Perhaps more than anything, modern Heathenry is struggling to build cultures. I use the word “cultures” because I do not believe we are developing in one single way, nor do I think it would be helpful or ultimately possible to guide our development in such a way. Many of the discussions, such as the one I just wrote around suffering, joy, yearning, as well as others regarding our history, aesthetics, and what we are seeking to build, leads me to think on these things. So does my ongoing reading in Indigenous Healing Psychology.
I appreciate Cambridge Dictionary’s definition of culture, which will suit our needs: “the way of life, especially the general customs and beliefs, of a particular group of people at a particular time”.
Heathenry as a whole has been around in its modern iterations since the 70s, and, in many respects since that time, has come a long way from its racist and Romanticist past. While a comprehensive overview of Heathenry’s past is beyond the scope of this post and blog, I heavily recommend folks check out The Heathen History podcast for both its thoroughness and perspective. If you prefer to read, The Troth has a timeline here as well.
There is no question there is a lot of work to do within Heathenry to make the religion as a whole more inclusive. We are, however, at a point in time where distinctive Heathen religions and cultures are making themselves known. Since The Troth and the AFA definitively went their separate ways, the divides between them have deepened significantly. Where The Troth has embraced inclusivity in a variety of ways, the Asatru Folk Assembly has wholeheartedly embraced white supremacy. It is also important to note the general direction of The Troth and the AFA are in different areas: under the law and in their organizing, The Troth is a religious organization whereas the AFA is a church. This is a major component to understanding when it comes to how the modern Troth operates, and why many critiques of the organization’s structure fundamentally do not work.
In short, The Troth is not going to be the organization that produces a culture unto itself, save in a kind of reflection of greater trends within the inclusive Heathens that make it up. Distinct voices have made an impact in both the general membership and in leadership roles. In recent times, Urglaawe has emerged as a distinct Heathen voice and path, with Rob Schreiwer having served a term as the Steer of the Troth. What has come forward since Lauren Crow took the helm has been, in my view, the largest professionalization and updating of The Troth both in terms of its structure and its leadership. Not only have policy updates come forward that are intentionally inclusive with regards to race, ethnicity, neurodivergence, ability, and sobriety, the range of Gods that are willingly celebrated within Trothmoot gatherings has been expanded to be fully inclusive of those its membership actively worships. In other words, all of the Gods, including Loki, His Children, and Jötnar generally, who had been excluded from Trothmoot previously.
The Troth as it exists now is not actually here to build culture, per se. That would be the purview of the various Kindreds, tribes, groups, and individuals that make up the membership of the organization. I would argue that Urglaawe, with its basis in Pennsylvania Dutch culture, its own Runelore, Gods, and magical practices, qualifies as a distinct Heathen culture which has emerged in the recent past. There are regional forms of Heathenry making themselves known now, where an emphasis in terms of how the Ginnreginn are worshipped, understood, and related to, are reified through one’s locale rather than primarily or exclusively through an ancient Icelandic, Norwegian, Germanic, Saxon, or Anglish lens. If anything, given its structure and how it has developed over time, The Troth is a reflection of Heathen culture writ large by its membership.
Why does this matter? Because one of the many issues I have read/seen/heard that folks cite with The Troth is that it does not do more to speak on issues of note, on causes that are near and dear to many independent Heathens, and those within The Troth. As the largest inclusive Heathen organization, The Troth has a wide swathe of membership, bylaws to follow, and structure to adhere to. If you want leadership to shoot its mouth off or to act quickly without oversight, thought, or input, the examples of The Asatru Community, aka TAC, and Awaken the North are available. Not only was vetting poor in these communities, it was swiftly overrun with racists and their enablers. While The Troth has made missteps, mistakes, and outright fuck-ups, it has rededicated itself several times over the course of its life, righted the ship as best it could, and continued to be a true institution in communities where there are precious few, let alone inclusive ones.
So if I am not a member of The Troth as a culture building exercise, why bother with it? Because The Troth is both a reflection of and reinforcer of the cultures of those within it, and I would far rather bring The Troth left by being in it, raising my voice, and causing change from inside of it than to be outside of it. While The Troth is not here to build culture on its own, it does affect it. It is the most visible, largest, and inclusive international Heathen organization. It does work in mental health institutions and prisons, a needed counter to the AFA and other white supremacist groups. Its existence makes an impact on the cultures in Heathenry, and in turn, it is impacted by the culture of those within it. Being present in such an organization matters.
A big stumbling block to building culture, in my view, is the ideological purity requirements many bring with them to Heathenry. The ideological purity requirements of some folks in modern Pagan and Heathen circles seems to me to be born out of a sense of justice, anxiety, or a desire to be ‘right’ and unassailable. I see many of these anxieties and desire to be ‘right’ and unassailable, even many of the ways that the sense of justice comes forward, to be rooted in Christian notions and expressions. Indeed, the way language is deployed from a lot of these sectors tends to be echoing the ideas of sin and salvation without much of the grace or forgiveness. Well-meaning or not, as the saying goes, intent is not impact.
The problem with ideological purity, especially lacking compassion and attendant justice, is that making cultures is a messy thing. A cursory look at the history of Paganism and Heathenry in the milieu it comes from very clearly shows this. Without Wicca modern Heathenry would likely not exist as it does now. Without both the generally leftward pull of the Goddess movement, the more reactionary elements within broader Heathenry, and the pendulum swinging back again, The Troth and modern Heathenry would both be very different.
Likely, Heathenry more broadly without these influences in its past would likely be far more far-right politically, if not entirely a political animal, as desired by Else Christiansen and her ilk. Many of the broader trends since that have impacted the New Age communities and occult communities, given the early intersection, have also come in various forms to our own. There is no purity as such to be found, and the yearning nostalgia for a Golden Age past that never was has had more than enough time to be a driving force in Heathen and Pagan communities. The yearning for ideological purity is likewise toxic, corrosive to healthy communities and people, and produces an insidious performativity that gets in the way of genuine connection and community building.
So how is Heathenry developing cultures? One of the big ways is how folks choose, and then engage, with what I tend to call ‘home cultures’, the cultures that the Heathen is taking their cues from, such as Icelandic, Norwegian, or Aenglish. Another is by where they live. Taken together, many Heathens are approaching their particular Heathen ways in a dynamic, localized way that brings their local environment and the particular Heathen culture together in unique ways. Some folks, myself included, are incorporating as much language from the home culture as they are able, bringing it forward with new use and neologisms. These are the developing stages of culture.
If archaeology and investigation of what written sources remains to us have taught us anything about ancient Heathen cultures, it is that they were consistently in flux, changing, and were differently engaged with at different times, places, and circumstances. Whatever we solidly make now I expect will change over the long-term. Hell, even in the last twenty years I have seen a lot of Pagans go from not having much to do with Ancestors to actively worshipping the Ancestors become part of mainstream polytheist and animist communities. I would hope folks embrace this lack of certainty, no matter what traditions take root as a result of the work we have done and will do. This quote by Gustav Mahler sums up my idea here: “Tradition is not the worship of ashes, but the preservation of fire.”
Heathens need to be aware of how much responsibility we have in forming good relationships with our Ginnreginn and each other, and providing good soil for the next generation to grow from. What we take from and amend that soil with is what the next generation will have to grow with. What we grow today becomes part of the soil for ourselves and the generations to come.
With that in mind, what are some things I want to see Heathenry develop?
I want us to keep on developing local cultus. Local expressions that honor our Heathen Ginnreginn, and where we can, those Ginnreginn that were here well before us. I want us to keep on develop hearth cultus. Those Gods, Ancestors, and vættir that share our homes and our lives can develop unique ways of doing so, and those I think are as important to pass on as anything else. Of course we want to approach experiences with discernment, and so should developing our traditions. Once we have, though, I think it is important we share them so they live on beyond us. If they stop being relevant to later generations they can make the choice to stop engaging with those traditions. However, while we live, even if it is something as small as “We put the offerings on this side of the fire for this reason” or “Each Yule we bake a Yule log cake and set some aside for the húsvættir” those are still as valid and needed as something larger like “We celebrate Yule this way”.
How we conduct ourselves is a big part of how I exist as a Heathen. The ethical considerations for others, how those decisions are made, and how we act are part of what we are passing on in our Heathen traditions. If the Earth is a God, whether you understand the Earth as Ýmir and/or Jörð, and if the world is full of Ginnreginn, then how we conduct ourselves matters because we are consistently doing so with others. How do we live in the systems we are enmeshed in and do the best we are able for the Ginnreginn we share our lives with? What does an ethical consideration for the land we live on look like?
For me, it is doing as much as I can to reduce my consumption, to live well on the Earth, and give back to the land and waters that I live among. While I may not be able to convince my government to respect the personhood of the land and waters, I can still treat them this way, still develop good relationships with Them, and take care of my home accordingly. I can plant native plants, encourage the ones that are already here, not rake up and burn the leaves, and compost what we are able. As I find there may be more we can do, I do it.
What does respect, in and out of ritual, look like? For example, what is a respectful gesture of greeting and farewell? Do we bow? If so, do we bow just our head? How far? Does a deep incline mean something different from a slight nod, and if so, when is each appropriate? Do we kneel? If so, when, how, and why? If we do not kneel, prostrate, or otherwise show deference, why, what does it say about our relationship with the Being at hand, and how do we conduct ourselves?
In my own case I will generally offer a handshake to a physical person, or a small bow from my neck or shoulders. A nod, if less formal. I generally will hail my Gods, and bow from the waist before my Gods after touching my hands on the top of my forehead and my heart, a gesture to greet them in voice, body, mind, and souls. A deeper incline might be used if I or others have caused some kind of offense or I am righting a wrong in ritual, such as someone throwing trash into the Sacred Fire. If the offense was severe, I may genuflect or prostrate myself as both a show of deference and apology.
What does formal ritual wear look like, and how might this change with time of year and climate? If we have formal ritual wear, is there a certain way it must look, or material it must be made from? Why?
For myself, I really enjoy wearing linen clothes. It feels amazing on my skin, comfortable to wear year-round, and there is a satisfaction in wearing it for me. Much of my formal ritual wear is Viking Age, made of linen or cotton, and it tends to consist of a linen tunic, linen pants, a tablet-woven belt, and a linen or wool cap. If it is colder I may wear leg wrappings and a Klappenrock coat, such as this one. Besides enjoying the look and feel of these materials, I also feel a kind of bringing the older Ancestors with me through wearing these clothes.
Wider questions around ritual specialists, spiritual specialists, and roles in the community are also being worked out as we go. Much of my blog here reflects this, and likewise my other media such as Around Grandfather Fire, 3 Pagans on Tap, and my YouTube Channel. My hope is that over time we have less need for ritual and spiritual specialists having to wear administrative hats as well in our groups. It is one thing to be the goði of a small Kindred, Mímisbrunnr Kindred in my case, and a whole other things to serve a variety of community functions. Mercifully, this is already starting to become the norm, and I am so glad to see it. There is also the working out of “When does this require a spiritual specialist?” which has also been cool to be part of in a variety of ways. Sometimes folks do not need us, they just need to be point in a good direction and we happen to be there. Sometimes folks are dealing with things that need our experience.
My experience with this has been that there is such a counter-cultural independent streak present in so many Pagan religions that this is going to keep on getting hammered out in different ways in Heathen spaces. Some folks are going to keep on with the idea of everyone being their own priest and others are going to rely on spiritual specialists more. I think at least part of this attitude comes from Wiccan religions and Wiccan-adjacent communities which, given their emphasis on initiation and training, does not surprise me. I do not consider this a bad thing in and of itself. I think that self-reliance is a good and fine thing to cultivate, and likewise, so are specialists who have training and experience in particular topics. Not every situation needs a person to engage with a diviner or spiritworker. I would hope that learning spiritual discernment and basics of various forms of spiritual exploration is something that is encouraged regardless of Pagan religion. I would like the stigma and ultra-independence to lessen in our communities so folks feel no shame, and are in fact, encouraged in asking for help from a spiritual specialist, especially prior to things getting too overwhelming, intense, or frustrating that they have to ask for help.
I hope I live long enough to see Heathenry develop different ways of speech, dress, mannerisms, rituals, and ceremonies. I hope to see the Heathen communities bloom like a field of wildflowers, each taking up their ground in different, beautiful ways that expresses that Heathen community’s relationship with the Ginnreginn, their views, their environment, and their ways of life. I hope that Heathen communities get to share all of this with the folks they live with, and bring their beauty to their neighbors, their lives, and the places they live. I hope we, in turn, are receptive to our neighbors and those we live with.
I have hope for Heathen communities. I have hope that we can be beautiful, vibrant cultures that bring the depth, power, and passion wherever we are, with whomever we are with. I have hope that we are taking the lessons from the past, and bringing forth a new, exciting future, one which lives well with our Ginnreginn and one another, that co-creates new ways forward while being grounded here in Miðgarðr. I have hope that we are building vibrant, powerful, deep, and rich Heathen communities, religions, and cultures.
Sarenth Odinsson 