by Anonymous

This essay appeared in late 2006 on alt.religion.asatru, one of the oldest and most active of the Usenet newsgroups dedicated to Germanic heathenry. Written by an anonymous practitioner with evident command of Old English, Old Norse, and the scholarly literature — Bede, Rydberg, Garman Lord, and the Eddas — it sets out to answer a question central to the modern heathen revival: how similar, and how different, were the two best-documented branches of the ancient Germanic religion?

The answer the essay builds is careful and comparative. It walks through the gods known to both peoples, the wights who inhabited every hill and stream, the festivals that marked the turning year, and the institution of sacral kingship that bound faith to governance. Where the evidence supports parallelism, the author notes it; where the traditions diverge — most strikingly in Iceland's abandonment of sacred monarchy after the tyranny of Harald Finehair — the author explains why. The result is a document that functions both as an introduction to the scholarly problem and as a primer for practitioners seeking to understand their tradition in its full breadth.

Alt.religion.asatru ran from 1992 and became one of the primary venues for reconstructionist heathenry in the early internet era. Posts like this one — detailed, sourced, written for the committed reader — represent the tradition at its best.

Foreword

The ancient Germanic peoples essentially followed the same religion. Nearly all of them appear to have worshipped the major gods known to us from Norse mythology — Óðinn, ÞórR, FreyR, and so on. They also believed in many of the same "spirits" or wights — elves, dwarves, thurses, and so on. They held various festivals, rituals, and customs in common. This is not to say that there were not differences among the tribes in their religious customs and beliefs. There was always some variation in religious practices and beliefs among the Germanic peoples.

Perhaps the best demonstration of both the similarities and the differences which sometimes existed in the religious beliefs of the Germanic peoples would be to examine the respective beliefs of the Anglo-Saxon and Icelandic heathen.

It must be noted right away that the ancient Germanic peoples lacked a name for their religion or its branches. An ancient Anglo-Saxon heathen if asked about his religion would probably have referred to it simply as mín þéodisc geléfa, "my tribe's belief." The Icelanders may have responded along similar lines, although today this ancient and modern branch of the Germanic heathen religion is called "Asatru." For simplicity's sake, we will use "Anglo-Saxon heathendom" and "Asatru" for the faiths of the ancient Anglo-Saxons and Icelanders respectively.

Why There Were Differences

Of course, it is understandable why there would be similarities between ancient Anglo-Saxon heathendom and ancient Asatru. After all, both groups of people descended from the Germanic tribes. Why, then, would there be any differences between the two? There are several reasons and all of them are very simple. The first is that even when a large group of people (such as several tribes or several nations) share a belief system, variations in that system will often arise peculiar to any given people. A perfect example of this is Irish and Italian Catholicism. Even though both Irish Catholics and Italian Catholics belong to the same denomination of the same religion, one can easily observe differences between the two, especially in the ways in which each group observes church holidays. The Anglo-Saxons and Icelanders would have naturally evolved their own beliefs and customs peculiar only to themselves.

Second, ancient heathendom was a religion closely tied to the land and hence the changing of the seasons. For the ancient Germanic peoples, winter did not necessarily arrive with the winter solstice, but whenever the first frost occurred. The beginnings of the seasons and the dates of festivals would then vary according to the climate. Naturally, a festival which would take place at the beginning of winter would occur later in a warmer clime than it would a colder one.

Third, there are differences between ancient Anglo-Saxon heathendom and ancient Icelandic Asatru because of the time frame involved. England was converted in the 6th and 7th centuries CE while Iceland was not converted until 1000 CE. In the 400 years between the conversion of the Anglo-Saxons and the conversion of the Icelanders there was considerable opportunity for the religion to change and evolve, and no doubt such changes came even quicker due to the ever changing social conditions forced upon Northern Europe by Christianity.

Other changes developed from the social and political climate of the times. For the Anglo-Saxons the institution of sacral kingship was very important. Four hundred years later, however, the Icelanders had witnessed Norwegian kings demeaning the very office by breaking troth with the gods and the folk through unabashed tyranny. The institution of sacral kingship then ceased to be important for the Icelanders and they sought other ways of defending the tribal luck. Finally, it appears that the ancient heathen believed that great men could become gods upon their death — the Icelandic sagas show a few examples of kings being deified after they had passed on. In the 400 years between the Conversion of the Anglo-Saxons and the earliest Old Norse sources, various heroes could have been raised to godhood in the people's minds.

While Anglo-Saxon heathendom and Icelandic Asatru both belong to the same religion and as a result share much in common, there are also minor differences between the two which can occasionally result in confusion for anyone new to the study of heathendom.

The Gods

By far our best source on information on the gods worshipped by the ancient Germanic peoples are the Old Norse and Icelandic poems and sagas. References to the gods in Old English (the language of the Anglo-Saxons) sources are exceedingly rare. The names of the major gods were, however, preserved in several place names. Because of this we know that ancient Anglo-Saxon heathendom and Icelandic Asatru shared most of the major gods named in the Norse sources.

Below is a table listing the major gods known to us from the elder sources. An asterisk before the name of a god indicates that it is a reconstruction (that is, the name does not actually appear in the language). A short commentary follows on each of the gods.

Even a cursory glance at this table shows that ancient Anglo-Saxon heathendom and Icelandic Asatru shared most of the major deities. Both peoples clearly worshipped Wóden, Þúnor, Fréa, and Fréo. The names of the days of the week tell us that the Anglo-Saxons worshipped them. That the Anglo-Saxons and the Icelanders worshipped all of these deities comes as no surprise. They are the gods most mentioned in the elder sources.

Similarly, a few gods appear to have been known to the Anglo-Saxons, though they are not worshipped in Asatru, while a few gods appear in Asatru whom the Anglo-Saxons may not have worshipped. Below is a short discussion of the most important of these cases.

Wóden / Óðinn

Wóden is Óðinn under his Old English name, and was clearly extremely important to the Anglo-Saxons — Wednesday is named after him in English, as it is in all of the Germanic languages. He was so important that nearly every Anglo-Saxon royal family traced its lineage back to him. England and Scandinavia boast several places named for him. Interestingly, the most well-known of Óðinn's names in Old Norse — Alföðr, "All-Father" — appears in Old English poetry as Ealfæder, "All-Father," indicating that the concept is an old one.

Þúnor / ÞórR

Þúnor is ÞórR under his Old English name, better known in modern English as Thor. He is the only god besides Wóden to have an entire day of the week named after him in both Old English (Þúnresdæg) and Scandinavian countries (in modern English, Thursday). Both England and Scandinavia had several places named for him, and his hammer amulets have been found throughout the Germanic world.

Fríge / Frigg

Wóden's wife, called Frigg in Old Norse. She is rarely mentioned in Old Norse sources and references to her in Old English sources are few as well. She gave her name to Friday. She may have been associated with weaving and domestic life, and was considered the protector of marriage and family.

Fréa / FreyR

Called FreyR in Old Norse and Frey in modern English, he was clearly important to both the Anglo-Saxons and the ancient Scandinavians. In the Old Rune Poem's verse on the Ing rune, Ingui is listed as a great king among the East-Danes — Ingui being a cognate of FreyR. Places were named for him in both England and Scandinavia.

Fréo / Freyja

Called Freyja in Old Norse, she appears in the Old Norse sources more than any other goddess. She is clearly related to Fréa, being counted among the Vanir alongside him. She was associated with beauty, love, fertility, and also with seiðr — the Norse magical art — and with the dead, as she is said to take half the slain in battle.

*Néorð / NjörðR

The Old English form of this name is a reconstruction — that is, it does not actually appear in surviving Old English sources. Though he is never mentioned in Old English sources, it is quite possible that he was known to the Anglo-Saxons. Tacitus in Germania records the worship of a goddess Nerthus among the Germanic peoples. The name Nerthus is cognate to NjörðR, which has led to much debate as to this goddess's identity. Some have even assumed that somehow through the centuries the goddess Nerthus changed sexes to become the god NjörðR. More likely it is that what Tacitus is recording is simply NjörðR's cult companion, perhaps the mysterious goddess Skaði, or an ancient female aspect of the deity.

*Forseta / Forseti

The Old English form of this name is also a reconstruction. While his name does not appear to have been preserved in any Old English sources, he may have been known to the Anglo-Saxons. He was the favourite god of the ancient Frisians (in what is now the Netherlands). The Frisians were close neighbours of the Anglo-Saxons. In the Eddic poem Grímnismál it is said that Forseti settles all disputes. This brings to mind the head of a þing or judicial assembly, who often had religious functions as well.

Hama / HeimdallR

HeimdallR is the watchman of the gods and the guardian of the Bifröst bridge. He may have been known to the Anglo-Saxons under the name Hama. The poem Béowulf relates a tale in which a hero named Hama stole the Brísinga men — almost certainly the Brísingamen, Fréo's necklace — from a king named Eormanric. In Old Norse sources it is HeimdallR who is the owner of the Brísingamen. Whether Hama was genuinely identified with HeimdallR by the Anglo-Saxons, or whether the author of Béowulf was simply confused, is difficult to say.

Bealdor / BaldR

BaldR is the son of Wóden and Fríge and the most beloved of the gods — brave, wise, and pure of heart. His death at the hands of the blind god Höðr (guided by Loki's treachery) is one of the central myths of the Eddic cycle, leading ultimately toward Ragnarök. It is unclear, however, whether the Anglo-Saxons worshipped him in any formal sense, though several places in England bore his name. A hero named Balðæg is listed in some royal genealogies.

Geofon / Gefjun

Geofon is an Old English word for "the sea" and appears to be cognate to Old Norse Gefjun. In Old Norse sources, Gefjun is a goddess who ploughed Denmark out of Sweden — she was given as much land as she could plough in one night, and ploughed an entire province loose with four oxen that were her sons. Denmark bore her name in part.

Hel / Hel

The realm of the dead in Old Norse is called Hel, and is also the name of the half-living, half-dead goddess who governs it. In Old English sources the word hel (our modern word "hell") is used of both the realm of the dead and the entity governing it. Whether the Anglo-Saxons thought of Hel as a goddess or merely a place is unclear. Later Old English sources use the word in the Christian sense of "hell," but early usage suggests that the Anglo-Saxons were not speaking figuratively of a place, but literally of an entity.

Éostre

In his De Temporum Ratione the Anglo-Saxon scholar Bede stated that the Old English Éosturmónaþ (roughly around March or April by the modern calendar) was named for the goddess Éostre, to whom the Anglo-Saxons sacrificed during that month. Our modern word Easter also derives from her name. The name Éostre itself is related to the names of the Greek and Roman dawn goddesses, Eos and Aurora, so that she was perhaps a goddess of the dawn and hence spring and the renewal of life. Unfortunately, Éostre appears to have been unknown in Scandinavia and Iceland. It is possible that she was known to the Scandinavians under another name — the goddess Iðunn, who guards the apples of immortality, would seem a possibility.

UllR

UllR is mentioned infrequently in Old Norse sources, though place names in Norway and Sweden show him to have been an important deity. He appears nowhere south of Norway and Sweden, however, and references to him are almost totally absent from the records of Denmark, the Continent, and England. It seems unlikely that he was worshipped by the Anglo-Saxons.

Loki

Loki is one of the major characters in the Icelandic sources, appearing either as a good-natured trickster — sometimes getting the gods into trouble, but ultimately helping them — or as a malevolent creature who commits acts of evil against the gods and ultimately sides with the ettins against them. The reason for this schizophrenia is difficult to say. Perhaps Loki began as a benevolent trickster figure but evolved under Christian influence into a demonic character. Equally likely, there were two Lokis: the Eddas and Saxo Grammaticus both refer to an ettin named Utarðaloki who is clearly hostile to the gods. Regardless, there is no evidence that Loki was ever worshipped. No places are named for him, and his name is entirely absent from Old English.

The Wights

Around the world most peoples believe in entities less powerful than gods, but more powerful than man. Like most other peoples, the Germanic peoples also believed in such entities, generally calling them by ancient cognates of our word wight (OE wiht). Below is a table of the major wights known to the Germanic peoples, followed by a short commentary on each.

Ælf / ÁlfR (Elves)

The plural in Old English is ylfe and in Old Norse it is álfar. In the Old Norse sources the elves are often named alongside the Ése (Old Norse Æsir) and were apparently closely related to the Wen (ON Vanir). The precise nature of the elves is unclear in the Old Norse sources. At times they appear nearly on par with the gods, even associated with the sun (an Old Norse kenning for the sun was "the ray of elves"). At the same time, however, they appear almost as if they were the spirits of the dead — they live in mounds and at least two dead Norwegian kings bore titles with the word álfR in them. Despite this, they were also believed to cause diseases through "elfshot" — tiny darts or arrows.

In Old English sources the elves also appear to have been powerful entities. In Béowulf they are named alongside the eotenas ("ettins") and other forces hostile to mankind. From the charm With Fæstice we know that "elfshot" was a cause of disease. Later English folklore confirms the elves lived in mounds and caused disease — a belief common to all Germanic peoples.

Þyrs / Þurs and Eoten / Jötunn (Giants)

These two terms appear to have been virtually interchangeable in both Old English and Old Norse. They refer to what we now sometimes call "giants." Edred Thorsson theorized that the terms may have originally been more specific: jötunn for the ancient, near-cosmic giants such as Ymir, and þurs for the somewhat dull-minded and less powerful giants we more often see opposing Þúnor. This is an appealing theory, though it is not borne out by Old English records, where þyrs could refer to a being intelligent enough to be compared to the Christian Satan.

Dweorgh / DvergR (Dwarves)

References to the dwarves are scant in Old English, where they are mentioned most prominently in two charms against diseases caused by them. Later English folklore shows the English view of the dwarves to be consistent with every other Germanic people: master smiths, often living in mountains or rocks, jealous of their treasures. This is the view seen in the Icelandic sources as well, where the gods' greatest treasures — Wóden's spear Gungnir, Þúnor's hammer, and others — were all crafted by dwarves.

Wælcyrige / Valkyrja (Valkyries)

The word in both languages literally means "chooser of the slain." In Old Norse sources the Valkyrjur appear as Wóden's handmaidens — the wights charged with bringing newly killed heroes to Valhöll. The savage side of the Valkyrjur may have been better remembered by the Anglo-Saxons: the word Wælcyrige is used to gloss the Furies of Greek mythology. In his Sermon Lupi Wulfstan condemns Wælcyrigen alongside witches — a curious pairing, since the Old Norse term referred to a goddess, not a mortal. Following the Conversion, the myths of the Wælcyrigen may have degenerated until they were regarded as mortal human beings, as so often happened to the older deities.

Nicor / NykR (Water Spirits)

Both Old English nicor and Old Norse nykr are cognate to German nix and nixie; however, both words appear to have referred to water wights of a much deadlier and more sinister nature than the Germans' fairy tale river spirits. Grendel's mother in Béowulf is an example of the Anglo-Saxon's idea of a nicor.

Beyond these major wights, Anglo-Saxon heathendom and Norse Asatru apparently shared a host of other wights who survived in the fairy tales of England, Scandinavia, and Iceland. Every house, hill, stream, and lake had its own wight. The worship of wights, being a matter of folk belief rather than priestly or kingly authority, tended to change very little over the centuries — which is why we see such remarkable consistency in beliefs regarding the dwarves and other wights across the entire Germanic world.

The Holidays

When it comes to the religious festivals of the Germanic peoples we enter a murky area of the lore. The elder sources record very little information about the holidays, perhaps because the chroniclers took them for granted. Below is a table listing the major shared festivals, followed by a discussion of each. A question mark indicates that we cannot be certain of the original name or exact equivalent.

Yule / Géol / Jól

Yule is by far the most documented holiday among the Germanic peoples. The holiday's name appears in nearly every Germanic language, and Latin sources even refer to Gothic months named for it. Bede speaks at length of the Anglo-Saxon celebration of Géol. He states that their year began on December 25 and that they referred to this night as Módraníht or "Mothers' Night." Anglo-Saxon sources also tell of the wearing of animal masks at Géol, perhaps an indication that the mummer's plays of the Middle Ages are more ancient than many scholars think.

Like the Anglo-Saxons and probably every other Germanic tribe, the Icelanders and the ancient Scandinavians also celebrated Jól. One of Wóden's names in Old Norse is Jólnir, which clearly derives from the holiday's name. In Heimskringla, King Hakon not only ordered that Jól should begin at the same time as the Christian celebration of Christmas, but that every man should brew some ale and keep Jól holy for as long as it lasted.

The imagery today associated with Christmas is fairly consistent among all Germanic-descended nations: houses decked in holly and evergreens, the Yule log, drinking in abundance. This points to a common heritage rooted in the ancient Germanic past.

Candlemas / Éowomeoluc / Góiblót?

February 2 was chosen by the Christian church for the minor festival of Candlemas — today better known to Americans as Groundhog Day. Among the Anglo-Saxons this date was called Éowomeoluc, from the fact that this was the time when the ewes came into milk. Bede wrote that the month of February was called Solmanaþ or "month of cakes," and that cakes were offered to the gods in this month. Garman Lord theorizes that Bede may have misunderstood his source, and that the month may have been called Suhlmonaþ or "plough month." A custom still performed in parts of Britain in late January and early to mid-February is the blessing of the plough, which may well have its origins in rites of the sort described in the Old English charm Æcer Bót.

It is unclear whether the Scandinavians had a holiday corresponding exactly to Éowomeoluc. They may have sacrificed to Fréa in February. The Icelanders conducted a sacrifice at the beginning of the month they called Gói, which generally fell anywhere from mid-February to mid-March. The Góiblót could well have been an Icelandic version of the holiday called Éowomeoluc in Old English.

Easter / Éostron

Today Easter is used of the Christian festival celebrating the resurrection of Jesus. Like Yule, the name Easter dates back to heathendom. The Anglo-Saxons usually called the holiday Éastron, the plural of Old English Éastre. Bede tells us that the Anglo-Saxons called April Éosturmonaþ, after the goddess Éastre, for whom they held festivals that month.

The Scandinavians either did not know of the goddess Éostre or failed to preserve her name. In mediaeval Iceland the Christian holiday was called Paskar, a word descending ultimately from the Hebrew word for Passover. However, the Scandinavians share many Easter customs with other Germanic peoples — the decorating of eggs, Easter egg hunts, and related games — which could be heathen survivals.

May Day / Þrimeolce? / Sumarmál

May Day was long celebrated in England, though forgotten for a time in the modern era. Bede states that the Anglo-Saxons called the month of May Þrimeolce, meaning the cows could be milked three times a day. This name could well be very ancient and may have been common to all of the Germanic peoples.

In England May Eve was celebrated with bonfires, and May Day itself with gathering flowers. Among the Germans, Walpurgisnacht was celebrated with huge bonfires, as Goethe's Faust so aptly portrays. For both the ancient and modern Icelanders, the end of April marked the official beginning of summer. Sumarmál, occurring around April 20, marked the last days of winter and the first days of summer.

Midsummer / Midsumer / Miðsumar

The Christian church chose the summer solstice as the date for St. John's Day, at least partly because it marked one of heathendom's major celebrations. Among many of the Germanic peoples, Midsummer was a summertime equivalent of Yule. In England Midsummer's Eve was celebrated with huge bonfires through which young men would leap, and was considered a perfect time for divination.

Anglo-Saxon chroniclers sometimes refer to June and July as ærra Líða and æftera Líða — "before Líða" and "after Líða" — reflecting the names for December and January. This makes it possible that the Anglo-Saxons also knew Midsummer by the name "Líða." The Scandinavians were no different: as in other Germanic countries, Midsummer's Eve was celebrated with bonfires. To this day in Sweden young girls weave garlands from flowers and the maypole is still raised, as the Swedish Midsummer celebration lasts three days.

Lammas / Hlæfmæsse / KornskurðR?

From Old English sources we know that Lammas or Hlæfmæsse was a Christian festival in which the season's first new loaves of bread were blessed, celebrated on August 1. Given that Christianity's festivals almost never concern themselves with first fruits, Lammas was likely a survival of a heathen festival. The word mæsse in Hlæfmæsse is from Latin; Garman Lord theorizes that the original heathen name may have been Hlæfmæst or "feast of loaves."

Old Norse and Icelandic sources show little trace of a festival in late July or early August. However, in Sweden August was called Skördemånad or "reaping month," and in Iceland it was called Kornskurðmán or "corn reaping month." That the first grain harvest took place in Sweden and Iceland at approximately the same time as in England suggests the ancient Scandinavians may have also marked the occasion.

Harvest / Hærfest / Haust

In ancient times, September was a month when several crops were harvested. That the Anglo-Saxons may have held a harvest festival in September can be shown by the name they gave that month — Haligmonaþ or "holy month." This indicates that some sacral activity accompanied the September harvest. This festival could well have survived in many parts of England as "Harvest Home."

Icelandic sources refer to the haustblót or "fall sacrifice" and the haustboð or "fall feast," and "Harvest Home" celebrations are to be found in Scandinavia and Iceland as well. These festivals could well be heathen survivals.

Winter Nights / Winterfylleð / VetrnættR

The festival called VetrnættR or "Winter Nights" in Old Norse sources is one of the best documented holidays among the Germanic peoples. Celebrated around October 14 according to our modern calendar, the ancient Scandinavians considered VetrnættR to be the official beginning of winter. Icelandic sources make it fairly clear that blóts to both the Álfar and the Dísir took place at this time. It also seems likely that a blót to Fréa took place during this festival. King Olaf's poet Sigvat complained that while travelling in Sweden he could not find lodging because everyone was sacrificing to the elves.

It seems quite apparent that the Anglo-Saxons celebrated their own equivalent of VetrnættR. The Old English name for the month of October was Winterfylleð, "winter full moon," suggesting they may have considered it the beginning of winter. Winterfylleð is immediately followed by Blótmonaþ — Bede states that Blótmonaþ was so named because the ancient Anglo-Saxons gave a portion of their slaughtered livestock to the gods at that time.

Beyond these major holidays, both peoples also celebrated festivals peculiar to their own time and place. The Icelanders celebrated Þorrablót in the depth of winter; many rural English communities preserved local festivals of their own, some of which could date back to heathen times. The festivals discussed above are simply those that appear to have been the major observances of the year for the Germanic peoples as a whole.

Sacral Kingship

As can be seen above, the Anglo-Saxons and Icelanders shared many beliefs and many religious practices in common. In addition to those cited above, both groups also believed in the dynamistic force called in Old English mægen and in wyrd. One of the biggest differences between the two traditions, however, lies in the institution of sacral kingship.

For the Anglo-Saxons, sacral kingship was a central part of their religion. The king was not merely a political leader but the representative of the folk before the gods — responsible for defending the tribal luck (mægen) through proper conduct of religious observances and the maintenance of right order. Nearly every Anglo-Saxon royal family traced its lineage back to Wóden, and the institution of deified kingship was important enough that heroes could apparently be raised to godhood after death.

On the other hand, circumstances would force Iceland to abandon sacral kingship. In the ninth and tenth centuries Norway suffered through some of the worst kings to appear among the Germanic peoples. Harald Finehair seized the hereditary estates and forced all farmers to be his tenants; many fled to Iceland. His son EiríkR Bloodaxe continued his father's reign of tyranny and murdered his own brothers. In behaving as despots, these kings violated the central tenets of sacral kingship — they broke troth with the gods and the folk. As a result, many Norwegians fled for Iceland where they had to find new ways of defending the tribal luck without a sacral king.

Even though the system the Icelanders developed lacked sacral kingship, its roots were still firmly in Germanic tradition. Much of the task of determining the law fell to various local assemblies or þings. The highest þing, the Alþing, was Iceland's national "parliament." Within this system the duties which would usually fall to a king were divided between various offices: the lögsögumaðR ("law speaking man") acted as the guardian of the law and was required to recite it from memory at the beginning of each Alþing. The interpretation of the law fell to the goðar — who in heathen times had been the priests — who made up the Lögrétta, a legislative assembly of forty-eight members.

It must be pointed out that the Icelanders were not the only Germanic peoples who did not have sacral kings. Many scholars believe that the Saxons may have lacked sacral kingship before they arrived in England. That Iceland operated without a sacral king is then not a precedent, but another variation in the very flexible traditions of Germanic governance.

Endword

Anglo-Saxon heathendom and Icelandic Asatru had much in common. Both groups worshipped the same major gods. Similarly, both groups believed in many of the same wights — elves, ettins, dwarves, and nickers populated the legends of both peoples. They also celebrated many of the same festivals: both the Anglo-Saxons and the ancient Scandinavians celebrated Yule, Midsummer, and Winter Nights at approximately the same time of year. These two branches of heathendom are remarkably similar, as two branches of the same religion would be expected to be.

Anglo-Saxon heathendom and Icelandic Asatru also differed in many respects. Some of the gods known to the Anglo-Saxons — Éostre above all — might not have been known to the Icelanders, and vice versa. And while they appear to have held the major festivals in common, some of the lesser festivals may not have been celebrated by both groups. Of course, the most glaring difference between Anglo-Saxon heathendom and Icelandic Asatru is that the Icelanders lacked sacral kingship. This is not to say that the Icelanders did not believe in sacral kingship, but more likely that they did not practise it — their own kings having broken troth with them, the Icelanders had to protect the tribal luck through other means. Even then, the system they developed was rooted firmly in the þing system found among many Germanic peoples, including the Anglo-Saxons.

Though they differ in some respects, Anglo-Saxon heathendom and Icelandic Asatru are very similar. Both were genuine manifestations of Germanic heathendom and both grew out of the beliefs of the same peoples who inhabited northwest Europe in the days of yore.

Colophon

Posted anonymously to alt.religion.asatru on 30 November 2006. Original Message-ID: [email protected]. The author demonstrated command of Old English, Old Norse, and the scholarly literature on Germanic heathenry, drawing on Bede's De Temporum Ratione, Snorri Sturluson's Eddas, the Heimskringla, Viktor Rydberg's comparative mythological work, Garman Lord's The Way of the Heathen, and Edred Thorsson's Runelore.

This essay represents the reconstructionist tradition of alt.religion.asatru at its scholarly best — careful comparison rather than speculation, attentive to what the sources do and do not say, and generous in acknowledging gaps in our knowledge. It was written during the peak years of the newsgroup, when Germanic heathenry's online presence was beginning to develop a serious literary tradition.

Preserved from the Usenet archive for the Good Work Library by the New Tianmu Anglican Church, 2026.

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