Introduction

Hi all, I'm new. I have been practicing Asatru for about three years or so. Before that I was mostly agnostic. I look forward to some interesting discussions.

Welcome to the forums!

What attracted you to Asatru? Are you of Nordic ancestry? Do you believe in symbolical Asatru or actual Asatru? Who is your favorite God?

Lots of questions, hehe.

Welcome to the RF JohnG

Hello and welcome to the forum!

Welcome to the forums!

Welcome to RF!

Hello and welcome.

Thanks for the warm welcome everyone!

mycorrhiza said:

What attracted you to Asatru? Are you of Nordic ancestry?

Click to expand...

That's a long story, I had no idea that anyone worshipped the old norse gods, let alone that the old norse religion was so similar to the religion of much of pre-christian Europe. In school, we were taught about the Greek and Roman religions, but not much about European religion at all.
I was reading about Odin and Ragnarok one day and I thought to myself, "Now, that is a god that deserves to be worshipped!" Not because he is a tough guy or because I was all filled with machismo or anything, but because he is told he is going to die in battle, but still fights for what he believes in. That's admirable. I don't really know how to describe what I felt when I made that statement to myself without sounding like Pat Robertson when he says God talks to him. I didn't get a vision or hear voices, I just got the weird sensation that I was being welcomed home. I wish I could explain that further, but I can't. Anyhow, it was the first thing I had ever had even resembling a spiritual experience and I thought I must be crazy! I had no idea that anyone worshipped the old gods, and I'm not a Viking, why would I be feeling like that at the thought of worshipping Odin? It was powerful enough that I went to the internet immediately looking up modern worship of Odin, expecting full well to be the first person to have any interest in it. Imagine my surprise when I found the Asatru Folk Assembly website, especially their tagline "it's about coming home." It was then that I learned the norse gods had anglo-saxon analogues, Odin-Wotan, Thor-Thunar.
Not being nordic in descent (at least I don't think I am) I may be would have had a better "fit" with fyrnsidu or theodism. But I don't think the names by which we call the gods or the specifics of the stories which we use to relate their tales is particularly important. Those stories were likely different for everyone that told them. And the norse versions have been the most preserved and available for study.

mycorrhiza said:

Do you believe in symbolical Asatru or actual Asatru?

Click to expand...

I'm not sure what you are asking here, but I'll try to answer anyway. I know some people are atheist and still identify as heathen. They see the gods as Jungian archetypes. I really don't have a problem with that viewpoint, and I think that most of the time when I am talking to them, that is the exact relationship that is going on. For example, my father has been dead for a decade. But if I still need his advice on something, all I have to do is ask. His answer doesn't come from his spirit who magically appears in my room, it comes from within my own heart; from my knowledge of him and his viewpoints and opinions on things.

I think most interactions with the gods and goddesses are very much the same concept. Although, I do think that they are real. Not only because of the initial spiritual experience that led me to this religion, but because when I do a proper blot or otherwise actually call for their presence instead of just talking at them, I feel like I am being listened to, I feel their presence. I never felt that when growing up Christian. Also, I'm often a bit shocked when I actually do feel their presence and the feelings that I get from talking to them differ from what I expect. It's not like playing with a ouija board, where it either says gibberish or it says exactly what you expect it to say. Once again, I'm not saying that the gods "talk" to me, I just don't really know how to explain the experience. It's like if you have two friends, and they both make you laugh. The "feeling" of laughter is different with each of the two friends, due to differences in their humor types or the closeness of your relationship, or whatever. Before discovering Asatru, and had never really looked at our relationship with humans as being quite that complex. But the subtle nuances of emotion are really key, imho, to the experience of talking with the gods or goddesses.

mycorrhiza said:

Who is your favorite God

Click to expand...

I don't know that I have a favorite in any meaningful sense of the word. It really depends on the situation. Thor/Thunar was the first one that I talked to (I don't like the word pray, I don't think it describes the relationship that humans have with pagan gods very well), and as I said, it was the first time I felt that I was being listened to by a deity, so he is very important to me.
Tyr is one that completely surprised me and was very different that what I expected of him. Whether he is mere archetype or god, I think the perspective that talking to him provides is fantastic.

Sif is equally important to me. Most of the time, when I need to be calmed down, or on rarer occasions reassured, I can just think of her and feel better. Other times I actually need to ask for her presence and have a more detailed conversation with her. But in the end she never fails to get me back in a more positive emotional state.

Odin, Frey, Freya, are all important as well. I don't want to ramble on about why each and every god and goddess means something to me, but like I said, it really just depends on the situation.

Like I said, all of these "conversations" can be described as archetypes at work, just as when I talk to my father I am really just talking to myself. I don't hear them talking, or get magical visions, or anything else that I could use to argue atheists with. It doesn't offend me if anyone feels that that is all the gods are. I just happen to feel a more spiritual connection to them that makes me think they are real. Hopefully that answers your question.

Oh, and as an aside note, I don't mean to belittle my own faith in the gods by saying "think they are real". I've heard many theists say, "if you don't KNOW that God is real, you don't have faith." Well, faith and fact are two completely different things. Until one of the gods comes up to me and performs some miraculous god-like feat in front of me, I have faith that they are real, not knowledge.

JohnG said:

Thanks for the warm welcome everyone!

That's a long story, I had no idea that anyone worshipped the old norse gods, let alone that the old norse religion was so similar to the religion of much of pre-christian Europe. In school, we were taught about the Greek and Roman religions, but not much about European religion at all.
I was reading about Odin and Ragnarok one day and I thought to myself, "Now, that is a god that deserves to be worshipped!" Not because he is a tough guy or because I was all filled with machismo or anything, but because he is told he is going to die in battle, but still fights for what he believes in. That's admirable. I don't really know how to describe what I felt when I made that statement to myself without sounding like Pat Robertson when he says God talks to him. I didn't get a vision or hear voices, I just got the weird sensation that I was being welcomed home. I wish I could explain that further, but I can't. Anyhow, it was the first thing I had ever had even resembling a spiritual experience and I thought I must be crazy! I had no idea that anyone worshipped the old gods, and I'm not a Viking, why would I be feeling like that at the thought of worshipping Odin? It was powerful enough that I went to the internet immediately looking up modern worship of Odin, expecting full well to be the first person to have any interest in it. Imagine my surprise when I found the Asatru Folk Assembly website, especially their tagline "it's about coming home." It was then that I learned the norse gods had anglo-saxon analogues, Odin-Wotan, Thor-Thunar.
Not being nordic in descent (at least I don't think I am) I may be would have had a better "fit" with fyrnsidu or theodism. But I don't think the names by which we call the gods or the specifics of the stories which we use to relate their tales is particularly important. Those stories were likely different for everyone that told them. And the norse versions have been the most preserved and available for study.

I'm not sure what you are asking here, but I'll try to answer anyway. I know some people are atheist and still identify as heathen. They see the gods as Jungian archetypes. I really don't have a problem with that viewpoint, and I think that most of the time when I am talking to them, that is the exact relationship that is going on. For example, my father has been dead for a decade. But if I still need his advice on something, all I have to do is ask. His answer doesn't come from his spirit who magically appears in my room, it comes from within my own heart; from my knowledge of him and his viewpoints and opinions on things.

I think most interactions with the gods and goddesses are very much the same concept. Although, I do think that they are real. Not only because of the initial spiritual experience that led me to this religion, but because when I do a proper blot or otherwise actually call for their presence instead of just talking at them, I feel like I am being listened to, I feel their presence. I never felt that when growing up Christian. Also, I'm often a bit shocked when I actually do feel their presence and the feelings that I get from talking to them differ from what I expect. It's not like playing with a ouija board, where it either says gibberish or it says exactly what you expect it to say. Once again, I'm not saying that the gods "talk" to me, I just don't really know how to explain the experience. It's like if you have two friends, and they both make you laugh. The "feeling" of laughter is different with each of the two friends, due to differences in their humor types or the closeness of your relationship, or whatever. Before discovering Asatru, and had never really looked at our relationship with humans as being quite that complex. But the subtle nuances of emotion are really key, imho, to the experience of talking with the gods or goddesses.

I don't know that I have a favorite in any meaningful sense of the word. It really depends on the situation. Thor/Thunar was the first one that I talked to (I don't like the word pray, I don't think it describes the relationship that humans have with pagan gods very well), and as I said, it was the first time I felt that I was being listened to by a deity, so he is very important to me.
Tyr is one that completely surprised me and was very different that what I expected of him. Whether he is mere archetype or god, I think the perspective that talking to him provides is fantastic.

Sif is equally important to me. Most of the time, when I need to be calmed down, or on rarer occasions reassured, I can just think of her and feel better. Other times I actually need to ask for her presence and have a more detailed conversation with her. But in the end she never fails to get me back in a more positive emotional state.

Odin, Frey, Freya, are all important as well. I don't want to ramble on about why each and every god and goddess means something to me, but like I said, it really just depends on the situation.

Like I said, all of these "conversations" can be described as archetypes at work, just as when I talk to my father I am really just talking to myself. I don't hear them talking, or get magical visions, or anything else that I could use to argue atheists with. It doesn't offend me if anyone feels that that is all the gods are. I just happen to feel a more spiritual connection to them that makes me think they are real. Hopefully that answers your question.

Oh, and as an aside note, I don't mean to belittle my own faith in the gods by saying "think they are real". I've heard many theists say, "if you don't KNOW that God is real, you don't have faith." Well, faith and fact are two completely different things. Until one of the gods comes up to me and performs some miraculous god-like feat in front of me, I have faith that they are real, not knowledge.

Click to expand...

Thank you for explaining! It was a very interesting read.

For me as a Swede, it's nice to see someone follow the Gods of old. It's a religion wide a very rich mythology and a quite diverse spectrum of belief, so it's nice to see it be kept alive.
The religion is far from dead here in the Nordic countries. If I recall correctly, we have two asatru "churches" that are recognized by the state here in Sweden and the biggest non-Christian "church" on Iceland is an Asatru church.

Yes it is a religion with a rich mythology and diverse spectrum of belief, but thankfully those diverse beliefs aren't dogma based so their isn't a whole lot of infighting that I have seen. Save for maybe the folkish vs universalist views. Even then mostly people just agree to disagree.
I knew that Iceland had a big Asatru church, but didn't realize that it was second only to Christianity. That is exciting to know. Iceland held on to the old ways longer than (almost?) anyone else, so it doesn't surprise me that the religion is doing well over there, where the stories never died out.

Hello and welcome to RF John.

Greetings!

I just found out that you lean libertarian.
One of us....one of us....one of us....

Welcome JohnG, and thank you very much for your story. This is the kind of account I love to hear; your actual experience, not couched in mystic description. Though not a follower of Asatru, I certainly think your description of your experience is very similar to my own experience of deity/spirit.

Revoltingest said:

I just found out that you lean libertarian.
One of us....one of us....one of us....

Click to expand...

Yes, I also love bacon, which I believe I've read you talk about a few times. Have you heard of Rogue brewing company's Bacon Maple Ale? It's made with real bacon. I have to try some of that one day.

beenherebeforeagain said:

Welcome JohnG, and thank you very much for your story. This is the kind of account I love to hear; your actual experience, not couched in mystic description. Though not a follower of Asatru, I certainly think your description of your experience is very similar to my own experience of deity/spirit.

Click to expand...

No problem, that's exactly the type of thing I joined here to discuss so I don't mind sharing at all.