What is Asatru?
Also called, the " Religion of the Vikings ", it is a belief in European neo-paganism .
It is not Christianity, Buddhism or any other known religion. Indeed, Asatrù is quite mysterious, although increasingly popular. The objective being to revive the religious practice of the Germanic religion .
This religion draws its sources from very ancient Viking poems . We find, for example, the Völuspá, the Hávamál, the Poetic Edda and again the Edda of Snorri. All these stories tell us about Norse mythology , gods, beliefs, values and everything that can constitute the foundations of a religion.
The symbols of Asatrù are the Valknut , also called the Heart of Hrungnir or the Odinic Cross. We also find the Vegvisir and the Mjolnir as a symbol of importance.
Etymology of the word Asatrù
It would come from modern Icelandic . The word "Asatrù" means "Faith in the Ases", the Viking gods of the world of Asgard. The word is composed of "Ass" which refers to Ases and "Tru" which refers to faith and belief.
We can oppose this with the Vanatrù which, you guessed it, this time refers to the Vanes gods .
Asatrù is an ethnic religion which draws its sources from before the great monotheistic religions that we know.
> Join our Facebook group of Asatruars
History of the Viking Religion
The oldest traces of this religion date back to 3000 BC . It was in 829 that Harald 1st, King of Denmark at the time, pronounced " Forn Siðr " as the official religion. The Forn Siðr is translated as "the ancient practice". In other words, it is the ancestor of Asatrù .
In 1164 , this practice will be considered as folklore and no longer as a particular cult.
It was not until the 19th century that this religion was rediscovered via artistic works such as, for example, in Wagner's composition , " The Ride of the Valkyries ".
In 1974 , Icelandic Sveinbjörn Beinteinsson officially founded the Asatrù religion.
Today, the number of members is estimated at 9 million worldwide (mainly in Scandinavia and the United States). They are called the " Asatruars ".
The Practical Guide to Asatrù
If you clicked on this article, it is mainly to know the foundations of this polytheistic Viking religion .
Note that the Asatuars do not distinguish between good and evil . Indeed, these notions are according to them to be taken in a context and therefore cannot be written as dogmas or as Christianity would do for example.
On the contrary, we will rather distinguish between Order and Chaos which are the two forces that govern the Nordic universe. Entrance to Valhalla (the Vikings' paradise) will be for those who are worthy and not necessarily those who are good and pure.
Here, then, is the red thread that makes up this religion.
The 9 Beliefs
Among the Asatruars, there are nine important beliefs, all of which have their source in Norse mythology. Here is the list of these :
- Belief in the Gods Ases
- Beliefs in Invisible Beings : Elves, Dwarfs, Valkyries, Jötunns,...
- Respect for Sacred Animals : Wolves, Crows, Wild Boars
- Belief in the 9 Viking Worlds and the Yggdrasil Tree
- Practice of Ancestor Worship
- Runic Study and Writing
- Belief in Sacred Symbols (stated above)
- Belief in a fusional Man-God relationship
- Belief in the power of the Nordic languages : Icelandic, Danish, Swedish, Old Norse (however, it is not necessary to know them to integrate the religion)
The 9 Virtues
In order to fully live religion, it offers us nine values to follow. The goal is not to apply them to the letter. Asatrù is above all a free religion . These are values to strive for and be inspired by.
- Courage
- The Truth
- Honor
- Loyalty
- Discipline
- Hospitality
- Self-confidence
- Vigor
- Perseverance
The 9 Vices
- Weakness
- Cowardice
- Guilt
- Shame
- Enslavement
- Alienation
- Dogmatism
- Sloth
- Universalism
The gods among the Asatruars
In this religion, the gods of the Norse pantheon are not considered superior beings. Above all, they are friends and companions who help us throughout our lives.
In addition, it is one of the few religions to promote equality between men and women . Indeed, the Asatuars attach importance to finding goddesses in the Viking pantheon.
To pray to the gods , it happens very differently from other religions. It is not about asking for forgiveness in the form of dogmatic prayers. But rather to honor the gods through rituals or meditation .
The Community today
The Viking religion today has many members throughout the world. Here is the list of countries that recognize this religion as official:
- Iceland
- Scandinavia
- Denmark
- Germany
- United Kingdom
- France
- UNITED STATES
- Spain
- China
- New Zealand
- Australia
- Canada
What are the benefits of Asatrù?
- The values of community and fraternity are very present.
- The importance of ancestors and family .
- Very open to the world and freedom . No need to have Scandinavian ancestors to convert to this religion.
- A love of nature put forward. It is a religion based on social and environmental ecology.
What books to deepen the Asatrù?
We recommend two books :
-
Edda by Snorri translated into French by Dillmann, Edda, Gallimard 1991
-
Rudolph Simek, Dictionary of Germano-Scandinavian Mythology , Ed. du Porte-Glaive, 1996
What is the difference between Odinism and Asatrù?
This is a question often asked. In reality, the line is very fine.
- Concerning Odinism, we speak more of a faith in Odin .
- Regarding Asatrù, this time we are talking about faith in all the Ases gods .
For people wishing to go further, we have created a Facebook group dedicated to the Viking community and people interested in Asatru. You're ost welcome!
20 comments
Bonsoir, je m’appelle Thaïs, tous d’abord il faut savoir que je suis jeune, j’ai 14ans j’ai lu un ou deux livre dont votre religion apparaît dedans et je les trouver fascinante! Vos dieux, vos valeurs, je trouve tout sa incroyable, j’ai donc effectuer mes recherche sur cette religion.
sur des pages Wikipédia, j’en ai même regarder des vidéos qui expliquer a peut près comment votre religions fonctionnée. Plus les jours passe plus je trouve votre religions incroyable, et j’aimerai bien faire partit des Asatru s’il vous plait. car a force de me renseigner regarder des vidéos, prendre des notes etc… Je commence réellement a y croire! petit probleme je n’est pas face book ni Instagram… Je me demandai alors si il y’avait un autre moyens de vous contactez? Enfin bon, Milles mercis de nous faire découvrir et de faire en sorte que l’on en apprenne plus sur cette magnifique religion !! Bonne soirée a vous et encore mille merci
Bonjour je voulais vous demander où trouver un gothar
Bonjour je voudrais savoir comment devenir asatru?
Bonjour il y a longtemps que j ai voulu rejoindre la religion Astrù mais j ai jamais su comment faire et j ai toujours adoré la vie des vikings vénère les dieux et en savoir plus sur leurs vies ce qui m’a fait venir et adorer c’est la série viking voilà donc j aimerai savoir comment vous rejoindre merci
Bonjour je suis asatru article assez clair même si il manque un peut de certaine chose. sachez car j’ai lu des commentaire,il n’y a pas de dogme chez nous donc un baptêmes qu’ont appel un tob en discutant avec un gothar (équivalent d’un prêtre) vous pouvez l’organiser avec lui vous êtes libres personnellement j’ai mi mon bracelet sacré je me suis fait une plaie sur la main pour faire couler mon sang sur le bracelet et j’ai jurer fidélité et amour à mes dieux préférer car vous êtes libre d’aimer les aesir van géant que vous voulez moi personnellement c’est odin thor freyja les nornes freyr Tyr baldr bragi et je commence à avoir un faible pour vidar après le mariage c’est pareille vous l’organiser avec un gothar si vous voulez une première vrai connection je vous conseil sur Facebook ou autre réseaux sociaux de vous approcher de l’association asatru sérieuse en France "les enfants d’yggdrasil