Greetings & Salutations! So, I figured the next logical post on this blog would be a bit of an introduction to Asatru. First, let's start with the pronunciation, because (and I'll be perfectly honest here) I was actually saying it completely wrong for about a year. I was pronouncing it "A-sa-tru" when in fact.. it is actually "Au-sa-true". Yes, I know, it's kind of a wonky pronunciation until you remember what language the word actually is. It's not English. And no, it's not "old Norse". The word is actually Icelandic.
First, let's address it's translation. Literally translated, "Ásatrú" translates into "Runic" in common Icelandic tongue. However, that is simply the translation. And we all know that translation and meaning are two different things though often related, sometimes not. The word "Asatru" as an adjective does mean "runic" or "old, ancient, of mystical origin". However, as a noun referring to a group of people or an individual, it means "belief in the Aesir" (derived from breaking the word itself down into it's root word and so on).
So, how old is the word itself? Well, that's relatively hard to say. It is safe to say that it's usage thrived when Asatru came to these shores in the early 70's. So, does that make Asatru a "new" religion? Well.. yes and no. Many will boast that the religion is ages old, and they would be 100% correct. However, the word and thus the identification of such isn't that old. It all started, and remains today, as an attempt to recreate, re-establish, and re-form the belief structures of our ancestors. Now, this is where it goes a little wonky.
The Norse peoples, the Northmen, the Germanic tribes of old, however you want to refer to them were a tribal people. That right there should explain a lot in the way of records. They didn't write things down, they didn't need to. Grandmother, Mother, Grandfather, Father, Aunts, Uncles, etc would verbally pass down the wealth of knowledge they held to younger generations and so on and so forth. So, writing things down wasn't needed. They were the books, scrolls, and ledgers.. their words the pens. But what about the runic "alphabet" you might be wondering. Yes, later generations saw the rise of a sort of "alphabet" comprised of runes. But these runic carvings (still, little use for scroll and charcoal) were more of a fancy, reserved for religious purposes, special events, etc. Since it understandably took quite some time to carve these glyphs into stone, whatever it was you were carving, had better of been worth it.
To understand the origins of this religion, you have to go back.. way back. Back to Germania and ancient Scandinavia and even before. Many people assume that Germania = modern day Germany. That is, well.. to put it nicely, completely wrong. While modern day Germany was part of "Germania". You have to relate Germania to modern day "Europe". Okay, okay, wait a minute.. why is this important? Did you come here for a geographical history lesson? No. But it is important to a point. It's important to understand that the whole of modern day Europe was comprised of Germania, Scandinavia, and the Roman Empire. You can check out these awesome old maps that show what I'm talking about. They aren't as old as the lands themselves, but they're good enough to get the basics down.
So, where did our people come from? Well, that answer varies greatly. Personally, my ancestors came from a long line that has taken years to trace back and with recent information from novelty DNA testing through both Ancestry and 23&Me, I've had to alter that research and fold it into what I've already found. So, with that in mind, the way it goes for me and mine is thus... the closest "migration" for both my husband and myself actually was from England to America. But, prior to that and I do mean like one generation before that, it was from Glasgow, Scotland. For many hundreds of years, our ancestors were from Scotland. Then, for me, again going backwards - they were from Norway. Some ancestors, more than likely on my Mother's side, since the Scottish is from my Father's side - come from this very specific spot in Germany. My husband's is fairly similar though his is a little more muddled and diverse over Europe and America. So, we are through and through European and North European descendants. Why is this important you might be wondering... well... in a nutshell. A big part of Asatru, like our ancestors beliefs, was to honor our ancestors. Ancestors play such an integral part of this belief structure that knowing where you personally come from and where your ancestors were, is key. Strictly speaking... in following the path of your ancestors, you will find your ancestral roots and what they believed. Asatru is based solely within the realm of European/primarily Northern European ancestral stomping grounds. Now, this is where it gets a bit.. touchy. If your ancestors are 100% from.. Spain, you know this, and that's where they originated/came from.. then.. Asatru is not your ancestral religion, it is not your ancestors beliefs. See what I'm getting at? Yes, religion is a choice and one that is very personal and one that no one can make for anyone else. However, Asatru is much more than a religion. Due to the ancestors being such an important part of it, honoring them and not offending them is elevated in this belief system. If you choose to be Asatru but all of your ancestors were say, Greek Orthodox, you would be offending them by following Asatru. I'm not talking about just your parents or even your grandparents, Ancestors go way back and include all of them.
Now in today's society you have so many mixtures going on that more often than not, there's going to be a drop of European/Northern European blood in there somewhere. So, Asatru is pretty open to just about everybody. Get what I'm saying?
Okay, moving on. So, you can tell a few things so far...
And we haven't even gotten into the actual beliefs yet! Oi! This is just where they all come from. The other thing that is worth mentioning is pointing out that Asatru typically don't just adhere to the religious beliefs of our ancestors, it's more along the lines of a way of life. How you view the world and your family, those around you, and your fellow heathens. Oh yeah, heathens. This is what we are called. It's taken on a slightly sour undertone in recent centuries but prior to the smear of other.. certain.. religious factions.. the term heathen is not a derogatory term. Heathen simply means one who does not belong to a widely held religious group. So, by identifying ourselves as heathens, we simply state that we are not a part of any mainstream or majority held religious factions. First, let's address it's translation. Literally translated, "Ásatrú" translates into "Runic" in common Icelandic tongue. However, that is simply the translation. And we all know that translation and meaning are two different things though often related, sometimes not. The word "Asatru" as an adjective does mean "runic" or "old, ancient, of mystical origin". However, as a noun referring to a group of people or an individual, it means "belief in the Aesir" (derived from breaking the word itself down into it's root word and so on).
So, how old is the word itself? Well, that's relatively hard to say. It is safe to say that it's usage thrived when Asatru came to these shores in the early 70's. So, does that make Asatru a "new" religion? Well.. yes and no. Many will boast that the religion is ages old, and they would be 100% correct. However, the word and thus the identification of such isn't that old. It all started, and remains today, as an attempt to recreate, re-establish, and re-form the belief structures of our ancestors. Now, this is where it goes a little wonky.
The Norse peoples, the Northmen, the Germanic tribes of old, however you want to refer to them were a tribal people. That right there should explain a lot in the way of records. They didn't write things down, they didn't need to. Grandmother, Mother, Grandfather, Father, Aunts, Uncles, etc would verbally pass down the wealth of knowledge they held to younger generations and so on and so forth. So, writing things down wasn't needed. They were the books, scrolls, and ledgers.. their words the pens. But what about the runic "alphabet" you might be wondering. Yes, later generations saw the rise of a sort of "alphabet" comprised of runes. But these runic carvings (still, little use for scroll and charcoal) were more of a fancy, reserved for religious purposes, special events, etc. Since it understandably took quite some time to carve these glyphs into stone, whatever it was you were carving, had better of been worth it.
To understand the origins of this religion, you have to go back.. way back. Back to Germania and ancient Scandinavia and even before. Many people assume that Germania = modern day Germany. That is, well.. to put it nicely, completely wrong. While modern day Germany was part of "Germania". You have to relate Germania to modern day "Europe". Okay, okay, wait a minute.. why is this important? Did you come here for a geographical history lesson? No. But it is important to a point. It's important to understand that the whole of modern day Europe was comprised of Germania, Scandinavia, and the Roman Empire. You can check out these awesome old maps that show what I'm talking about. They aren't as old as the lands themselves, but they're good enough to get the basics down.
So, where did our people come from? Well, that answer varies greatly. Personally, my ancestors came from a long line that has taken years to trace back and with recent information from novelty DNA testing through both Ancestry and 23&Me, I've had to alter that research and fold it into what I've already found. So, with that in mind, the way it goes for me and mine is thus... the closest "migration" for both my husband and myself actually was from England to America. But, prior to that and I do mean like one generation before that, it was from Glasgow, Scotland. For many hundreds of years, our ancestors were from Scotland. Then, for me, again going backwards - they were from Norway. Some ancestors, more than likely on my Mother's side, since the Scottish is from my Father's side - come from this very specific spot in Germany. My husband's is fairly similar though his is a little more muddled and diverse over Europe and America. So, we are through and through European and North European descendants. Why is this important you might be wondering... well... in a nutshell. A big part of Asatru, like our ancestors beliefs, was to honor our ancestors. Ancestors play such an integral part of this belief structure that knowing where you personally come from and where your ancestors were, is key. Strictly speaking... in following the path of your ancestors, you will find your ancestral roots and what they believed. Asatru is based solely within the realm of European/primarily Northern European ancestral stomping grounds. Now, this is where it gets a bit.. touchy. If your ancestors are 100% from.. Spain, you know this, and that's where they originated/came from.. then.. Asatru is not your ancestral religion, it is not your ancestors beliefs. See what I'm getting at? Yes, religion is a choice and one that is very personal and one that no one can make for anyone else. However, Asatru is much more than a religion. Due to the ancestors being such an important part of it, honoring them and not offending them is elevated in this belief system. If you choose to be Asatru but all of your ancestors were say, Greek Orthodox, you would be offending them by following Asatru. I'm not talking about just your parents or even your grandparents, Ancestors go way back and include all of them.
Now in today's society you have so many mixtures going on that more often than not, there's going to be a drop of European/Northern European blood in there somewhere. So, Asatru is pretty open to just about everybody. Get what I'm saying?
Okay, moving on. So, you can tell a few things so far...
- Asatru is based on the ancient beliefs of our ancestors. Recreated as best we can for the information we have available today. (I'll go into this further with another post).
- Asatru leans heavily on the importance of the ancestors and their beliefs.
- In Asatru, you had better start getting brushed up on your history! ;)
I think I've chewed enough of your time up today, so I'm going to close it here. Never fear, this is just the beginning.
*Further Edit*
I'm going to be posting an excerpt about editing the religion and how that can be done and why it is okay to do so in the future.
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