Asatru: The Old New Religion

Asatru is a religion rooted in history and relevant for the modern age. Revived after a nearly one-thousand year long sleep, our faith represents an outlook and a way of life whose time has come again.

If truth and honor matter to you, if freedom and responsibility are your friends, Asatru might be for you. If you sense that life as a human being can, and should, be a great and glorious thing, Asatru might be for you. If you love this world and seek to live in it fully, Asatru might be for you.

Would you know more...?

There are some old stories out of Northern Europe. These myths, eddas, and sagas form the roots of our culture and our way of thinking. They describe an outlook that faces life squarely, ready to take on its challenges and savor its joys. Those who hear them now often hear much more than just the words. It is from these roots that the tree of Asatru is reborn in the modern world. Only a few decades ago, a few brave people in Iceland and, later, the rest of the world, stood up and said "Yes, I know these tales. Yes, this is what I am!"

Since then, many people across the world have joined our ranks.

Asatru is not for everyone, and, unlike some religions, we won't try to tell you that you're wrong, or that there's something wrong with you, if it isn't for you. But many people have been surprised at what they learned, or learned they always knew, when they discovered Astatru. Even if you don't consider yourself spiritual or religious, this might be what you're looking for.

Would you know more...?

What does it mean to be Asatru? We talk first about things that other religions get around to later. Things like hospitality and family, truth and honor, courage and strength, fidelity and discipline, industriousness, self-reliance, and reciprocity, among others. Our gods and goddesses teach us these moral principles through their myths, and we learn them directly from our ancestors. What about the supernatural? That comes easily to some people, and doesn't work at all for others, with many variations in between. All of these find a place here.

Asatru is the formal, modern name for our religion. Historically, we were called heathens, and we use that name, too, among others. We revere our ancestors. We know and honor the rich pantheon of gods and goddesses of Northern Europe, whom we recognize as our leaders and our Eldest Kin, and their contributions to our lives. Different heathens practice their religious Knowing and Honoring in different ways. The Troth is an organization that embraces these differences, providing a place for all heathens to know each other and share what we have in common.

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