Author Topic: Kris' Guide to Odinism  (Read 1717 times)

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Offline KrisNord

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Kris' Guide to Odinism
« on: January 16, 2020, 09:20:48 PM »
Odinism has featured as a RolePlay issue recently and more nations on here are becoming "Pagan" in their religions origin. I therefore have put together a guide to what "Odinism" is in the 21st Century. If you go around the internet it often has far right conetations but like most world religions this is because it has been hijacked to serve others goals.

My real name is Kristoffer Hysen and I am a real life Odinist and I've tried to make this guide one relevant to the religions many views in the 21st Century.


1. WHAT IS ODINISM

Many people will call Odinism a "Neo-Pagan" religion. Odinists will dispute this as despite Christianity gaining a majority following in Europe Odinism has always existence. You will also find people calling is "Wodinism" "Wotanism" and various other regional spellings. More accurately we should perhaps call ourselves "Norse Pagans" but this usually takes much more explaining than using a term such as Odinist.

Some followers of Odinism see it as a religion while others, like myself see it more as a moral code, a little like many will perceive Buddhism.

Essentially an Odinist will worship several deities of which Odin is the lead one.

2. WHAT DO ODINISTS BELIEVE

This again is varied and depends very much on the individual. Those who view it as a religion believe that what I am about to describe is almost historical fact, others who see the religion more as a moral guide view thee things more as a metaphor for how to live life and an example to follow.

NOTE - Many people use the term Giant for the potaganists in Norse Mythology, a better term would be Devourer from the original Old Norse word "jötnar". If you read things on the internet you are more likely to come across the term giant so I have used that for the guide.

a)The Creation Story

In the beginning their was only an abyss called Ginnungagap which separated the homeland of elemental fire, known as Muspelheim and elemental ice known as Niflheim. When these two elements finally meet in the abyss water droplets formed into Ymir, a God like giant. Ymir was a hermaphrodite and could reproduce asexually; when he sweated, more giants were born. Eventually the cow Audhumbla emerged from the ice and gave sustenance to the giants. Meanwhile Audhumbla licked the ice and uncovered the first of the Aesir tribe of Gods Buri. In time Buri married the daughter of a giant and they had children, this was Odin and his two brothers Vili and Ve (many believe these brothers a just personifications of Odins charectoristics and their names translate to "Will" and "Sanctity"

As the Aesir became victims of the Giants brutality Odin and his brothers killed Ymir. They fashioned the world from his corpse. The oceans where formed from his blood, his skin and muscles became the soil, hair became vegetation , brain became clouds and his skull the sky. Odin then created the first man and woman, Ask and Embla, from two tree trunks, and built a fence around their dwelling-place, Midgard, to protect them from the giants.

b) Two Tribes of Gods

According to the stories there are two tribes of Gods. The Aesir are the older and more well known Gods. Amongst their number are Odin, Thor, Frigg, Tyr, Loki, Baldur, Heimdall, Idun, and Bragi. They dwell in Asgard which is one of the Nine Worlds located on the highest, sunniest branches of the world-tree Yggdrasil. While it is generally accepted that Odin is their leader a few followers believe that role was originally occupied by Tyr.

A younger pantheon of Gods exist known as the Vanir. The most well known of these are Freya, Freyr and Njord. Their home is Vanaheim, one of the Nine Worlds held within the branches of the world-tree Yggdrasil. Much less is known of the Vanir in terms of literary study.

Legend tells that the Aesir became jealous of Freya's ability to alter the course of destiny and as such tried to murder her. Three times they burnt her alive and three times she was reborn from the ashes. As such a war broke out between the two groups. The Aesir using honourable warfare while the Vanir used magic and underhand tricks. Eventually a truce was called and as was custom the sides exchanged hostages. Freya, Freyr and Njord went to live with the Aesir while Hoenir and Mimir lived with the Vanir.


c)End of Time

This is known as Ragnarok, it is a time in the future during which the cosmos is destroyed and is subsequently re-created. At some time in the future the Giants will return and break through the fortifications of the world. Hence Odin is gathering his army ready for that day. The God Heimdall will be first to see the Giants and will blow the horn signalling the start of the battle to end the world. Fenrir, the great wolf, will run across the land with his lower jaw on the ground and his upper jaw in the sky, consuming everything in between. Even the sun itself will be dragged from its height and into the beast’s stomach. The Gods will fight valiantly and many will die such as Thor who will die fighting a giant serpent. All the World will be destroyed leaving just Ginnungagap once again. At this time the God Baldur will return from the underworld and start the process all over again.

d) The Nine Worlds


These are the homelands of the various types of beings. They live in worlds held in the branches and roots of the world-tree Yggdrasil.

In no particular order (because scholars disagree on it) they are

Midgard, the world of humanity
Asgard, the world of the Aesir tribe of gods and goddesses
Vanaheim, the world of the Vanir tribe of gods and goddesses
Jotunheim, the world of the giants
Niflheim, the primordial world of ice
Muspelheim, the primordial world of fire
Alfheim, the world of the elves
Svartalfheim, the world of the dwarves
Hel, the world of the eponymous goddess Hel and the dead.

3. STORIES OF THE GODS

Odinists use the stories of the Gods as inspiration on how to lead their lives. As such there are probably hundreds of stories relating to the Gods, far too many to go into here. However an excellent resource for the stories can be found here. They are the basic very easy follow versions that require no knowledge of Odinism.

4. RELIGIOUS TEXTS

As such there are no religious texts such as a Bible or Torah. Most Odinists use the epic poem Hávamál(roughly meaning "Words of the High One" and thought to have been written by Odin) as a moral compass. The second text used by many is the Vafþrúðnismál (pronounced Mafbruismail) which is an epic poem of a conversation between Odin, Frigg and Vafþrúðnir about the creation of the cosmos and humanity.

In some cases Odinist use many of the ancient saga's contained within epic poetry. Many of these can be found in what is refered to as the Poetic Edda, which is part of a large Codex discovered in Iceland but thought to be a collection of minstrels songs, poems and writings.

5. THE NINE NOBLE VIRTUES

Despite some variation the majority of Odinists follow these Nine Noble Virtues.

1. Courage - This does not need be the courage in battle. Standing up for what you believe in or what you feel is right is also considered courage

2. Truth - This goes beyond simply not lying. It is a challenge to investigate the true nature of the World and as such a true Odinist values knowledge in many fields.

3. Honour - This is our value, when we do good things we gain honour for ourselves and our family, likewise when we do bad we lose honour. It is our honour that we become known by to the Gods and our descendents.

4. Loyalty - This means standing by your family, friends and your community. This is also taken into marriage and loyalty to your wife/husband is considered one of the most important bonds.

5. Discipline / Strength - There is debate about the true name for this virtue. It is the moral strength or discipline to do what is right. It is also the discipline to do your best in all things.

6. Hospitality - This means several things. First it is to offer whatever you have to guests in your home and treat them as part of your family. In a wider societal sense it means to look out for each other, offer protection and share what you have with the fortunate. Some Odinists replace the word Hospitality with Charity.

7. Self-Reliance - All that are able are to use skills we have learnt to provide for ourselves and our family. We should also look to ever expand our knowledge, skills and abilities to ensure we can best look after ourselves.

8. Industriousness - In any task you should work hard to complete whatever challenge has been set before you.

9. Perseverance - This means not stopping if you fail. We believe that we will fail many times and that we should carry on until we complete our tasks in life.

6. METHODS OF WORSHIP

Again there is no set method of worship. Infact many Odinist do not recognise Priests/ Priestess instead referring to a Gothi, who is usually a member of the Odinist community considered well read and respected enough to lead other followers in rituals and rites.

Odinists do not pray as such, by this I mean we do not ask God for anything. We give thanks to the Gods for what we have and we strive to be like them. So prayer in a way is through our daily actions trying to follow the example of the Gods rather than praising or asking them for things. An Odinist will not ask the Gods for forgiveness, they instead will make an Oath to do better and hope that pleases them. I guess a good description would be "Actions not Words."

Odinists celebrate several key festivals through the year

Yule, the popular Festival of Mid-Winter heralds the beginning of the Odinist year. It is the birthday of the unconquered sun, which at this time begins to come back after its autumnal decline whenThe Mid-Winter Festival includes the Twelve Nights of Yule, encapsulating the twelve months of the year in miniature, and culminates in the celebration of Twelfth Night.

Summer Finding, in March, is the Festival of Odin. It celebrates the renewal, or resurrection, of Nature after the darkness of winter. Some believe that it was transformed by the Christians into their Easter (named after the Odinist Goddess of the Saxons, Ostara

The Midsummer Festival, the Feast of Balder, is the great celebration of the triumph of light and the sun.

Winter Finding mourns the death of summer and heralds the coming of autumn. It is dedicated to the god Frey, patron of the harvest, and is also sometimes called the Charming of the Fruits of Earth, when we render thanks for the years supply of life-giving foods.


The main method of worship is through meeting with other Odinists, sharing hospitality with them and attempting to advance your knowledge of the faith and do good things for your community. Quiet often these meetings are referred to as "Shield Halls"

7.FAQ

a) What do Odinists believe about marriage? Marriage is one of the most sacred oaths you can take and should only be entered into seriously. Should a marriage fail divorce is permitted as an unhappy marriage is a lie.

b) What happens when we die? Every human is made of three parts. The first is the physical body, this is created out of matter and when we die it is destroyed, becomes matter again and is reused. The second part is the human soul, this is what determines who we are and how we act, should we live a good life we will stand beside the Gods in Valhalla or Fólkvangr. If we lead a poor life we will go to the Shadowlands. We also contain a God Soul which is our living spark. When we die this is reborn within a new creation thus connecting us with our land, folk and family.

c) How are women viewed in Odinism? Women have the same standing as men, many of the Gods we worship are female and carry out vital roles within the religion. Women can become Gothi just as easily as men.

d)What is the Odinist view of homosexuality? - This is quiet a heated debate within Odinism. In the story of Thor and him losing his hammer he dresses as the Goddess Freya and marries a male giant. This seems to indicate that the Gods had no problem with same sex marriage or transgender. A form of magic known as seiðr is thought to be a woman only practice yet Odin is the only male to have used it. In another story Loki turned himself into a mare and, after having sex with the stallion Svaðilfari, gave birth to a foal Meanwhile the saga's contain many stories of the Gods exacting revenge if accused of being a "passive" partner in homosexual congress.