they reside). By being self-reliant we can then share what we have with others and fulfil the duty of Hospitality, the entire better.

Thus by living in accordance with the Nine Noble Virtues, in pursuance of the Six-fold Goal, in a Trú relationship with our Gods and Goddesses we better the world we live in. The world is not a place of sufferance where we need to spend time coming to know suffering so we may transcend the world when we pass on, the world is a place for living, of both pleasures and pains. These come as part of being human, and whilst we may ask the Gods and Goddesses for their aid, we primarily look to ourselves to work on the needs that we have, if the Gods and Goddesses, as our friends and patrons aid us then we accelerate the work that we are already undertaking.

Just as with most traditions, there are tales, and stories of our Gods and Goddesses and heroes of our Folk. The tales of our Gods and Goddesses, which describe the formation of the world, the beginnings of things, and the way the world is, are not a literal truth by any stretch of the imagination. They are a means of bringing across vital truths to the Folk in a way most Folk will find intelligible. The tales one finds in the texts of our tradition are not infallible, word for word depictions of how things should be. They give us pointers, and have no doubt, are vital to our understanding of the Folkway, but they are not some textual straightjacket, into which we must fit our lives. We recognise the importance of our tales to our understanding of where we have come from, and the need to bring these ideas and ideals forward into our modern lives, but are also aware that our lives in the modern world are different and that we must change and adapt to the world around us, as it presents itself, always mindful of the lessons of our forebears. In this way they are truths given to us in a way that we can initially learn them and comprehend them. As we learn more about ourselves and our Gods and Goddesses the underlying facts become apparent that exist within the myths. By learning the lore of our ancestors we come to know our Gods and Goddesses better, so that when we come to speak with them, we can relate to them better. We hold formal rites at various times of the year, and may hold rites when we feel appropriate to certain Gods and/or Goddesses. Often a relationship is built up with certain Gods and Goddesses more than others, and just as friendships develop, so too does our relationship with the Gods and Goddesses whom we speak with, and hold rites for. What is interesting is the concept that some hold that as a nature religion we worship the trees, and rocks, the sun and the moon. This is in some ways correct but in others incorrect. The natural environs reminds us of certain aspects of the Gods and Goddesses, hence we attune ourselves to the natural world about us, but we do not worship trees, rocks etc. Yes, the sun is seen as a Goddess, Sunna, but Sunna is an expression of the energy found in the sun, much in the same way as the Moon is seen as a God, Mani, who is an expression of the energy found within the moon. The fact that Gods and Goddesses can have energistic expressions of their natures is a natural part of the link between the natural world and the Gods and Goddesses.

Some may have heard of things called Runes. How these relate to Ásatrú is an interesting concept. Runes are both magical symbols as well as text symbols used for writing purposes. The two facets definitely cross over and hence it is important to keep in mind that when referred to one cannot just ignore one element in favour of the other. As far as their relationship to Ásatrú, the Runes are as much an element of Ásatrú as any Folk magical system is a part of any Folkway. It is an element of, and an adjunct to Ásatrú. One needn't know or use the Runes to be Ásatrú, but likewise, one cannot ignore them. The same is true for the obverse; one cannot know or use the Runes without understanding Ásatrú. The two are closely intertwined, and to deny one or the other, denies the integrated whole.

Lastly I will address Ásatrú today. You will discover that Ásatrú is made up of many practitioners who have differing ideas on just what Ásatrú is. Quite contrary to what one may think, this is a vital part of Ásatrú. The ability for folk of like minds to gravitate towards each other, whilst still being part of an overall whole is of vital importance, as we as individuals will better associate with folk of similar thoughts and temperaments to those of our own. In Ásatrú there are no overlords. Whilst we may have people who lead Ásatrú organisations, this is usually because they start groups or because they are doers, and people naturally come to accept their leadership, those who try to dictate positions on Ásatrú are usually ignored by the community at large.

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