Asatru

Asatru
Family	Modern Pagan / Heathen
Origin region	Iceland, Scandinavia, and modern Germanic revival communities
Founding period	Modern revival from the 20th century CE
Estimated adherents	Unknown globally; organized communities exist in Iceland, North America, Europe, and elsewhere.

Asatru is asatru is a modern Heathen religious movement that honors the gods, myths, ancestors, and ritual traditions associated with Norse and Germanic pre-Christian religion.

Overview

Asatru, often translated as belief in or loyalty to the Aesir, is a modern revivalist and reconstructionist movement inspired by Norse and wider Germanic religious sources. Communities differ in theology, ritual style, cultural emphasis, and social values. Many groups stress inclusive religious practice, while some fringe racialist interpretations are rejected by inclusive Heathen organizations.

Key beliefs

Honor for gods such as Odin, Thor, Freyja, Frigg, Tyr, Freyr, and other divine beings
Respect for ancestors, land spirits, and household powers
Emphasis on reciprocity, oath, honor, hospitality, and community
Mythic worldviews shaped by the Eddas, sagas, and folklore
Diverse views ranging from polytheistic realism to symbolic or cultural interpretation

Practices

Blot offerings
Sumbel ritual toasting and oath-making
Seasonal feasts and rites
Ancestor remembrance
Study of myths, sagas, runes, and historical sources

Places of worship

Home altar
Outdoor sacred site
Hof or community ritual space
Festival gathering

Sacred texts

Poetic Edda
Prose Edda
Icelandic sagas
Runic inscriptions
Modern Heathen ritual writings

Holidays and observances

Yule
Midsummer
Winter Nights
Disablot
Community-defined feast days

Branches and related traditions

Heathenry - The broader modern Pagan revival of Germanic religious traditions.
Norse paganism - The historical source tradition that inspires much Asatru practice.
Vanatru - A modern focus on the Vanir deities in some communities.