What is Heathenism? || Is this Pagan path right for you?

Heathenry, also called Heathenism or Germanic Paganism is a modern Pagan religion. It was developed in Europe during the early 20th century and its practitioners model it on the pre-Christian belief systems of the Germanic peoples of the Iron Age and Early Middle Ages.

Heathens work to reconstruct these past belief systems using surviving historical, archaeological, and folkloric research from this time period. Among the historical sources used are Old Norse texts associated with Iceland such as the Prose Edda and Poetic Edda and Old English texts such as Beowulf. Reconstructing religious practices from texts like these can be very tricky as they were written by Christians and only discuss pre-Christian religions in a fragmented and biased manner.

Heathenry does not have a unified theology but in general it’s polytheistic and centers on a pantheon of deities from pre-Christian Germanic Europe. Some of the main deities in Heathenism are Týr, Odin, Thor, Frigg, and Freyja from Scandinavian sources as well as Wōden and Ēostre from Anglo-Saxon sources. Some practitioners also adopt the belief from Norse mythology that there are two sets of deities, the Æsir and the Vanir.

Many practitioners blend the different pre-Christian religions of the Scandinavian & Germanic peoples and use a mix of Old English and Old Norse names for the deities (such as Odin vs Wotan), while others keep them separate and only venerate deities from a particular region. Those who focus more on the Scandinavian regional deities and traditions may refer to their practice as Asatru or Norse Paganism instead of Heathenry or Germanic Paganism.

When it comes to faith, most heathen practitioners are "hard" polytheists and believe in the literal existence of the deities as individual entities. Others express a psychological interpretation of the divinities, viewing them for instance as symbols or as Jungian archetypes.

Like the Greek and Roman pantheons, Heathen deities are not seen as perfect, omnipotent, or omnipresent, and are instead viewed as having their own strengths and weaknesses. Heathens view their connection with their deities not as being that of a master and servant but rather as an interdependent relationship akin to that of a family. This concept is very different from the Abrahamic religions, which view God as an omnipotent master that demands faith and service.

Along with honoring the Gods, Heathens have an animistic view of the cosmos in which the natural world is imbued with spirits. In Heathenism the deities and spirits are honored in sacrificial rites known as blóts in which food and libations are offered to them. Some practitioners also engage in rituals & practices designed to induce an altered state of consciousness and visions, such as the seiðr, with the intent of gaining wisdom and advice from the deities.

Like many Pagan religions, beliefs about the afterlife vary and are rarely emphasized. There’s more of a focus on your actions here and now instead of where you may end up after death. In fact, ethics are considered to be an important aspect of modern heathenry and heathen groups emphasize honor, personal integrity, and loyalty.

Now, I do want to take a minute to explain that some of these beliefs have a dark past. Heathenry's origins lie in the 19th- and early 20th-century romanticism which glorified the pre-Christian societies of Germanic Europe. Groups actively venerating these deities appeared in Germany and Austria during the early 1900s and there was a connection between the veneration of these European deities and the rise of the Nazi party. However, these groups known as the Volkish movement largely dissolved following Nazi Germany's defeat in World War II.

In the 1970s, new Heathen groups started to become established in Europe and North America and a central division within the modern Heathen movement has emerged surrounding the issue of race. Some heathen groups known as "folkish" within the community view Heathenry as an ethnic religion with inherent links to a Germanic race. They believe it should be reserved for people of Northern European descent, and often combine the religion with right-wing perspectives. A much larger proportion of Heathens instead adopt a "universalist" perspective, holding that the religion is open to all, irrespective of ethnic or racial identity.

So, what are your thoughts about Heathenism? Do you see yourself following this pagan path? Share your thoughts in the comments.