Lewis Stead

The Ravenbook

loyalty to the Gods)

is practiced in virtually all the countries where it originally

flourished as well as America and Australia. It is one of a body of

religions calling themselves Neo-Paganism which include Druidism, the

revival of ancient Celtic Paganism, and Wicca or Neo-Pagan Witchcraft.

However Asatru remains largely unknown even within the community of

Neo-Pagan believers.

This book is intended as a basic introduction to the beliefs and

practices of the Raven Kindred of Asatru. We do not pretend to be

experts and wont act as if we were. Rather we are simply believers

in the Old Gods seeking to share our practice and research with others

who are true to the Aesir. Our aim is to present a simple guide which

will allow easy understanding of the principles behind Asatru and to

give hints for further study and exploration.

While we attempt to be historically accurate to our religions roots,

its important to note that there are many things that we simply dont

know or which arent written in stone. It is very important to us to

stay as true to the ways of the old Pagans as is possible. While we

occasionally need to flesh out our systems where we dont have direct

evidence of our ancestors ways, we are not likely to simply make up

things. In those places where the various myths, legends, and

folklore are not clear, we have tried to indicate this.

The most important thing for modern people to remember about Asatru is

that it is a religion. It is not a system of magick or spirituality

or New Age Practice which can be grafted onto something else or onto

which other systems can be grafted wholesale. Asatru is a word

derived from As a God of the Aesir family and tru meaning troth.

To be Asatru is to be bound by loyalty and troth to the Old Gods of

the North. While we may believe in the deities of other religions and

peoples, and even respect them, these are not our Gods. While we may

take part in rituals dedicated to other Gods at Pagan festivals or

ecumenical gatherings which encompass many other religions, we must

not forget that Asatru is our religion and our primary concern. One

simply does not collect membership in Asatru (or any other religion)

as if one were collecting stamps. Our Gods are real and worthy of our

respect. For modern Asatruar, troth also means being loyal to the

ways in which our religion was practiced in the past; thus we are not

eclectic and tend to focus on learning about our ancestors ways of

worshipping. We do not present our way as the only true Asatru, but

we do feel that all Asatru should be solidly connected to its roots in

ancient Norse practice. Where we do not know the certain answer to a

question, there is room for exploration, but not for simply making

something up out of whole cloth. While inspiration from the Gods is

an important part of our movement, this is not make believe and any

additions to the historical system should be made with respect to our

ancient roots.

Today many people practice a number of different religions feeling

that this is the best way to avoid intolerance, we have a completely

different view of the world. Asatru is not a universal religion. We

do not see ourselves as a path for everyone. We are true polytheists

and see the world as encompassing many religions which worship many

Gods. While we do not deny the beliefs of others, we also do not

confuse them with our own. The idea that it is all one is anathema

to the true Heathen. To claim that Odin is the same God as Zeus is

madness. Would one claim that green and red are the same merely

because they are both colors? If one disagrees with this perspective

or finds it limiting so be it. Our belief is also that Asatru is not

a path for everyone and it is better to find ones own way rather than

bend the religions of others to fit ourselves.

In accordance with this non-universalist conception, as much as we

have been able to, we have not adopted the practices of other Pagan

religions or magickal systems. Those familiar with Wicca will note

that most modern Neo-Pagan systems are derived from it. This is not

the case with Asatru. Our religion began with reconstruction based on

written sources dating from the ancient Pagan period. This has been

followed by over 20 years of innovation and practice within the