[[pagan:asatru]]

Asatru

Asatru is one of the most widely used terms for Germanic neopagan and reconstruction practice in the United States. It first became popular in the 1970s and has continued to grow, resulting in one of the most organized and widespread recon-oriented pagan religions in the US. Adherents may vary in what periods of historical belief they draw on - some work primarily with the Eddas, collections of mythology written in Iceland in the 13th century, others work to recreate the beliefs of the Viking era, and still others used the term to refer to broader Germanic practice. It sometimes overlaps with Anglo-Saxon paganism as well.

The word 'Asatru' means 'true to the Aesir' or 'faith in the Aesir'. The Aesir are the more prominent of the two groups of Norse gods, the other group being the Vanir. Asatruar often venerate members of both groups. Aesir are generally said to live in Asgard, the highest of the nine worlds in popular Norse cosmology. These nine worlds are connected by, or sometimes set within the branches of, a large world tree referred to as Yggdrasil.

Popular deities among Asatruar include:

  • Odin
  • Frigga
  • Tyr
  • Thor
  • Freya
  • Frey

More Information:

  • pagan/asatru.txt
  • Last modified: 2019/08/05 08:42
  • by RandallS