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History of Ásatrú in Australia - by Rurik Grimnisson & Dirk Schmitt

This article is a compiled account, from various sources and resources which has come into being in calendar year 2003 to create a renewal in the patterns and processes of folk who are Asatru, particularly in Australia. Many prominent Australian Asafolk from around the country have assisted with providing specific information where such has been needed and nto available directly to the authors.

The fact of the matter is that this document will morph and change as new information comes to light. It is a living work, in as much as Asatru is a living tradition, and history is being made every day. Building is the name of the game, and this, we hope is but one way, to bring folk together in frith and troth to integrate the learnings that take place as we live and experience history as it takes place.

Let us first provide a point of reference for you our reader. We should all understand the term History, as we have met with it in many different contexts in the past, and should probably know what we are dealing with. But what we must do for you, our reader, is to give you some idea of what we mean by the term Asatru and how it impacts on this article. Asatru in the
form we are using it, encompasses a wide variety of belief structures, which adhere to a belief in the gods and goddesses of the northern tradition, which may include, Asatru, Vanatru, Anglo Saxon belief forms, Germanic belief forms, Odinist, etc. The word Odinism was first used in 1848 by the writer O. Brownson, who wrote of "A revival of Odinism, or the old Scandinavian heathenism. The word Asatru is Icelandic of origin, and is first seen in 1885 in an article in the periodical "Fjallkonan". The next recorded instance is in "Heiðinn siður á Íslandi" by Ólafur Briem (Reykjavík, 1945).

We are perhaps in a situation where we cannot give a clear identifying point in time to when the first person who was Asatru landed on Australian shores. But there must have been someone who was first, and whilst it would be nice to know this, we don't think that there is much of value to be known by this fact, except to indicate an exact date when Asatru first arrived. Perhaps we might find out through some resource in the future, or perhaps not. It will certainly be something to keep an eye out for.

The first historically recorded, and quite significant person in the history of Asatru within Australia was Alexander Rud Mills who was born in Australia in 1885 and died in 1964. Rud, educated at Melbourne University, went on to become a solicitor and, which seems rather appropriate for an Odinist, a poet. In fact Rud was not just a poet, but also quite a writer, who in 1933 published the work "Hael! Odin!". This work was not however published under his own name, but under the pen name of Tasman Forth, and one can consider, that given the period, this was quite an intelligent thing to do, especially in what was then, a very Christian
country. He also published a work on Christian ethics within politics entitled "And Fear Shall be in the Way", and the work "The Call of our Ancient Nordic Religion". For anyone who is interested in such works, they can be a pain to find, but some of the larger University Libraries, and probably the National Library and State Libraries should have copies of these works.

Rud was no slouch when it came to promoting Asatru as it then was and created an Odinist church, named the "Anglecyn Church of Odin". Looking at the name it seems a very cunning construct, as much of Australia was Anglican Chrisitian, and an organisation with the name Anglecyn would probably not come under too much scrutiny by the average person.
Unfortunately for Rud, this was not to be the case thanks to the implementation of the "National Security Act" which came into being at the start of the Second World War. This Act was designed to give the government executive powers, which in essence allowed the government to do as it pleased. Roll on 1942, and Rud became a German sympathyser, simply because of his belief in Odinism, and was interred without ever being charged. Naturally, there was more to it than that, with him also being involved with the Australian political scene of the era, and so in reality we can say that his belief in Odinism was just the excuse needed to lock him up, however such is beyond the scope of this work, but probably of interest to anyone who likes to read about political history (An article dealing with this can be found on the Links page under the Category of History). But by the end of 1942, he was released, thanks to the fact that there was no evidence against him.

Unfortunately, many who had been interested in Odinism decided the water was too hot for them and so drifted away. The "Anglecyn Church of Odin" dissolved of its' own accord, and in a sense moved underground. Whilst the organisation was no longer, the folk of the organisation, lived on. It was probably the 1960's, a period in which massive social change took place, gave the first signals that Odinism and Asatru could be considered once again by folk to some degree and not having to be quite so careful thanks to this process of social change.

Around 1970, some University Students who wanted to revive Odinism, but were worried about the treatment received by Mills, Les Cahill and later, Annie Lennon, contacted a few survivors of the old "Anglecyn Church of Odin". One of the students decided to move on the issue and so wrote to the Attorney General, specifically asking if an attempt at reviving Odinism would be opposed by the government. The reply came on the 15th July 1972 "I can unhesitatingly say that there are no constitutional aspects of the matter that would in any way impede your proposal." From this date forward we have an open and continous Odinist presence in Australia. A few months later, these folk discovered "The Odinist" produced by Elsie Christensen and proceeded to promote Odinism on campus with "The Odinist" and pamphlets. From this time, Odinism largely grew by word of mouth.

1976 saw the lady who wrote to the Attorney general, travel to the UK, to be "Professed" as an Odinist by Stubba, the then leading light in Odinism in the UK. When she returned to Australia, she professed more Odinists, who in turn did the same. In Australian (and British and US) law Odinism is described as "the continuation of ... the organic spiritual beliefs and religion of the indigenous peoples of northern Europe as embodied in the Edda and as they have found expression in the wisdom and in the historical experience of these peoples.

Stephen Plowright (aka Sweyn Runestaff) founded the Southern Mark (Australia) of the Rune–Gild (R-G) in the late 1980's. An international occult organisation with the primary focus of self-actualization through the esoteric application of rune lore in Canberra, Australian Capital Territory (A.C.T). His association with his martial Arts teacher Geir Fokstuen, a Norwegian, led to the formation of the Order of the Blue Falcon (OBF) with Geir as the ‘Hoevding’ (Chieftain). The OBF is a revival of the Fokstuen family’s ‘closed’ order (historically by invitation only), which originated during the Viking Age. Its focus is self-actualization through martial discipline and the practice of integrative runic magic. Sweyn attained the rank of ‘Jarl’ within the OBF. Both groups became interwoven in membership, which led to insularity, which is not uncommon with occult organisations.

In the early 1990’s Rurik Grimnisson joined the Rune-Gild as a ‘Sibling’ and soon saw the need for an exoteric expansion or public dissemination of the religious beliefs and cultural practices of the Germanii Peoples. He intuited these foundations as being the grounding for the esoteric understanding of runelore and associated mythological metaphor. And so, time moved forward and the Australian branch of the "Ring of Troth", also known as the RoT was formed in 1993 with Rurik Grimnisson at the helm. The Rune Gild and the OBF were integral in the creation of this new expression of Asatru, for it was their support that allowed the formation of the RoT in Australia. The RoT was a great influence on the expression of Asatru within Australia in this time, and their contribution to the re-awakening and the public expression of Asatru in Australia cannot be discounted. Yet, as does happen, life moved on, and Rurik found his thoughts turning to a form of Asatru that was slowly emerging around the world, with emphasis not so much on heirarchical models, but a more traditional structural viewpoint.

In 1994, the Odinic Rite publication "Renewal" commenced publication. The immediate stimulus for this was the closing of "The Odinist" after dubious charges were levelled at Else Christensen. "Renewal" has been published ever since, and has not missed an issue to date.

And then came 1995, a year that seemed to be full of life for Asatru in Australia. In Melbourne on the 22nd November 1995, the "Odinic Rite of Australia" was officially recognised by the Australian Taxation Office, and so a new chapter was opened in the book of Odinism in Australia.

During the same year, and around the same time, "The Assembly of the Elder Troth", also known as the AET was formed out of the 'Landvættir Hearth". The AET in this guise chose as its' inspiration the society and culture of Iceland. Both Sweyn and Geir became founding members of the AET and held office on the High Rede (the AET administrative body) - AET membership spread across the nation as it organised into semi-autonomous state regions under Stewards. In 1996, the AET incorporated (under the Club’s Act) as a ‘non-profit association’.

Also in the year 1996. Leif Njordsson, a Lutheran ex-seminary student and member of the RoT, as well as founding member of the AET, decided to form the "Asatru Kindred of Australasia Incorporated' known as the AKA. The AKA was a more institutionalised form of Asatru in the model of the RoT and held over some of the conceptualities of other organised religious organisations that already exist. The prime reasoning for this form of structure was to enable folk who were not yet happy to move away from such structures as they were used to, to be able to pursue Asatru, but to maintain a formal clergy.

In 1997 Rurik was recognised as a ‘Fellow’ of the Rune-Gild (International). This occult involvement of Rurik’s enabled him to maintain an esoteric foundation for Asatru rather than work only with the process of Asatru religious beliefs.

1998 came forth, with the OBF moving away from the Rune-Gild, to change its' form to stand upon its' own feet. In Western Australia, 'Idavoll" a prominent Hearth of the AET, led by Tyrulf Asngar, the Western Australian Steward, decided to depart fom the AET to concentrate on the Anglo Saxon Traditions. Also, late in this year, inspired by the model of the "Asatru Alliance" which operates in the United States of America as an organisation that brings together many different organisations and peoples under a common banner, yet still allows individual identity and forms of operation, the AET offered to enter into a similar arrangement with the AKA. In essence it was an attempt to create some degree of unity within Australian Asatru. Also in this year, Leif Njordsson was recognised by the Australian Government as having full clergy status.

At the 1999 Rune-Gild Winter Feast, an agreement was formed and Rurik made the formal proposal for the merging of the AET and the AKA. Differences in the styles of these two organisations were still substantial, and hence within the space of a few months the agreements were declared ‘null and void’, however connections with individual members in both organisations were maintained. The same year found the completion of the OBF moving away from the Rune-Gild, and made its' first step towards a public awareness with the establishment of its ‘Outer Shield Wall’. Geir appointed Rurik as its Steward but the time wasn’t ripe for expansion because of external circumstances and it was decided that the exoteric arm of the organisation would remain in a state of suspension until the appropriate moment manifested for its reemergence. A closer working relationship between the OBF and the AET came into effect with the aim of providing complimentary support for overlapping fields of interest.

1999 also saw a wealth of activity in the AET with its' formal institutional form being relinquished due to the nature of the governments legal requirements for Incorporated Associations. At this time there was also a major re-organisation with regional "Marks" being created. The Ostmark of the AET was established under the Stewardship of Ragnar Haugspori and Sigilind Mjodhvitnir, centered around ‘Garth Al-thydha’, which served as a resource centre for Asafolk based on the Eastern Seaboard. The next two years saw a number of events run by the Garth, with able assistance from interested hearth members, in the Sydney area. On the West Coast of Australia, Lisa Scarrott (aka Swanhilde), through ‘Njord Hearth’, accepted responsibility for the West Mark, as Steward for that region. Swanhilde’s approach to promoting Asatru is through personal contact and hardcopy distribution of information rather than using internet resources.

In 2000 the Southern Mark of the R-G, under the leadership of Sweyn, severed its ties with the Rune-Gild International and re-established itself as ‘The Rune-Net’ (R-N). This secession was motivated by a need for regional independence in Australia (not dissimilar to the breakaway of the RoT when it formed the AET). At that time the direction of the Rune-Gild was towards regional and ideological isolation - resulting in a lack of material support for the Southern Mark members. All Rune-Gild members who were also members of the AET supported the secession and joined the Rune-Net although some maintained membership in both runic organisations. Also in 2001, the AET after assured American sponsorship by Eric Wood (aka Hnikar) joined the folkish organisation - ‘The International Asatru and Odinic Alliance’ (IAOA), which has the largest membership of any Northern Tradition alliance in the world. Unfortunately, the IAOA succumbed primarily to internal factional disputes amongst its American members, as well as to malicious and personal political attack on individuals. The IAOA was dissolved by its founders – Steve McNallen and Valgard Murray in 2002.

In 2001 discontent with the direction of the R-N, as being not in accord with the founding agreement to overcome the problems it had under the R-G banner, was vocalised by AET members who also belonged to the R-N. Personal relationships between Sweyn and members of the Al-thydha Garth became strained and heated public debate on the issues raised ensued. As a result it was agreed that both organisations had to maintain separate identity and direction because of their specific function and focus. Rurik, while doing his job as Steersman in presenting the case as seen by the AET, did not allow the political issues to overwhelm the situation and maintained unofficial diplomatic relations with the R-N as cross membership between the two groups still existed. This act of diplomacy was reciprocated by Sweyn and the R-N members.

2002 became a year of flux in the AET. A massive amount of turbulence upset the flow of the AET due to a number of reasons, but the primary one being the refusal of Rurik to give in to personal pressures to once more raise the ante with the leader of the R-N, Sweyn. Garth Al-thyðja decided to depart the AET, with some members following their lead, others staying, and yet others wishing to remain neutral as much as was possible. On the 22nd March 2002 the AET E-List was founded to enable communications and discussions amongst folk who were either neutral or supporting of the AET. Further movement was then generated with the AET returning to a nexus of friendship and frith in leadership, with folk being empowered to once again build the AET and Asatru in Australia free, as much as was possible, of distractions, although as is often the case, distractions often arise. Two strong, and dedicated members of the AET have risen to the challenge of aiding the AET to move forward from this time of turbulance. Dirk Schmitt based in Sydney has worked hard with Rurik to ensure the AET continues to have a strong presence in the online community as well as organising and performing workings. On the 4th of December 2002, the "Assembly of The Elder Troth" became a Company Limited by Guarantee under Australian law, and is the very first Asatru organisation in this country to take this step, and to bring full, legal recognition as a separate legal entity, to an Asatru organisation.

During the same time period there were other changes in Australian Asatru for news was received that the AKA had changed with Leif Njordsson resigning. 'Vinland Hearth', an officially recognised Hearth of the AKA chose to re-establish connections with the AET. 'Den Hearth' is also a part of the AKA. Leif retained leadership of FolkvangR Hearth, under the banner of the new organization he had formed – The Elder Way Inc., which was populated by a number of folk from the AKA. FolkvangR Hearth has the distinction along with the Landvættir Hearth of being the oldest continuous existing Hearths within Australia. During this year FolkvangR Hearth changed name to FolkvangR Kindred. Also within this time frame, Leif Njordsson also re-established contact with the AET.

Also a new Asatru presence emerged in the shape of ‘Eagle Hearth’ in Queensland. Eagle Hearth is a totally independent organisation and although non-aligned hopes to maintain friendly relations with all Northern Tradition associations and the broad neo-pagan community. During this same time period, Rurik was awarded the rank of Jarl within the OBF and GeirR renewed his involvement with the AET.

The AET and the R-N have renewed public relations and have adopted a policy of mutual aid. Cross-over membership has increased and Sweyn has renewed his membership and active involvement in the AET. Both organisations encourage communication by its members with each other and with all individuals and groups who share the philosophy of tolerance and respect for diversity.

Another entity came into being in this time frame, "The Elder Way Inc." being an organisation that not only includes Asatru, but also Celtic folk who are interested in their actual historical belief systems as well as folk interested in forms of Indo European spirituality. The organisation is co-ordinated by a council which is made up of representatives of member organisations. Their constitution has been formed in such a way to provide a bi-partisan representation of the member organisations and the council only intercedes in issues which are likly to effect all the organisations that are a party to "The Elder Way Inc.", whilst still allowing each member organisation to operate as they see fit, albeit ensuring that they meet the membership criteria. At the time of writing "The Elder Way Inc." is chaired by Paul Strong (aka Cullyn Ullrsson). Among other things, one of The Elder Way Inc Members - Lorelei Siegloff - has been appointed as the first Official "Pagan" Chaplains to a University in Australia (Flinders University).

Warm heil to all folk who have aided and assisted in the re-awakening of the Troth in all its' guises. Heil to all the Gods and Goddesses, the Folk and Ancestors and wights of weal.

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