An Introduction to Ásatrú
"Cattle die, kinsmen die, but the fame of a noble man never dies." — Hávamál (Sayings of the High One, trans. Ursula Dronke) This old wisdom, spoken in the voice of Óðinn, captures the heart of the Norse worldview: life is fleeting, but honor endures. Ásatrú — the modern revival of the old Norse faith — carries this vision into our time. Ásatrú means “faith in the Æsir,” the principal tribe of Norse gods such as Óðinn, Thor, and Frigg. More broadly, it refers to the sacred trust between gods, ancestors, and humans. Once the living faith of pre-Christian Scandinavia, today Ásatrú is practiced around the world by people of Nordic heritage and beyond, drawn to its values of courage, kinship, and reverence for the natural world. What Is Ásatrú? Ásatrú is a polytheistic, earth-centered religion. It recognizes many gods and goddesses, as well as ancestors, land-spirits, and the web of fate that binds all beings. Unlike the omnipotent God of Christianity, the Norse gods are ...