Asatru came to be as a movement intended to revive the old religion of Northern Europe. This religion has been official in Scandinavia until the Christianity was adopted, in the 11th century AD, during the reigns of Olaf Tryggvason and his heir Olaf Haraldson, later called St Olaf. Although the old faith was being rooted out – by ways violence or fraud – it stayed alive to this day finding its heir in Asatru. Thus, Asatruans revere the Gods revered by their ancestors, namely the Pantheon of Aesir and the Pantheon of Vanir. Seeing how Nordic mythology is fairly well known, I shall not dwell upon it, but immediately explain some specifics of the Asatru movement such as its symbols, holidays and specific beliefs.

Beliefs

What makes the Asatru movement different from other, modern neo-pagan movements, foremost from the most widely popular among them, Wicca? First of all, Wicca is a female religion that insists on the female principle as a counterweight to the male principle in Christianity. Both religions limit the Deity by means of sex, and such an absolute entity must not and cannot ever be limited in such a way. Also, there is no balance between the male and the female principle, and this great divide manifests itself mentally in believers of those two religions.
Asatruans revere Mother Nature, but she is not the main Deity, but one of the Gods, equal to them. She is Nerthur or Herta, also Erda or Jord. Asatru is, first and foremost, a warrior religion, but besides the Gods of war, the Aesir, Gods of fertility and in nature in general, the Vanir, are revered also. Here we see the balance of the two principles, the warrior principle, destructive, and the productive principle of the Vanir. Also the balance of the male and female principle is present in the very concept of Cosmogony – the Universe is created from Fire and Ice, the active and the passive principle. Ymir, from whom humans, dwarves and other entities originates, means Twosex. Odin himself, as chief Deity, possesses both male and female characteristics, of which I have already spoken in the article about seith.

One of the basic principles of Nordic religion and the differentia specifica of Asatru is war. Why is this notion so crucial to understanding of the Asatru movement and its believers?

War

War is ubiquitous in the whole history of mankind, the Universe and Gods, and this history ends with war. Asatru, as a warrior religion, considers war to be sacred and the man, the warrior, a person who has adopted the highest principles and defeated their own fear of pain and death. Because a warrior does not run from pain and death, he defies them. He goes into battle knowing that its outcome is uncertain, but accepts his fate, whatever it may bring. Odin can call him to his halls or grant him a victory, both of which is considered a lucky sign. Why does he defy Destiny and taunts it? "He who is compliant with Destiny is lead by Her, one who resists her, is dragged by Her." Nowadays it is difficult to understand such facing with one's death and fear of it, in a time when all our needs are settled, when we live comfortably, unaware of forces that control us. The old believers then, and Asatruans today, lead the battle a person leads daily, with themselves or the misfortunes of life. At the same time, this is an answer: they are at all times ready for the next blow of Destiny, for the next manifestation of Odin's will. Yet, this understanding forces a person to observe, with full consciousness, their own existence, to fearlessly try everything life gives and accept all of life's ups and downs. Friedrich Nitsche defined this attitude thusly: "life should be affirmed every day" and "one should say YES to life".
War is essential in human existence, and the answer to the question why does war take such a crucial place in the Nordic religion system. People who approach the Asatruan movement are by their nature warriors. Odin, the chief God of Asatruans, is himself the warrior principle, the spirit of war, its essence. Unlike Tir, to whom victory is vital, Freya and Odin are connected to fighting for its own merits. It's known that Odins warriors, the berserkers, obsessessed with their Deity, went into battle with no armour and fought practically with bear hands. It was said of them that they were possessed by the spirit of the bear or the wolf (berserkr means bearskin, ulfsark – wolfskin); in fact, they were possessed by Wodan himself, whose name means Fury. In Valhalla, the promised award for every fallen warrior, the battle rages on. Warriors fight each other every day, asserting the warrior principle in themselves.
So, unlike the Wiccans and Christians, who call for the utopic unity amongst men and the universal principle of love, Asatruans have war as the basis of their religion. This, of course, does not mean that they advocate abject slaughter, but that their understanding of war is much more real – war emerges from the human need for destruction, which Froyd called Thanatos.

Concept of the Nine superior virtues

Another specific of the Asatru movement is the Concept of Nine superior virtues. This concept is considered as the regulative principle of behaviour and every Asatruan tries to reach these nine virtues. They are:

Loyalty
Courage
Hospitality
Perseverence
Freedom
Thruthfulness
Honour
Discipline
Diligence

Sacred manuscripts

The basis of Asatru lies in sacred manuscripts of the old Nordic religion: the Eddas i sagas. One of the most important parts of the poetic Edda is the Havamal, containing the regulative principles of behaviour mentioned above, the bases of moral action. Havamal is the most sacred script of all, because it contains the words of Odin himself – Hava-mal translates as Words of the High One, i.e. the words of Odin. As the Qu’ran to Muslims, the Torah to Jews, and the Bible to the Christians, Havamal was considered a talisman in its material form, bringing good luck to one possessing it. Beside moral recommendations for all aspects of life – from love to death – this script containts 18 spells. Among others the invulnerability spell, a spell to raise the dead, seduction spell &c. Their power is greater if they’re written and read in Icelandic, because Icelandic is the holy language of Asatru. One other script containing the basis of Asatruan beliefs should be mentioned, namely the Gylfaginning or the Deception of Gylfi, which alongside Nordic mythology, also contains some magical techniques. Besides the Eddas and the sagas there exists a strictly Asatru literature. The authors of these books are Edred Thorsson, Kveldulf Gundarsson, Jan Fries, Freya Aswynn &c.                                                                                                                       

Holidays

Asatruans, same as other neo-pagans, celebrate the four major Solstices. Besides them, some other holidays are celebrated, specific to the Nordic religion, and I will proceed to explain some of them.
February the 15th is celebrated as the day of renewal, dedicated to Freya nd Vali. Vali is Odin’s son who survives Ragnarok and so Odin continues to live through him, renewed As for Freya, it is obvious that she renews and is reborn in every new plant that starts growing again in spring.
Celebrated on the 2nd of February and the 2nd of November are holidays dedicated to Disir. Disir is the plural of Dis and signifies the female Deities considered to be mothers of tribes. During their lifetimes these women were priestesses or queens of tribes, deified after death.
Walpurgis, the festival celebrated from the 22nd of April till the 1st of May is dedicated to Odin and the Goddess Walburg. It’s believed that these nine days of the holiday represent the nine days Odin hang on Yggdrasil, sacrificing himself so he could come to know the secrets of the Universe.

                                                                       List of Holidays:

December 20th-31st – Yuletide
February 2nd-15th – Disting
March 20th-21st – Ostara
April 22nd-May 1st – Walpurgis
May 30th – Einherjar
June 20th-21st – Middsummer
July 31st-August 1st – Lithasblot
September 22nd-23rd – Mabon

Asatru Symbols

Each religion has its specific symbols, signs of power used as amulets, as well as plants and animals considered sacred. The following symbols are used as talismans:
 
Thor’s hammer – the best know and most significant Asatru symbol, in days of yore seen as a phallic fertility symbol. Put in the lap of the future bride, it was used to consecrate and bless the marriage. The original Thor’s hammer, Mjolnir, contains a firm, unbreakable ring, at its top, and sometimes a wolf’s head. Being a sacred item, this symbol was used to perform oaths. Today, as of yore, it is worn as a symbol of one’s faith, the troth.

Valknut – its meaning is Knot of the killed i.e. fallen (Val-knut; in the same manner Val-halla means Hall of the fallen). It is also known as Odin’s eye and represents the Valkyries who choose the dead. Besides that, Valknut is the symbol of Freya and the matriarchat. As mother of the Valkyries she accepts half of the dead warriors in her Halls, while the other half goes to Odin. As a symbol Valknut signifies the victory over one’s Ego, connected to the material, and a personal progress towards higher spiritual spheres.

Od’s Eye– symbol of the Sun, that looks like a circle with a dot in the middle. Basically, this is a symbol of the Sun as it is represented since prehistory (in alchemy it was used as the symbol of gold). It signifies the spark of the Divine consciousness, immortality and the pure, uncorrupt energy. It represents man in general, as well as people with authority.

Swastika– a symbol seen in all cultures and civilizations of the world (Hindus, Mays, Slavs, Germans).
Seeing how there are two different forms of the swastika, there are also two different magic functions. The right facing swastika is considered to be solar, and the one facing left the lunar. Personally, I believe that the functions of the so called lunar swastika are, as of yet, insufficiently explained, so I would recommend only the first, solar swastika, for magical practice. (There remains the question whether the lunar swastika is lunar at all, since the swastika is connected with the number 6, and so with the sphere of the Sun, that is the Tifaret. Another fact goes to this point: the Germans consider this symbol to consists of two Sowilo Runes, i.e. Runes signifying the Sun). swastika is used to strengthen energetic potentials of other symbols, for instance the Runes, but can also be used to renew regenerative processes.   
 
Sacred oath ring – worn since the days of yore as a ring around the arm, in that way symbolizing our connexion with the Gods of our ancestors. It’s known from Icelandic sagas, which describe it as part of the magic clothing of Icelandic priests. These rings were worn in the hand or on one’s person when giving oaths, during weddings &c.

Wheel of terror or Wheel of fear– it looks just like a steering wheel, with a set of three lines on the end of each arm. In a simpler version this symbol is represented of four Algiz Runes. The Wheel of terror is one of the most potent sigils of the North. It’s used for defense and gives power to one wearing it, sending madness to his opponents. It used to be made of steel and positioned on the helmet; today Asatruans use it for protection.
                              
Runes– depending on its powers and quality they are worn to begin, encourage or stop different processes. Bind runes are more often used, since the binding enhances the power and function of the runic talsiman. Runes should, naturally, not be used for these purposes unless we are certain in their meaning, because they can cause effects we were not hoping for.

The following plants and animals are sacred in the Nordic tradition:

Apple– symbol of life emerging from death, also a symbol of fertility. The Goddess Idun used them to prolong the life of Gods as well as renew their youth and health. Crabapples were put in graves since the Bronze age, symbolizing thus life that comes after death. Besides that, the apple is a symbol of knowledge, wisdom and the Cosmos.

Wolf– as among the Slavs, the wolf is considered a sacred animal. Odin was called Master of Wolves, because two wolves – Ger and Freki – were always at his side. Also, Odin himself used the shape of the wolf in his astral journeys as well as journeys among men, spoken of in the Volsungs saga. The wolf is connected to death and rebirth; is a symbol of the spiritual teacher and shapeshifting.

The Raven – connected to shapeshifting as well as the aspects of fighting, death, defrauding, cunning, wisdom and clairvoyance. The Raven announces a forthcoming battle because he follows the amry no matter how well it’s concealed. As carrion in the battlefield, Ravens are connected with Valkyries.

The Horse– the favourite animal, was connected to Goddesses, as well as the Vanir and Odin (namely his horse Sleipnir, leading him on his travels between the worlds. Thus, this animal is connected to traveling to other levels of reality and as such to death and clairvoyance. Because of this connexion of the horse with death, horses’ heads were buried alongside graves as protection (a similar custom is found among the Scyths, only they would put the rider beside the horse, both impaled with a spear).

The Owl– described as the creature of the Goddess Mother, this animal is sacred to Holde, Nerthus, Friga, Skadi and Hel. It’s said that the owl carries messages through dreams; it is also connected to the mysteries of seith, i.e. the shaman world.

Vanadis

translation: Uroš Rajčević