Heathenism

I’ve mentioned in the past about how I resonate primarily with the Norse pantheon of deities, and because of this I’ve been looking very heavily into Heathenism, which is also called Asatru by some. I was originally under the impression that Heathenism was completely different from other Pagan paths, which I guess they are all different but not in the way I was thinking. So, I wanted to talk about what I’ve learned and why I don’t consider myself a Heathen. 

Modern Heathenry at its core is simply the practice of following the Heathen, or Viking/Norse Gods and Goddesses. Classically the term heathen was used to describe a person who does not follow a Christian religion. Heathens are sometimes seen as barbaric, with few morals. It was the barbarian thought train that ultimately gave me the wrong idea of Heathenry, at least in the modern sense.  

Some practitioners do take heart in the barbaric-ness commonly associated with the word heathen, but what I’m finding is that most people simply choose to honor their Gods and live in what they believe to be a virtuous life. I found five lists of nine virtues for Heathenry. They all seemed to be brought into existence in the 1970’s and ‘80’s by various groups of Heathens. They all basically sum up to be faithful, to friends, family, and community, to not let outsiders do any in your circle wrong, and to not rely on the Gods to fix your shit when it hits the fan. You can Google “the nine noble virtues” if you want the exact wording and history. 

Like all Pagan religions there is a diverse way to practice Heathenry, but it appears to be widely accepted that for the most part magic isn’t a focal point. They honor their Gods, ancestors, and elders, but they’re more of an oath-based practice. If you give an oath as a Heathen it is supposed to become integrated into your way of life. To give a (shitty) example, say someone makes an oath to tell the truth in all things, be it an oath to Odin, or your cousin, it is now expected of you, based off your basic belief construct, to tell only the truth or they’ll be some Devine repercussion of some kind. Think of it like Karma beating you senseless if you break one of these oaths. At least that’s my understanding of it. 

Now, for me, I have nothing against their virtues, I have nothing against how they honor their Gods or ancestors, and I like the respect towards elders. I just don’t feel right about calling myself Heathen. I love preforming my magic works, and my practice is very divination heavy, and I collect rocks and crystals for their magical properties, and I’m still working on getting spell bottles together (it’s quite hard to get certain ideal herbs, and it’s with bitterness in my soul that I find an easier to obtain alternative). The more I learn about the basic structure of “mainstream” Heathenry, the less I feel connected to those who wholeheartedly practice it.  

So, I plan to simply stay a polytheist witch for now. 

What do you think? Do we have any Heathens who want to give their input? Please feel free to correct me on anything I was wrong about.