Odinism in Iceland

Rasp

Senior Editor
[From: The Odinist, no. 26 (1977)]


ODINISM IN ICELAND


To most modern Odinists around the world, the name of Iceland conjures up visions of a sacred ground, a place worthy of pilgrimage. The idle observer might wonder at this, when he considers that Iceland was the first of the Scandinavian countries to pledge itself to the Christian faith (in the year 1000), while the heathen customs and beliefs were upheld in Sweden until about 1150 CE. Yet, as the tourist brochures love to exclaim, Iceland is a land of contrasts. Volcanic fire is poised against immense glaciers; bright summer nights are set against the short, dark winter days; a fundamental conservatism is contrasted with the Icelanders' overwhelming desire to be informed about the rest of the world. And this pattern of contrasts can be extended to provide some reason for the world regard of Iceland as the Mecca of Odinism.

For while the Icelanders were the first Scandinavians to accept Christianity for their nation, it was also they who, during the twelfth and thirteenth centuries, found the stories of their old gods and heroes of sufficient interest to warrant recording in narrative and poetic form. In other words, Icelanders' interest in the myths and legends of Odinism survived much longer than the Swedish practice of its rituals. It has, in fact, been said that Odinism has never really been lost to the Icelanders; that the folk have, through the centuriies, placed more faith in the elves, the spirits of the dead, and the weird folk who inhabit the hills, valleys and stones, than in the Christ who dwelt in the church many miles distant.

Sweden was slow to yield to the Christian yoke, but Christianity brought her into the field of European politics, and by the seventeenth century she was a power to be reckoned with. To Sweden, as to Norway and Denmark, Christianity bought entrance to Rome and riches, power and prestige. Although Iceland never lost her sense of European identity, her power and autonomy had been taken from her first by Norway, then Denmark. Her dependence was increased by geographical isolation, by climatic changes that led to poorer food production, and by that curse of the Middle Ages, the Black Death. It is easy to imagine that the Icelanders might have felt the Church to be singularly ineffective.

Yet it was not until this century that an organized group of Icelanders determined to reinstate the old religion that had played so formative a role in the development of the country's early nationhood.

Iceland shares with the rest of Scandinavia a formal state religion: Evangelical Lutheranism. Other sects, creeds and Christian denominations are deemed illegal unless approved officially by the government. Hence the Odinists in Iceland were for a long time without legal or social status -- a great hardship in a land where confirmation in the Lutheran Church is a pre-requisite for employment. In the early 1970s, when their strength had reached about 300, the Asa-trüar-menn, "men true to the AEsir" began to petition the government for official recognition. After many long tussles in parliament and the Press, this recognition was finally granted. Odinism is once again regarded as a valid religion in Iceland.

The leader of the Asatrüarmenn, the poet and farmer Sveinbjörn Beinteinsson, lives in an isolated valley 60 miles from Reykjavik. Here the Odinists rally to hold feasts, religious ceremonies and an annual Blöt. They are engaged in the building of a longboat, and have workshops in which they make metal jewellery, decorative carvings, utensils and suchlike.

The Asatrüarmenn have prepared a statement to outsiders, and it is of sufficient interest, I think, to bear repeating here:

1) Odinism is the name of the religion which we recognize, but the faith is not restricted to Odin and the AEsir alone. It is permissable to revere other gods, the guardian spirits of the land and other mighty beings.

2) This religion's central theme concerns the individual's responsibility for himself and his affairs. On this matter we are supported by Snorri's Edda and other sacred writings.

3) It is permissable to have holy pictures and other symbols of the gods, but it is not the individual's duty to worship them.

4) The gods and other divinities must not be dishonoured.

5) Attendance at an annual sacrificial feast is required, and an excuse must be furnished if one is prevented from coming.

6) It is permissable to have some form of natural contact with people who profess a different religion - such as those who participate at gatherings or go to Church. Followers of Odinism may not receive the attention of priests of another religion. It is permissable, however, to be married by a priest, if, for example, one of the betrothed is Christian.

7) Odinists who die may be buried in a churchyard, if the mourners so desire and the coffin is followed in seemly fashion.

8) Followers of Odinism may celebrate their faith in whatever manner seems most appropriate, on the understanding that this does not conflict with the natural laws of the land. The leader -- the godi -- has a duty to the members to handle those matters which are managed by the priests of other religions: baptism, confirmation, weddings, funerals, etc. The godi is required to adopt the role of spokesman if required.

9) The godi shall lead the way in the development of the religion, if he is so urged, but he does not have the sole responsibility for such development.

10) All can be, admitted as followers of Odinism, but each should at the same time resign formally from those organizations of which he was previously a member.

11) It is natural to divide the followers of Odinism into groups in accordance with the individual's attitudes. Each group sends one person with the authority of godi to the Thing, where the problems of development are discussed.

12) Followers of Odinism are united in this: "Let us work so that the old religion and old values regain their worth and honour."​

I think that this statement shows much careful thought and planning and a deep religious awareness. It also describes a very broad attitude, and is open to a wide range of interpretations. The tenth point is especially interesting in this respect. I was told by some of the Asatrüarmenn that a good proportion of their membership was of left-wing political persuasion, and that the membership as a whole spanned the entire political spectrum. Most non-Icelandic Odinists will no doubt find this feature of the Icelandic religion rather disturbing, for it may well be postulated that Odinism and a left-wing political stance are incompatible.

I feel, however, that the Icelandic situation is unique, and should be appreciated as such. To all citizens of that country, the fact of being an Icelander vastly outweighs individual political differences. Only the lunatic-fringe communists put Marxism before a recognition of the importance of national, and consequently racial, identity. It may therefore be possible for the Asatrüarmenn, having terminated their associations with any other organizations, to genuinely relegate political differences to an unimportant level, and to work co-operatively and successfully together on a religious plane.

I cannot see how such co-operation could be achieved in any less homogenous society, but the Icelanders assured me that it works. It is difficult, and probably unjust, to attempt any judgment beyond this. It is enough to have been able to observe a genuine and valid religious resurgence in Iceland, a country that has been a focus for all historical studies of Odinism.

[M.S.]
 
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