Intro to Norse Heathenry

This module is designed to answer the question of "What is Heathenry / Norse Paganism / Ásatrú and how do I practice it?" It'll introduce you to the variety of names this spirituality is called, its origins, its divinities, and its basic structures. This module is designed to be an overview, rather than a comprehensive walkthrough. Deep-dives into certain contents are represented by links to other pages and articles.

The Old Ways come to us from the halls of time, from the Viking Age and eons earlier. They rise from the vast planes of Skåne, from the foggy mountains of Noway, and from the geothermal pools of Iceland.

In bygone ages, the Norse people told stories of their gods and heroes upon the mist-sprayed decks of viking ships and in front of the hearth-fires of cabins during long, snowy winter nights. They talked about the one-eyed wanderer Odin, who travels the globe in search of knowledge with his ravens, Huginn and Muninn. They recalled the deeds of the mighty thunder-god Thor, who slays malignant giants with a powerful hammer named Mjolnir. And of course, they never failed to mention the trickster and public nuisance named Loki, whose meddling solved as many problems as it caused.

These tales swirled in the minds of many for countless generations, but eventually faded into obscurity deep in the countrysides of Scandinavia. Now, a combination of factors have brought these stories to light once more, such as the rise of the "viking genre" of media and a general growing interest in pre-Christian beliefs and practices. As a result, we're seeing something of a renaissance of these old beliefs in the form of a spiritual movement known as Heathenism. This movement is steadily growing in popularity worldwide, especially in North America.

As an evolving spirituality, Heathenism has many different forms. Different groups have developed their own rituals, ethical codes, and ideas surrounding beliefs and practices. Because of this, any instructions you'll find about how to practice it—whether online or in a book—will reflect a specific approach, including this module.

Heathenism is a contemporary movement focused on revitalizing the pre-Christian customs, beliefs, and practices of various Northern European cultures. There are many kinds of Heathenry—including Anglo-Saxon Heathenry, Slavic Heathenry, Teutonic Heathenry, and Baltic Heathenry—but Norse Heathenry is currently the fastest-growing of these within North America.

Norse Heathenry is also known as Norse paganism, Norse polytheism, or sometimes just "Heathenry." Its official and cultural name is Ásatrú. Practices revolve around various supernatural entities of Norse mythology and Scandinavian folklore such as the Aesir, Vanir, Jötnar (giants), and others. However, actual "belief" in these things tends to vary from person to person.

Practitioners might refer to themselves as "Heathens," "Ásatrúar," "Norse Pagans," or "Norse Polytheists," though what term is used is a matter of personal preference.

While Anglophones use a wide variety of names to delineate Norse spirituality, Scandinavians use far less, and the terms ásatrú and asatro broadly refer to any array of practices, customs, and beliefs that pertain to Norse powers or to Scandinavian pre-Christian practices in general. Sometimes the word hedendom, meaning "paganism," is used, but the connotations mostly remain the same.

To reflect its global use, I shall refer to Norse Heathenry as "Ásatrú" throughout this module. The word Ásatrú means "Aesir-true" or, more elegantly, "true to the Aesir." The connotations are very specific: The word ás means "god" and indicates the type of god-begins found in Norse cosmology, while trú is a boolean-style true that simply means "not false." Therefore, someone who's "Aesir-true" is someone who acknowledges Nordic supernatural beings, as opposed to someone who does not.

The oldest parts of Ásatrú—its mythology and cosmology—come from the Norse people of Scandinavia. Despite the fact the Norse had a writing system in the form of the futhark, they never wrote anything down about their culture or beliefs. Instead, what we know about them comes from archaeological finds (runestones, burials, artifacts, viking shipwrecks, the remains of settlements, etc.), as well as place-names and second-hand accounts written by figures like Ahmad Ibn Fadlan, Yaqub Al-Tartushi, and Tacitus.

The Norse worshiped their gods for many centuries until these practices faded with the Christianization of Scandinavia around 1,000 years ago. Despite this, the gods continued to be culturally relevant, and medieval scholars recorded their myths in various texts and sagas. Chief amongst these records are the Prose Edda and the Poetic Edda, which provide detailed insight into Norse mythology and cosmology.

The Ásatrú we have today first developed in the late-19th century, inspired by the Old Ways of Scandinavia. Groups dedicated to the Norse gods, and particularly Odin, formed across Europe during this time. However, these fell under the influence of the Germanic Völkisch Movement, a grassroots white nationalist movement, which gave rise to Folkish Heathenry. This was unfortunately the first type of Heathenry introduced to North America in the 1970's, and its influence has colored the American perception of Ásatrú ever since.

However, Ásatrú isn't inherently folkish in nature. With the advent of global communications, Americans and Scandinavians have made a concentrated effort to correspond with each other so the Old Ways can be passed on properly. Per the advice of Scandinavians I've spoken to, this module aims to reflect a Scandinavian understanding of ásatrú/asatro while combining it with emerging American ways for how to practice it.

Ásatrú is different from the religions we're used to seeing, so much so that many people might define it as a spirituality rather than a religion. It has no doctrines, creeds, or dogmas, no holy books or sacred texts, no prophets or founding spiritual teachers, and no central authority presiding over it. Instead, the defining features of Ásatrú are that it's decentralized, animistic, pluralist, polytheistic, life-affirming, and orthopraxic.

Ásatrú is a decentralized religion, meaning it has no central authority or core ideology behind it. The polytheism of the Norse grew organically out of their cultures through personal, family, community, and regional customs, as well as out of the Scandinavian oral tradition, superstitions, and folklore. These all had differences to them across locations and time. Modern Ásatrú likewise has variances from person to person, group to group, and region to region. Its nature as a decentralized religion is why many Heathens say there's no "one true way" to practice it.

Ásatrú is animistic. Animism is the understanding that all things are interconnected, and that all things were, are, and will continue to be part of the same greater ecosystem. Everything both seen and unseen are shaped by one another and defined in relation to each other.

Most definitions of animism characterize it as "the belief that everything has a soul or vital essence to it," but this is somewhat of a faulty definition because it describes what animism looks like from a Christian perspective, rather than describing how it functions as a stand-alone model.

Animism runs very deeply through Ásatrú, and this paradigm significantly impacts the way we understand the nature of death, the soul, the relationship between the sacred and mundane, the relationship between mortals and gods, and our place in the world around us.

Religions are built on many philosophies. One philosophy that religions try to address is the way forces relate to one another.

Ásatrú is pluralistic. It holds that things contain multitudes, are built on numerous principles, and contain different, multiple, or even shifting truths. This stands in contrast with dualism (two principles) and monism (one principle).

Christianity and Wicca are examples of dualist religions. In Christianity, things are categorized as either "good" or "evil," and views this relation as the source of constant conflict in the world. Wicca views things as having opposites, such as the "divine masculine" and "divine feminine," and many of its practices surround acknowledging this duality.

Pantheism is an example of a monist belief. It believes everything is an expression of one thing—the Universe. The New Age concept of "Source" is similar, in that the essence of all things comes from one vital energy or spiritual origin.

Because Ásatrú is pluralist, it doesn't view people, entities, or forces as "good" or "evil," nor does it believe there's one principle force behind everything. Instead, everything is defined in relation to one another and is shaped by one another.

Polytheism is the belief in multiple gods. All forms of Heathenry are polytheistic, including Ásatrú.

The Norse deities themselves are very numerous. Some are very well-known, such as Odin, Freya, Loki, and Thor, while others are very obscure, such as Hoenir, Vidar, and Nanna. Much like the rest of Ásatrú, the Norse pantheon was never centralized—different gods experienced different levels of popularity in different places and times. A Scandinavian town by the sea may frequently venerate Njord and Aegir, while a mountain village may do the same with Skadi and Ull.

The decision to venerate deities at all, and which ones, is up to the individual. The ins and outs of venerating deities are discussed later in this module.

Ásatrú is a life-affirming religion, meaning it focuses on the quality, actualization, and fulfillment of our current lives and the relationships we have with the world around us. Practices and observances are centered upon our immediate reality, wellbeing, and lived experience.

This is different from religions that focus on transcendence, which place their attention on moving above or beyond our immediate reality. How this is done, and for what purpose, varies within each faith. Transcendent philosophies may focus on things like the ascension of the soul or obtaining a desirable afterlife. While some transcendent philosophies exist in Ásatrú, these tend to be highly circumstantial and optional. Most importantly, they aren't required in order to have a good afterlife—a good afterlife is already guaranteed with our ancestors.

Two schools of religious thought are orthodoxy ("right belief") and orthopraxy ("right action"). Religions tend to employ one, the other, or both. Ásatrú is an orthopraxic religion, meaning it places importance on actions, relations, and conduct, rather than on beliefs and doctrines. Faith, or the condition of believing in something without evidence, is not a component of Ásatrú worldview.

The orthopraxy of Ásatrú isn't strict nor is it centralized. Ásatrú is not a High-Demand Religion that imposes a specific kind of orthopraxy on practitioners, nor do practitioners need to behave a certain way or do certain things to "be a good Heathen." Instead, the "doing" of Ásatrú is a byproduct of living and abiding by your own genuine shape and character. When you hear Heathens say, "we are our deeds," this is what they mean.

Norse myths and Scandinavian folklore tell us tales about powerful, supernatural figures that permeate northern Europe's stony landscape. Many of these figures were worshiped as deities. However, what made one a deity had less to do with the "type" of being they were, and more to do with their relationship to humankind. This holds true to this day.

Many different types of beings can be found in Norse cosmology and Scandinavian folklore. Some of these play important roles in mythology while others feature prominently within the culture at large.

The Aesir are the principal family of gods found within the Norse myths. They represent the concepts of people, society, family-members, human development, and the structures of civilization. Since they represent everything to do with humanity, they're very human in character, depicted as larger-than-life versions of ourselves. They live in a settlement called Asgard.

The Vanir are another family of gods, similar to the Aesir. The Vanir represent natural phenomena that benefit the development of humankind, such as fertility, growth, gentle rains, mild temperatures, and calm seas with good winds. Early in the Norse cosmological history, they fought a war with the Aesir and reconciled with an exchange of hostages. They live in a country known as Vanaheim.

Jötnar ("yote-nar"), or giants, represent the wild forces of nature. They simultaneously personify and dwell in environments that exist beyond the boundaries of human life, such as the icy peaks of mountains, the fiery bowels of volcanoes, and the crushing depths of oceans. Giants can be friendly, neutral, or hostile towards humans depending on their disposition, and our success with giants depends on meeting their natures where they're at. The giants live in a country called Jotunheim.

Many of the Aesir are jötun or part-jötun, including Odin, Thor, Skadi, and Loki.

Other spirits mentioned in the myths include dwarves, elves, valkyries, and Norns. Certain spirits from Scandinavian folklore, such as nisse, landvættir, and trolls, also play roles within some Ásatrú practices. You can find a list of spirits here.

Some figures are especially important in Ásatrú and are frequently venerated by practitioners. Here's a list of the most popular:

Mythology represents a culture's collective understanding of the world. This knowledge is transmitted through special narratives known as myths. Myths are not the same as fictional stories, which serve as social commentary. Instead, myths are allegorical reflections of a culture's history, worldview, and concepts of metaphysics—the way people understand the underlying mechanics of reality.

Like the rest of Ásatrú, the Norse myths were decentralized. Different stories existed in different places, and the more popular ones had multiple regional variations to them. What survives today is what was written down, and likely doesn't account for everything that once existed.

The Norse myths themselves have a loose chronological order to them. They begin with a creation story involving a primordial giant and a cosmic cow, followed by a harrowing prophecy foretelling Ragnarok, the fate of the gods. In between the creation story and Ragnarok is a smattering of tales of the gods and their escapades, with Thor and Loki being major players within these.

Originally, the Norse myths were passed down via the oral tradition, potentially in different forms from what we have now. Even in Scandinavian cultures today they're as ubiquitous as fairy tales. But those outside the Nordic countries have likely never heard them before, which means we must seek them out in other ways.

What we call "Norse mythology" is mainly preserved in the Prose Edda and the Poetic Edda, two medieval Icelandic texts penned by different authors. The downside to learning from these texts is that they're very old, difficult to read, and meant for audiences already familiar with the myths. If this is your first time reading the Norse myths, I recommend starting with a culturally-informed retelling, such as the D'Aulaires' Book of Norse Myths, before reading the Eddas. You can learn more about the different translations of the Eddas and access public domain copies of them here.

Cosmology represents the way a culture conceives of the universe and its structures, such as its creation, its organization, and its eventual demise. Norse cosmology is deeply allegorical rather than literal in nature, representing the way the world feels as opposed to the way it looks.

The Norse creation myth is detailed in the Prose Edda in the chapter known as The Tricking of Gylfi. It begins with the primordial gap, ginnungagap, which is a vast void of endless potential. To the north is the fiery realm of Muspelheim—home of the fire giants and a place of immense heat—and to the south is Niflheim, a world of frost and ice. Within this gap is the Elivagar Rivers, which are eleven sulfurous rivers produced by the bubbling wellspring Hvergelmir.

The heat of Muspelheim and the frost of Niflheim swirl together to form ice along the rim of the gap, which repeatedly freezes and thaws, causing drops to drip to the bottom, where the droplets freeze again. This dripping eventually builds up into the shape of a man, a giant called Ymir. Next to him, the dripping builds up the shape of a cow, named Audumbla. From her udders spring four streams of milk, which Ymir drinks until he's full, and afterwards he lays down to sleep. As he sleeps, his feet and armpits sweat profusely, and the drops of sweat freeze to form all manner of giants and trolls, who quickly begin to reproduce.

Audumbla wanders off to find sustenance, which she gets by licking the salty blocks formed by the dripping rim. One day she licks out a man from one of these blocks. On the first day she licks out his hair, on the second day she licks out his head, and on the third day she licks out his whole body. This is Buri, and unlike the giants, he's bright and well-formed. He has a son named Bor, who takes a lovely giantess named Bestla as his wife. Together they have three sons, Odin, Vili, and Ve, who are sometimes called Odin, Hoenir, and Lodur, depending on the source.

The three sons then slay Ymir, and so much blood gushes from the giant that it sweeps all the giants and trolls out to the very edges of the rim. In this far-flung country, known as Jotunheim, they make their home, swearing to take vengeance on the gods and the world they were creating.

The blood from Ymir's wounds fills the gap to form the sea. Odin and his brothers then lift the giant's body out of the depths to make the land. From his flesh they create the soil, from his bones they make the mountains, and his teeth become all the stones and boulders of the world. They shove the frozen world of Niflheim deep into the ground, and push Muspelheim far above, barricading it behind Ymir's skull, which becomes the vault of the sky. They shape the hot sparks that escape Muspelheim into stars. Ymir's beard becomes the green grasses and his hair becomes the forests. His brains form the clouds, and his eyelashes form the border of this worldly enclosure. This enclosure is Midgard, the realm of the living. The gods then proceed to populate it with living things, and to decide where the sun, move, stars, and other forces go.

As previously stated, the Norse myths are allegorical rather than literal, and things may not make much sense until we consider them from a place of metaphor. In this instance, the Norse creation story is likely a reflection of what it feels like to be born / give birth, and the activities therein.

At the center of all cosmological reality is Yggdrasil, the World Tree. This is a cosmic ash tree that holds different worlds and halls in its branches and roots. It's home to all the world's creatures and beings, including four stags that chew at its leaves. At the top of Yggdrasil perches an eagle who watches over the worlds, with a hawk sitting on top of him. Beneath the tree lives the dragon Nidhogg who gnaws away at the roots. Between the eagle and the dragon runs Ratatosk, a squirrel who sends gossip to and fro.

Yggdrasil is in a state of constant death and rebirth. The animals' activities and the chewing of Nidhogg causes it to wither, but the tree is rejuvenated by the Norns, three women of fate who plaster it with white mud from the Well of Urd to keep it alive and well. The roots of Yggdrasil reach down into three wells or springs: The Well of Urd, the Well of Mimir, and Hvergelmir. Heimdall's hearing is said to be kept beneath Yggdrasil, and the gods go to the tree daily for their assemblies.

Norse cosmology has multiple worlds and different divine halls, which are held in the branches of Yggdrasil. These worlds and halls represent different environments that permeate through our material world. For example, the fiery world of Muspelheim comes through in the form of heat and light, whereas the frozen world of Niflheim comes through in the form of cold and frost. Midgard represents the world we know, whereas Jötunheim represents the threshold between what we know and don't know, where all our fears (personified as giants) lurk.

Each world has its own allegorical content, which you can learn more about by visiting their pages:

If the worlds represent different environments that permeate our material reality, then the halls represent the same, only with an extra connotation of being man-made or involving activities of society.

For example, Frigg's hall is the place we go to while fibercrafting, Thor's hall is the place we go during feats of strength and courage (like when we go to the gym), and Njord's hall is the place we go to during sailing and navigation. These halls represent what it's like to experience these respective things, and could potentially be allegories for states of mind.

Some experiences have no boundaries. As far as we know, Loki doesn't have a hall of his own; instead, he darts around everyone else's. This is likely because Loki represents the fun, humor, and mischief that can happen anywhere and anytime.

Like the worlds, you can explore the different halls by visiting their pages. Please note there are many halls and they will gradually appear here as I catalogue them:

The Norse myths feature other locations that are neither worlds or halls. You can find them here. Just like with the previous section, this section will be populated over time:

Ragnarok is by far the most misunderstood event within Norse mythology. It's frequently misinterpreted as the eschatology or "end-times" of the Norse on account of the fact it involves a bloody war where all the forces of the world, including the gods, meet their demise. However, the word 'Ragnarok' simply means "the fate of the gods," and the disaster it symbolizes is the result of the gods' own actions.

The myth of Ragnarok begins with Odin consulting a seeress (völva) to learn what the future holds for the gods. The seeress gazes into the past, present, and future and describes what she sees. But the future is a harrowing sight: Balder is dead and Loki is bound in the earth; Fenrir is confined to the Ironwood, and the serpent Iormungand encircles the earth. The serpent releases his tail from his mouth and causes the world to shake, freeing everything. All the dead rush from Helheim, all the fire-giants escape Muspelheim, and Loki and Fenrir break free from their prisons. All of them wage war against the gods. Loki rides to battle on the ship Naglfar, and he and Heimdall slay one another. Thor and Iormungand fight and kill each other. Odin is swallowed by the wolf Fenrir. The gods perish, the sun and moon are swallowed by wolves, and the cosmos crumbles into flames. The heavens sink into the ocean, and a new world is born from the wreckage.

Odin becomes fearful of this future. He's especially terrified when one day Loki arrives home with three children he has with Angrboda—Hel, Iormungand, and Fenrir. These children are still small, but Odin nevertheless banishes them. He sends Hel to underworld, where she lives in a hall that collects the unhappy dead. He throws the tiny Iormungand into the ocean, who eventually grows to immense size without their awareness. As for Fenrir, he is raised by Tyr for a while, until the Aesir grow wary of his size, strength, and pride. They bind Fenrir with Gleipnir, an unbreakable cord made of impossible things, and leave him in the Ironwood, where he grows more resentful with each passing day.

The Aesir then continue their lives in the same way they always had: By cheating, breaking oaths, and swindling the giants and dwarves out of their wealth, skills, time, and property. The Aesir threaten Loki's to fix things every time his pranks cause problems. Eventually, Loki becomes so fed up with this treatment that his pranks turn malicious; he tricks Hod into killing Balder and afterwards slanders the gods publicly during a feast. Loki runs away but the gods capture him and bind him beneath the earth.

All of these behaviors eventually manifested the reality Odin sought to avoid. It was not the prophecy that brought about the downfall of the gods, but the conditions they created themselves based on their own greed and carelessness. Rather than being an end-times apocalypse, Ragnarok is a cautionary tale that warns us about the kinds of behaviors that lead to the disarray and eventual collapse of a society.

In the field of philosophy, metaphysics is the branch that examines the underlying mechanics of reality and addresses things we can't measure in a controlled scientific setting, such as the nature of the soul, divinity, the architecture of magic, and how fate works. Different religions have different models of metaphysics, Ásatrú included.

The story of Ragnarok teaches us that fate is orchestrated through our individual and collective deeds and actions. In the Prose Edda, Snorri states there are three Norns who control the destinies of people, and their names are Urd, Verdandi, and Skuld. However, they may not be "divinities" in the usual sense, but personifications of the processes which guide fate—their names roughly mean "what became," "what is becoming," and "outcomes."

There are a couple of concepts that have made their way into the American Ásatrú understanding of destiny, the first being wyrd and the second being orlog. These play an important role in the practice known as Seid (seiðr), which is the art of shaping outcomes.

The wyrd (Old Norse urðr) is the weave of cause and effect, actions and outcomes, that form and inform our reality. Wyrd is a bit like time, in that it's not really a "force" but something we perceive by virtue of its movement. The way we measure the wyrd is by looking at how our actions shape our circumstances, and how our circumstances inform our actions, and so on.

The way the wyrd is woven determines the shape of our reality. We can weave the wyrd with intention, or we can let this process happen autonomously. The autonomous process is personified by Norns. Even the gods don't have any authority over Norns, only the ability to learn their techniques. The same goes for people.

However, weaving destiny is not just a matter of exerting our force of will upon our circumstances. There are mechanics involved, ones that are surprising similar to knitting: If we repeatedly perform the same actions in life, we will repeatedly receive the same outcomes. But if we change up our motions, we change up the outcomes. Those who are knowledgeable in the relationships between actions and outcomes can predict the future by reading the pattern of wyrd that's currently being woven.

If the wyrd represents the threads of causation, then the orlog represents that which has already been woven and has since become part of reality. The orlog includes anything ranging from the properties of physics, to human social mores, to the circumstances we release into the world.

While things like physics, social mores, and our manifested reality are not things we can simply take back, ignore, or delete, it may be possible to reshape some of them with time, effort, and the right tools and methodologies. Our ability to weave fate depends on our understanding of the orlog inasmuch as it depends on our understanding of the wyrd.

In Ásatrú worldview, the soul is not a singular "thing" we have that's created at birth, but an ecosystem of multiple parts that come together during life to form the self. Some of these parts only exist during a present lifetime, while other parts are timeless. Some parts are borrowed or loaned, while other parts are passed down from our ancestors. Some are fixed, while others are fluid. The composition of one's soul isn't inherently good or bad—it just is.

The hugr is our soul proper. It represents our mind, our personality, our faculties of thought, our emotional composition, our heartedness, and all the different processes of our consciousness.

The hamr is the "skin" worn by the hugr. It's our physical bodies and appearances.

The fylgja is the seat of our instincts, and a part of us which protects us from harm. It often has an animal shape.

Gipta represents that which has been given to use at birth.

Gœfu represents our personal ability.

Hamingja represents what we make of our circumstances and the way we shape our reality. Our hamingja is passed down from one generation to the next.

Megin represents our personal power, will, and agency. Megin can be increased and transferred between individuals.

Heathens have many views regarding the nature of death and the afterlife. Some believe they will reincarnate, some believe they will go to their ancestors, and some believe they'll go to one of the cosmological halls. Regardless of what any one Heathen believes about death, Ásatrú itself doesn't have a system of damnation and afterlives are not determined by how loyal and faithful someone is to the Norse gods.

This was true even in the past. Judging from various Viking Age grave finds, pre-Christian Scandinavians seemed to believe they'd do the same things in death as they did in life. At most, they might have believed their afterlives were influenced by where they died, such as if they died at home, at sea, or on the battlefield. But there's no evidence that suggests they thought afterlives were a reward until after the arrival of Christian influences.

Oftentimes, people think the point of "being Heathen" is to live life in such a way that gains one entry to Valhalla, which is envisioned as the boozier, livelier, edgier version of Christian Heaven. This comes from Snorri's representation of Valhalla as a warrior's paradise, a portrayal that was inspired by a description in Grímnismál that figuratively describes Valhalla as a hall. Instead, "Odin's hall" is a metaphor for the battlefield.

As part of a life-affirming religion, Heathens don't tend to focus on death, and instead place their focus on their currently-lived lives and leaving behind a legacy they enjoy.

Many religions concern themselves with morality, or the way we distinguish right and wrong. In Ásatrú, morality emerges from cultural and individual sensibilities rather than divine commandment or religious doctrine. Because of this, any heathen philosophies you'll find on morals and values will always be reflexive of a community-specific culture, rather than reflexive of Ásatrú belief as a whole.

Heathens generally decide for themselves what morals and values they have. Some use their religion as a guideline for this while others do not. Those that do might pull from many different sources related to Ásatrú and Scandinavian culture, both old and new. The Eddic stories remain popular choices for this. Even though Heathens don't follow scripture, some find wisdom in texts like the Hávamál. Others find meaning in the Norse myths themselves, for the themes of the myths reflect important lessons about honesty, reciprocity, and treating each other well.

Ultimately, Ásatrú morality is something made by and for people. Therefore, its overarching concepts are based on fortifying people's wellbeing, rather than on maintaining purity of character.

It's up to the individual Heathen to decide what they value. These could be things like courage, intelligence, personal aptitude, family, and more.

As for ethical themes, the one which appears to be most commonplace in Ásatrú (at least in American spaces) is frith.

Frith (from Old English friðu and Old Norse friðr) roughly means "peace," and is a concept found in many Ásatrú spaces. It refers to the condition of prosperity that arises when we cultivate an environment of friendship, reciprocity, and social cooperation (that is, co-operation) within ourselves, each other, and the world around us.

In many ways, frith is something more than just "a lack of conflict between people" or "the creation of social order." It draws from a very ancient aspect of the human spirit, the part of us that values connecting with others, leaving people off better than before, and righting the wrongdoings in the world. These instincts are all important for developing a functioning society and for maintaining the integrity of its laws.

Scandinavian Heathens will sometimes point to Thorgeir Ljosvetningagodi (Þorgeirr Ljósvetningagoði) as an example. Thorgeir was an Icelandic lawspeaker in Iceland's Althing from 985 to 1001 CE, and though he himself was a pagan priest (goði), he helped avoid a civil conflict in Iceland in 1000 by agreeing Iceland should convert to Christianity. Though pagan, his values rested in creating meaningful order and social wellbeing.

Heathens value frith because it brings feelings of wholeness and builds a thriving society.

Ásatrú is rich with many magical traditions, some ancient and some modern. Not all Heathens incorporate magic into their practices, but many do.

Magic can be broadly defined as the act of influencing the universe and letting the universe influence us in return. All things in reality exist the way they do because they were shaped by the things around them. If we know how to read the world properly, we can use the act of "shaping and being shaped" to guide the universe and ourselves to outcomes or insights we otherwise can't reach. Many cultures have created many different models, disciplines, and techniques based on this principle.

What's important to understand is that the magical practices related to Ásatrú aren't beholden to Ásatrú itself—in other words, someone doesn't have to be Ásatrúar in order to practice them. They overlap for reasons related to culture and worldview, but they can otherwise be practiced outside of a Heathen context. Many regularly are.

Some magical practices you'll find are as follows:

Seiðr (pronounced "say-there") is the art of shaping outcomes. It's a word that's associated with the völva (seeresses) of pre-Christian Scandinavia; women who professionally practiced this art. Unfortunately, we have few clues about how historical seiðr was practiced, but we know it had some connection to strings and spinning the threads of fate.

Today, seiðr is associated with a great deal of practices, from gazing into the future, to calling forth spirits, to out-of-body travel, and, of course, to spinning fate.

"Runes" refer to the futhark alphabets and enchantments made using them. Runes have been used for magic for hundreds of years—Eddic poetry associates them with Odin. Originally, only the elite knew how to read and write runic scripts, which gave the runes a reputation of power, authority, and secrecy. Runic writing became more commonplace as time went on and was used for runestones, weapons, and graffiti. Even after the Latin alphabet became the dominant writing system in Scandinavia, the runes were used to write enchantments and create runic calendars as late as the 19th century.

Runic scripts have evolved over time and are therefore broken up into different alphabets, called futharks. The name futhark—or rather, fuþark—is a reference to the runic alphabets' first six letters: ᚠᚢᚦᚨᚱᚲ. The three futharks often used in Heathenry today are the Elder Futhark, the Younger Futhark, and the Anglo-Saxon Futhorc.

Runic divination is a system of fortune-telling invented in the 1970's. It has since become a popular oracle alongside tarot, dice, and others.

The most basic form of runic divination works on the basis of drawing lots. Each rune is individually carved or painted onto some kind of token, and these tokens are placed in a bag or a box. The practitioner then speaks (or thinks about) a question and randomly draws a rune. Each rune has a meaning, and the meaning of the rune drawn advises the practitioner based on their question.

There are many methods to reading the runes, some of which are devised by practitioners themselves. Some practitioners use divinatory "spreads" for their rune readings similar to the ones used in tarot. Others use methods where they cast a cluster of runes onto a chart and interpret meaning based on how the runes fall. Oftentimes a person discovers their preferred way of reading runes as they continue to use them. Like with other forms of divination, runes can also be read for others.

Rune sets can be made up of any materials and use any of the futhark scripts, including their variations. I personally use the Elder Futhark for runic divination, but I have friends who've supplemented their sets with runes from other futharks.

Bindrunes are a type of protective talisman or charm made out of multiple runes. Bindrunes can be a string of runes, or they can be a symbol made out of multiple runes combined together.

This second type of bindrune is made by selecting runes based on their meanings and constructing a design with them that reflects one's intent. The resulting symbol can be used for any magical application, such as protection, drawing in certain energies, creating wards, and others. Bindrunes are sometimes used as signatures or logos, as is the case with the band Wardruna.

Galdr is an enchanted song. Odin is said to be the master of galdr with the ability to use his voice to achieve supernatural results. It's unclear how galdr was used in ancient times: Al-Tartushi writes that the Viking Rus would sing in a way that sounded like barking dogs, but it's uncertain if this was in any way related to galdr at all. Today, galdr is an evolving artform. It can be used for healing songs, to chant the runes into crafts, and to cast spells.

Galdrastafir (meaning "magical staves") refers to a type of Icelandic sorcery that emerged sometime around the 17th century. This art combines medieval occult practices (often related to Christian and Jewish mysticism) with Scandinavian magic.

Icelandic magical staves can look a lot like bindrunes and are frequently mistaken for such. They're constructed using a completely different process than bindrunes are, and learning how to craft galdrastafir requires initiation and direct guidance from a reputable master. Trying to learn it by yourself from a book or the internet can be dangerous.

Some staves have grown popular on account of their good aesthetics and potent meanings. A few you've likely already encountered are as follows:

Ægishjálmur ("Helm of Awe") is a stave for protection against enemies, evil beings, and the aggression of landlords and rulers. It must be carved on a lead plate and pressed between the eyes, and as it's pressed one must recite what the stave does. Another Helm of Awe appears in Eddic poetry; however this is an actual helm the hero Sigurd claims from the dragon Fafnir. The helm terrifies all who see it. Perhaps the magical stave here was inspired by this story.

Vegvísir ("Wayfinder") is a stave for finding one's way in bad weather. Someone carrying it won't be lost during bad storms, regardless of whether or not they know the direction they're going. Vegvísir is found in the Huld Manuscript, a grimoire dated to 1860 and collected by Geir Vigfusson in Iceland. It's sometimes called a "viking compass," but like most galdrastafir, it was created only a few hundred years ago has nothing to do with the vikings.

Veldismagn ("That which increases power") is a stave for increasing megin. According to the Icelandic Museum of Sorcery and Witchcraft's website: "It must be carved on lignite and colour the stave with blood. Let it lie between your breasts and nothing evil will harm you and you will return healthy and free of sickness after travelling on sea or land."

Most galdrastafir don't have the same wheel-and-spokes construction as the ones featured here. If you'd like to see more examples and learn more about staves, I recommend visiting the Icelandic Museum of Sorcery and Witchcraft's website. You can also browse the Huld Manuscript for different staves and their uses.

Gandr is staff-magic. Staffs are used in many traditions for grounding, channeling, and directing energy. They are often used for the same in many Ásatrú practices.

Trolldom is a Scandinavian folk practice. It's been around for the past 500 years but fell into seclusion during the 19th century. The word "troll" in trolldom is a reference to both magic and the beings of the same name—these two concepts go hand-in-hand.

A spell in trolldom is known as trollformel or a troll formula. Different formulas exist for pretty much any purpose you can think of, including healing, stalling, shaming, protection, luck, mischief, and more. Trolldom also involves various divination techniques and talking to spirits and the dead. It also overlaps with spå, or the ability to foretell future events.

Speech and silence play vital roles in trolldom. Incantation is necessary for troll formulas to work, while silence is necessary for performing certain rituals and preserving certain customs.

The practice is passed down through oral tradition. It's only taught in-person to those younger than the practitioner and unrelated by blood. In order for someone to be successful with trolldom, they must be born with certain gifts. These gifts can be unusual abilities or senses inherited from one's forebears. Acquiring gifts in other ways usually involves passing through an ordeal.

Even though trolldom is cultural to Scandinavia, it's not tied to Heathenry or any one spirituality or religion. Like galdrastafir, learning trolldom requires seeking out a practitioner willing to teach it.

The next sections will include info on:

Veneration practices: How to venerate deities, spirits, and ancestors, and;

Observances: Such as blót, sumbel, holidays, and more.

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