What is Asatru?

Asatru is the re-awakening of the pre-Christian faith of Northern Europe and the old Germanic tribes. It's the tradition which the Germanic tribes from England, Holland, Germany and Scandinavia lived by. Though Asatru is a widely accepted term for our traditions, within the tradition itself, it is a much debated term. Some feel Asatru is exactly who and what they are, some feel that it does not quite fit with their lives. The term itself, means "True to the Aesir" and some feel that this limits the scope of what and who we are true to. Wulfsgeist Kindred is true to the Aesir as well as the Vanir, the disir, innerhar and the wights as well, so how does the term Asatru "fit" our own outlook? We'll it does and it doesn't. When speaking to those who are not within the heathen community, we use the term Asatru as a sort of umbrella term. "We are Asatru" means little to someone who is Christian, and it gives us an opportunity to expand and explain more fully for those who wish to know more. However, when dealing with those within our community, we tend to use the term Germanic Heathen or just Heathen, at times.

What Does the term "Germanic Heathen" mean?

One of the reasons that we like the term Germanic Heathen is because it incorporates the terms Germanic, meaning "of or related to the Teutons*, and Heathen, meaning "one who adheres to a religion of a people or nation that does not acknowledge the God of Judaism, Christianity, or Islam". The combination of these terms is a powerful statement about who we are and what we do and don't believe. Also, as we do not have a direct connection to a Norse/Scandinavian heritage and are mainly of the Celtic and German lines, it encompasses a larger period of time, rather than isolating one particular era, such as the Viking Age, which though widely known, was only a very small part of the full Germanic age.

*Teutons - a member of an ancient people, probably of Germanic or Celtic origin, who lived in Jutland until about 100 B.C.

*Teutonic - of or pertaining to the Teutons

One thing that is interesting to note, is that Celts background falls under the Germanic title, but also has some of it's roots in the Viking age as well. Several areas of Scotland and Ireland were, in fact, founded by Vikings. Dublin, Ireland was originally a Viking settlement and the Scandinavian bloodline, does in fact run through the Irish and Scots as well. One can even find many similarities between the Celtic Gods and Goddess and those of the Germanic/Norse peoples. One could argue that there was in fact an exchange of not only blood, but ideas which took place between the two nations peoples. There also remains the possibility that the Germanic Gods did have a  known presence and were beloved by the Celtic peoples as well. One such example is Skadhi. It has been noted, that Scotland was named for Skadhi, yet was Skadhi a Celtic Goddess? Or, was/is she Germanic? She is in the Norse lore as a giantess who becomes a Goddess...yet, the Celtic homeland of Scotland is rumored to have been named for her.

Another fine example, is Cernunnos, the horned God of the Celtic deities. He is known as lord of the forest, his appearance is that of a man who wears upon his head, a great rack of antlers. Some have drawn comparisons between Cernunnos and Ullr, the God of the forest and a hunting God within the Norse tradition, who on occasion has been seen as wearing a large rack of antlers upon his head. Though this may not be a very widely known comparison, it does bring into question whether or not deities were shared among the various tribes.

The Anglo-Saxon traditions, are similar as well. There is no doubt, however, that the Gods and Goddesses of the Anglo-Saxons were in fact the same Gods and Goddesses as those of the Norse and Germanic tribes. The only thing that varies between the Anglo-Saxons and the Germanics are the individual traditions, celebrations and God names.

Our Gods were widely know, by many names and celebrated with varying traditions and celebration until the days when Christianity forced conversions upon our ancestors. Yet, the traditions remained so strong that many of them had to be incorporated into the practices of the Christian church, in order for the conversions to stand a fighting chance. Such holidays as Yule and Ostara are the most obvious examples. All the aspects of the modern Christmas festivities, the tree, the mistletoe, the colors red and green, the wreath and the Yule log are all holdovers from times long gone. Many aspects of the modern Easter celebration, such as the colorful eggs, the "Easter Bunny", and Easter egg hunts, all originated with the Germanic traditions.

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