Message #23072

[Chastity]

Beliefs & organization

The core belief of the Asatru is the worship of the Norse gods as living, real, super-human entities. Such worship is done in both private and public. The Asatru believe the Norse gods can (and do) wield power in world today. Some Asatru believe that certain runes can channel the power of the gods, controlled, to a degree, by the rune carver.

The main gods which are worshiped are

+Thor - slayer of giants, protector of humanity. Thor's hammer is the most common symbol of the Asatru.
+Odin - master of magic, poetry, as well as chaos and death.
+Tyr - a god of justice, order, and war.
+Freyr - a god of fertility and good fortune.

A few Asatru also worship Loki, although others within the movement oppose worshiping a god who is dedicated to the destruction of the Earth.

A major event for the Asatru is a Blót (usually held in the fall and again around the December solstice). Historically the Blót was a yearly gathering when many animals (and in some places, men) were sacrificed to the gods. The animals were cooked in large pots and then eaten by the whole community. Modern blots are gatherings where much food is cooked and much beer (or ale or mead) is drunk while the gods are praised and their aid is (sometimes) requested.