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Asatru facts for kids

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Sigurblót 2009
Ásatrú followers in Iceland.

Asatru (Icelandic: Ásatrú) is a religion which involves the worship of ancient Germanic 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 gods.

A person who practices Asatru is called an Asatrui (pl. 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.

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.

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


Images for kids

  • A metal hammer, worn as a pendant around an individual's neck

    A modern replica of a Viking Age pendant representing Mjölnir, the hammer of the god Thor; such pendants are often worn by Heathens.

  • Two tables located in the snow. On the tables are various fruits and wooden quasi-anthropomorphic statues.

    Outdoor altar to mark Yule 2010, set up by the Swedish Forn Sed Assembly in Gothenburg, Västergötland

  • A thin wooden pillar located within woodland

    Heathen ritual space marked out by an engraved wooden pillar, located on The Wrekin in Shropshire, England

  • A grassy area with stones arranged in an oval shape demarcating a burial area. In the distance can be seen trees and a hill.

    Heathen cemetery in Gufuneskirkjugarður, Reykjavík, which was established in 1999

  • A man and a woman standing outdoors by a tree, wearing red and white robes

    A 2011 Heathen blót in Humlamaden near Veberöd in Lund, Sweden

  • A table on which fruits and some wooden icons are situated

    A 2010 outdoor altar at the Springblót at Gamla Uppsala, Uppland, Sweden

  • A wooden table indoors on which have been placed wooden icons

    A Heathen altar for the Yule feast in Gothenburg, Sweden. The painted tablet at the back depicts Sunna, the two larger wooden idols Odin (left) and Frey (right). In front of them there are the three Norns, and in the front row a red Thor and other idols. In front of the cult images are two ritual hammers.

  • Four figures in medieval period costume stand outside on a grassy area. The image is misty.

    The Swedish Asatru Society holding a 2008 blót near to Österlen in Scania

  • Two people with their backs to the viewer stand in front of a large boulder in the middle of woodland. One of the figures is pouring a liquid onto the ground.

    A 2010 Heathen rite at the Storbuckasten boulder in Sörby parish, Västergötland, Sweden

  • A crowd of people walking along an outdoor path. They are led by individuals in robes, and a number carry flag banners.

    Members of the Ásatrúarfélagið preparing for a Þingblót at Þingvellir, Iceland

  • An outdoor fire burning in front of a wooden post with an anthropomorphic face carved into the top

    Altar for Haustblót in Bohus-Björkö, Västergötland, Sweden. The big wooden idol represents the god Frey, the smaller one next to it represents Freyja, the picture in front of it Sunna, and the small red idol Thor.

  • An elderly, bearded white man wearing glasses and a beret

    Guido von List, who promoted an early form of Heathenry

  • A middle-aged white man wearing a suit. He has a receding hairline and a large, bushy moustache.

    Jakob Wilhelm Hauer, leader of the German Faith Movement in the 1930s

  • An elderly man wearing red and white robes standing in an open area

    Sveinbjörn Beinteinsson, leader of the Icelandic Ásatrúarfélagið, at a blót in 1991

  • Three middle-aged white men sitting at a camping table outdoors

    American Heathens Stephen McNallen (left) and Michael "Valgard" Murray (center), with Eric "Hnikar" Wood (right) at the 2000 Althing

  • Four individuals stand by an outdoor table. A tall stone wall is visible in the background.

    An Odinist wedding in Spain, 2010

  • Baby naming ceremony, Heathen Freehold Society of British Columbia

    A Heathen baby naming ceremony in British Columbia, Canada in 2010

  • Veturnáttablót 2009

    A 2009 blót held by Heathens in Iceland

  • A stone with various engravings upon it

    A detail from Gotland runestone G 181, in the Swedish Museum of National Antiquities in Stockholm. The three figures are interpreted as Odin, Thor, and Freyr, deities which have seen their veneration revived among modern Heathens.

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