Asatru

Asatru (Icelandic: Ásatrú) is a religion which involves the worship of ancient Germanic and Vikings Scandinavia spirits and gods. It got its official legal establishment in the 1970s in Iceland by the efforts of Sveinbjörn Beinteinsson and other Icelanders who had rejected Christianity and had been performing "Launblót" (secret offering) to the old pre-Christian Nordic gods and goddesses, a practice that has been known in Iceland since "Kristnitaka" (Christianization of Iceland). The name comes from two words in a language called Old Norse. It means "faith in the Æsir." The Æsir are the Germanic and Vikings gods.

Ásatrú followers in Iceland.

A person who practices Asatru is called an Asatruar, and is sometimes referred to as a Heathen. Sometimes Asatru is also called Wodanism, Wotanism or Germanic paganism.

Common books that describe the knowledge in depth include the Sagas and the Eddas.

In the US, Asatru believer parents don't let their newborn baby boys be circumcised, as it is standard in the USA

Gods and Goddesses

Asatru is a polytheistic religion in which various goddesses and gods are worshipped. The most prominent are Thor, Odin, Freyja, Frigg, Freyr, Tyr, Loki, and Heimdall.

Festivals

Major holidays revolve around the changing seasons with Yule being the most important. It is celebrated in late December and continues for twelve days. Holidays also vary greatly between different groups.

Festival	Date
Disting	First new moon in February
Ostara	21st of March
Walpurgis Night	30th of April to 1st of May
Midsummer	21st of June
Freyfest	21st of August
Fallfeast	21st of September
Harvestfeast	31st of October
Yule	19th of December to 1st of January

Other websites

• Asatru (German/English)