Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Keathley
Governot Colonel, MSHP
MIAC Bulletin
Asatru-Odinisnr
a7-1 9-O7
Historical Asatri-Odinism
Asatri derives from the Old Norse words Asa (gods) and lr!
(failh). The term was firsl used in a modern contexl in a 1gth
cenl!ry opera, many o{ whjch ai the time (including Wagnefs
Ring of the Nibelung, ol "Bide of the valkyries" lamelot Thor's Ilammer
ADocalvDse NowIansJ
Apocalypse Drid that was pad ot Victorian Bomanticism.
Nowlans.) evoked a sense of historical pride
A polytheistic religion, Germanic paganism maintained a pantheon ol lour major gods and an assorlmenl
ol iesser oods. As with other pre-Cbrislian European religions, their rituals centered on sacrifice lmosl of'
tef animal, bul sometimes human as well). The view of the afterlile, as with many olher aspects of the re_
ligion in its original iorm, was not wellJormed, with no consistenl belieis on what took place after death
The spread of Christianity in the iate Foman perjod and the early lMiddle Ages gradually supplanted the
naiive peopje's original beliefs, as kings and their sublects turned to the newer religjon.
Neopaganish
Whiie the term was mentioned in the 1 gth century, Odinism as a modern religious movement began in the
1 930s. Australiaf Alexander Budd Mills wrole a series of books in the 1 930s relaled to Odinism and ihe
'Church o{ Odin,' the most prominenl ol which was "The Call ol Our Ancienl Nordic Beligion."! ln 1973 a
cenlralized group of Odinists was iormed in England. Known firsl as the Commit-
1ee 10r the Resloration of the Odinic Rite (Odjnlsl Commillee for short), the group
disbanded in 1979 and reJormed as The Odinic Rite.3
Since that time, small groups of Asatrli adherenls have sprung up around the
world, predominately in Scandinavian co!nfies, bu1 with several groups located in
the United Slales as well. Some of these groups have tormed associalions wilh each
other and meel lor the religion's higher holy days. Groups in the Uniled States in-
ffi
clude the Asatr, Folk Assembly, the Asafu Aljiance, The Troth, and the lrminsul Af
tir.
Practices
Modern Asatr, possesses more structure than its ancient predecessor even though
there are few texts that provide any iniormation on ancienl riles and riluals.
Odin Ood oJ maqic, poetry, riches, and the dead; ruler 0t VaJhalla
Thor sky god who wieJds a hammer, controls the weather, and protects the law and community
Freyr lerlility god seen as the io!nder of lhe Swedish royal dynasty
F rcy)a lertility goddess ol love and beauly, Odin's wife and patron ol tamjlies
Additionally, Asatr! proiesses dedication to a moral code known as the Nine Noble Virtues: Courage,
Truth, Honor, Fidelity, Discipline, Hospitality, lnduslriousness, SeJJ-reliance, and Perseverance. Aiso,
rites are practiced ai the times of the summer and winter solstice and the sprjng and lall equinox.a
The alterlife described by Asatni consists oi a heaveniy paradise of Valhalla tor those who die in battle, a
s
peaceJ!l place knowr as Hel lor most, and a hellish iate in Hifhel lor the most wicked
Lane ostensibly chose Wotanism as the name tor his religiot because it
was the iorm used in central Europe, as opposed to Odinism in Scandina'
via. Additionally, "Wo1an" appealed 10 Lane because o{ its value as an ac
ronym, to stand for "lryill 9l f he Aryan Nation." Lane viewed other mod'
em'day Germanjc paqans as nothing more than "game players, deceivers
and universalists who had usurDed the name Odin."/
Several times in his writings Lane lakes lo task J!deo_Christians and neo-pagans for associating God
with love. As Lane states it:
The iact is, lhe Creator made lions to eat lambs, wolves to eal tawns, hawks to eat sparrows,
and the races ol men to tight ior life, women, tood, tetrjlory and power. There is no love iove
lovel! There is j!st law lai lawll Harsh, somelimes cruel, but still divine lawlls
Lane's views on religion and race, embodied in Wotanrsm, are perhaps besl summed up by anolher
slalement oi Lane's. "Nature and nalure's laws are the work oi the Creator," Lane wote. "Thereiore na'
ture's laws are God's iaws. And the iirsl and highesl law oi nature is lhe preservation of one's own kind."
The original Thule (pronounced "Two-Lee") Society was a German occultist society thal served as one 01
the parenl organizations tor Hiiier's Naz pady. Thule was the Greek name lor a my{hical nodbern coun'
try. The modern-day White Order oi Thule has its basis in white supremacist belieis with the additional
lrappings ol Odinism. Members 01 the White Order ol Thule have shown supporl for members of The O[
der. ln 2002 a member oi ihe Whiie Order of Thule, Leo Felton, was convicted oi plolting to blow up
landmarks ,n Boston in the hopes of siading a race war.e
Y@RT$
Life Rune odin Rune odin Rune (variationr
,oJJ:l;:;,", ,#lf:::i:
ward otf wolves,
also used bY SS)