Ásatrúarfélagið (, ''Ásatrú Fellowship'') is an Icelandic religious organisation of heathenry (in Iceland also called ', " ás faith"). It was founded on the first day of summer (Iceland) 1972, and granted recognition as a registered religious organization in 1973, allowing it to conduct legally binding ceremonies and collect a share of the

church tax A church tax is a tax collected by the state from members of some religious denominations to provide financial support of churches, such as the salaries of its clergy and to pay the operating cost of the church. The constitution of a number of ...

. The

Allsherjargoði Allsherjargoði (, ''All-People Chieftain''; plural ''-goðar'' ) was an office in the Icelandic Commonwealth, held by the goði who held the ''goðorð'' of the descendants of Ingólfr Arnarson, the first settler of Iceland. The role of the ''all ...

is the chief religious official. The organization was led by farmer and poet

Sveinbjörn Beinteinsson Sveinbjörn Beinteinsson (4 July 1924 – 23 December 1993) was an Icelandic religious leader and singer of rímur who was instrumental in helping to gain Icelandic government's recognition of the pre-Christian Heathenry in the country. Bi ...

from 1972 until his death in 1993. During most of this period membership did not exceed 100 people and after the initial enthusiasm faded, there was little activity. The time of the next high priest,

Jörmundur Ingi Hansen Jörmundur Ingi Hansen (born 14 August 1940) is an Icelandic-Danish Modern Paganism, neopagan leader, designer, businessman and clothing retailer. Trained as a sculptor and known as a prominent member of Reykjavík, Reykjavík's hippie scene, ...

(1994–2002), saw considerable growth and activity, including the design of an Ásatrú burial ground. These trends have continued under the present high priest, musician

Hilmar Örn Hilmarsson Hilmar Örn Hilmarsson (; born 23 April 1958), also known as HÖH, is a musician, an art director, and '' allsherjargoði'' (''chief goði'') of Ásatrúarfélagið ("the Ásatrú Association"). Hilmar Örn Hilmarsson was a pioneer in the use ...

(2003–), and as of January 1, 2018, the organization has 4126 registered members, about one third of whom are women. Since 2002, the number of registered members has grown annually from 8% (2006–2007) to 21% (2011–2012). Ásatrúarfélagið does not have a fixed religious dogma or theology, but the high priests have tended towards a

pantheistic Pantheism is the belief that reality, the universe and the cosmos are identical with divinity and a supreme supernatural being or entity, pointing to the universe as being an immanent creator deity still expanding and creating, which has ex ...

worldview. The central ritual is the communal ''

blót (Old Norse) and or (Old English) are terms for " blood sacrifice" in Norse paganism and Anglo-Saxon paganism respectively. A comparanda can also be reconstructed for wider Germanic paganism. A ' could be dedicated to any of the Germanic god ...

'' feast, but the priests (''

goðar Gothi or (plural , fem. ; Old Norse language, Old Norse: ) was a position of political and social prominence in the Icelandic Commonwealth. The term originally had a religious significance, referring to a pagan leader responsible for a religio ...

'') also conduct name-giving ceremonies, coming of age rituals, weddings, and funerals. The organization has on some occasions taken a stance on political issues, including abortion rights, gay marriage, the separation of church and state, and environmental issues. The organisation is a founding member of the

European Congress of Ethnic Religions The European Congress of Ethnic Religions (ECER) is an organisation for cooperation among associations that promote the ethnic religions of Europe.

Origins

The idea to found a folk religious organization came about in late winter 1972 in discussions in a café in Reykjavík. The four men who would become the organization's early leaders and ideologues were

, a farmer and a traditionalist poet,

, a jack of all trades and a prominent person in the Reykjavík

hippie A hippie, also spelled hippy, especially in British English, is someone associated with the counterculture of the 1960s, originally a youth movement that began in the United States during the mid-1960s and spread to different countries around ...

movement, Dagur Þorleifsson, a journalist and active member of the Reykjavík

theosophy Theosophy is a religion established in the United States during the late 19th century. It was founded primarily by the Russian Helena Blavatsky and draws its teachings predominantly from Blavatsky's writings. Categorized by scholars of religion a ...

lodge, and Þorsteinn Guðjónsson, leader of Félag Nýalssinna, an organization devoted to the theories of

Helgi Pjeturss Helgi Pjeturss (31 March 1872 – 28 January 1949) was an Icelandic geologist, philosopher, and spiritualist. In 1905 he became the first Icelander to graduate with a PhD in geology. He conducted extensive research on the geology of Iceland from 1 ...

. Sveinbjörn Beinteinsson described the founding of Ásatrúarfélagið as based on a belief in hidden forces in the land and connected to "the desire that Icelanders could have their own faith, and nourish it no less than imported religions". Dagur Þorleifsson emphasized that the religion constituted a movement back to nature, seeking refuge from the ills of industrial civilization. One observer traces the origins of the organization to the countercultural and religious waves of the time, as well as to nationalism and the widespread Icelandic interest in spiritism, theosophy and

elves An elf () is a type of humanoid supernatural being in Germanic mythology and folklore. Elves appear especially in North Germanic mythology. They are subsequently mentioned in Snorri Sturluson's Icelandic Prose Edda. He distinguishes "ligh ...

. The Ásatrú organization was formed on the

First Day of Summer The first day of summer ( ) is an annual public holiday in Iceland that is celebrated on the first Thursday after 18 April (some time between 19-25 April). It is a celebration of the start of the first summer month () of the old Icelandic cale ...

1972 in a meeting at Hótel Borg. In a meeting shortly thereafter Sveinbjörn was chosen as chairman and dubbed ''

allsherjargoði Allsherjargoði (, ''All-People Chieftain''; plural ''-goðar'' ) was an office in the Icelandic Commonwealth, held by the goði who held the ''goðorð'' of the descendants of Ingólfr Arnarson, the first settler of Iceland. The role of the ''all ...

''.

Recognition

Shortly before Christmas 1972, Sveinbjörn Beinteinsson and Þorsteinn Guðjónsson visited

Ólafur Jóhannesson Ólafur Jóhannesson (1 March 1913 – 20 May 1984) was the prime minister of Iceland for the Progressive Party on two occasions. He was a member of the Progressive Party, serving as party chairman during the 1970s. Career Ólafur was educat ...

, minister of justice and ecclesiastical affairs, and expressed interest in registering Ásatrúarfélagið as an official religious organization. The minister at first believed that the request was a joke but when Sveinbjörn and Þorsteinn told him that they were serious he requested additional paperwork. According to Sveinbjörn, shortly after he and Þorsteinn exited the ministry, the lights in the center of town went out due to a thunderstorm, leaving the minister sitting in the dark. The newspaper

Vísir ''Vísir'' was an Icelandic newspaper founded in December 1910 by Einar Gunnarsson, originally only distributed in and around Reykjavík. In 1967, Jónas Kristjánsson became its editor. In 1975, he left the paper after a conflict with the ownersh ...

wrote about this in a jocular tone, noting that "the representatives of the Ásatrúarmenn got rather vague answers from the minister, — and apparently that's what

Thor Thor (; from non, Þórr ) is a prominent god in Germanic paganism. In Norse mythology, he is a hammer-wielding æsir, god associated with lightning, thunder, storms, sacred trees and groves in Germanic paganism and mythology, sacred groves ...

the thunder god thought as well, because as the visit was at an end and the minister stood up to follow the guests to the door there was a terrible thunder in the center of Reykjavík, causing damage close to the office of the ministry".

Sigurbjörn Einarsson Sigurbjörn Einarsson (30 June 1911 – 28 August 2008) was an Icelandic clergyman and doctor of theology who served as the Bishop of Iceland (head of the Lutheran Church of Iceland The Evangelical Lutheran Church of Iceland ( is, Hin ...

Bishop of Iceland The following is a list of Lutheran bishops of Iceland. List See also *List of Skálholt bishops *List of Hólar bishops A ''list'' is any set of items in a row. List or lists may also refer to: People * List (surname) Organizations * ...

, recommended to the ministry that the organization not be granted recognition. In a written opinion, later published, the bishop pointed out that the

Icelandic constitution The Constitution of Iceland ( Icelandic: ''Stjórnarskrá lýðveldisins Íslands'' "Constitution of the republic of Iceland") is the supreme law of Iceland. It is composed of 80 articles in seven sections, and within it the leadership arrangemen ...

granted everyone a right to "found organizations to serve god" and that this assumed a monotheistic outlook. Sigurbjörn cited the opinion of legal scholar

Einar Arnórsson Einar Arnórsson (24 February 1880 – 29 March 1955) was an Icelandic politician, lawyer and law professor. He was the minister for Iceland from 4 May 1915 to 4 January 1917. Biography Einar was born in Minna-Mosfell in Grímsnes to Arnór ...

, published in 1912, that "polytheistic religious organizations founded n Icelandwould therefore not be protected by the constitution". Sigurbjörn further criticized the application for not including the declaration of an individual stating that he would assume the leadership of the organization. He criticized the organization for having vague teachings and for not including clear documents on them. He also pointed out that the organization had no dedicated house of worship. In Sigurbjörn's opinion the most significant effort to revive Germanic folk religion happened in

Nazi Germany Nazi Germany (lit. "National Socialist State"), ' (lit. "Nazi State") for short; also ' (lit. "National Socialist Germany") (officially known as the German Reich from 1933 until 1943, and the Greater German Reich from 1943 to 1945) was ...

and was connected to the racial ideology of that regime. He pointed out that the present applicants had hitherto considered themselves followers of the ''Nýall'' theories of

and that these theories contained the same racial elements as the Nazi ideology. The bishop expressed concern over the possible moral teachings of an Ásatrú organization, in particular as regarded individualism, polygamy and security of person. Finally he pointed out that the group applying for recognition was small, consisting of 21 individuals. ''

Morgunblaðið ''Morgunblaðið'' (, ''The Morning Paper'') is an Icelandic newspaper. ''Morgunblaðið''s website, mbl.is, is the most popular website in Iceland. History ''Morgunblaðið'' was founded by Vilhjálmur Finsen and Ólafur Björnsson, brother of ...

'', Iceland's biggest daily newspaper, declared its agreement with the bishop in an editorial. The paper stated that the Christian faith was the "basis of Icelandic society" and that "Christ is enough, though he was not enough for Hitler, Stalin or their followers". In the Asatruers' reply to the bishop's criticism they argued that even Christianity had some polytheistic elements and that Ásatrú could include a belief in a

Supreme Being In monotheistic thought, God is usually viewed as the supreme being, creator, and principal object of faith. Swinburne, R.G. "God" in Honderich, Ted. (ed)''The Oxford Companion to Philosophy'', Oxford University Press, 1995. God is typically ...

. They denied any association with national socialism and argued that it was doubtful that the Third Reich had any genuine Asatruers while it was certain that a number of Christian sects had cooperated with the Nazis. Ásatrúarfélagið was officially recognized as a religious organization by the Icelandic government in May, 1973. This gives it the legal right to perform marriages and other ceremonies and also entitles it to a share of the

in proportion to its number of adult members. In the

Althing The Alþingi (''general meeting'' in Icelandic, , anglicised as ' or ') is the supreme national parliament of Iceland. It is one of the oldest surviving parliaments in the world. The Althing was founded in 930 at ("thing fields" or "assembly ...

Halldór Blöndal Halldór Blöndal (born 24 August 1938, Reykjavík, Iceland) is a politician of the Independence Party (Iceland). He is the son of Kristjana Benediktsdóttir, Bjarni Benediktsson's sister. He worked as a teacher and a journalist from 1959 until ...

and Magnús Jónsson, members of the

Independence Party Independence Party may refer to: Active parties Outside United States * Independence Party (Egypt) * Estonian Independence Party * Independence Party (Finland) * Independence Party (Iceland) * Independence Party (Mauritius) * Independence Part ...

, requested an explanation for why Ólafur Jóhannesson had given legal recognition to Ásatrúarfélagið. The minister defended his decision on the grounds that the constitution granted

freedom of association Freedom of association encompasses both an individual's right to join or leave groups voluntarily, the right of the group to take collective action to pursue the interests of its members, and the right of an association to accept or decline membe ...

and

freedom of religion Freedom of religion or religious liberty is a principle that supports the freedom of an individual or community, in public or private, to manifest religion or belief in teaching, practice, worship, and observance. It also includes the freedom ...

. Magnús Jónsson argued that the constitution applied freedom of religion only to monotheistic religions and that the recognition of an organization practicing polytheism and idol worship was thus an illegal act. The minister countered that legal scholars had debated whether the clause applied to polytheism. In 1975, the Althing changed the law in a way that made it more difficult for new religious organizations to gain recognition.

First ''allsherjargoði'' (1972-1993)

On August 5, 1973, Ásatrúarfélagið held the first public outdoor ''

'' (plural same as singular) in Iceland since public ''blót'' were forbidden by law in the year 1000. The event was held at Sveinbjörn Beinteinsson's farm at Dragháls in pelting rain below a plaster statue of the god

made by Jörmundur Ingi Hansen. The blót was described by the newspaper ''

'' as "vigorous and energetic" while Sigurður A. Magnússon commented that the historic significance of the event had not been matched by the quality of the ceremony, "It could hardly have been simpler or more pedestrian". Ásatrúarfélagið had received extensive media coverage even in its very early formative stages and by the time of the first public ''blót'' that attention extended to foreign media and had become disproportionate to the scale of the event with about as many journalists as participants attending. Early on, the organization had ambitious plans for building a temple, getting a burial ground, and dividing the land into ''goðorð'', led by individual ''

'' (a nomenclature borrowed from the political system of the

Icelandic Commonwealth The Icelandic Commonwealth, also known as the Icelandic Free State, was the political unit existing in Iceland between the establishment of the Althing in 930 and the pledge of fealty to the Norwegian king with the Old Covenant in 1262. With t ...

). However, membership in the organization did not increase as quickly as these goals would have necessitated. In 1973 Ásatrúarfélagið had 58 registered members, in 1974 it had 70 and in 1976 it had 77. As its leaders realized that the organization's more ambitious goals could not be quickly achieved, the society settled down to a low level of activity. In 1983 a ''blót'' had not been held for three years, but one was arranged to provide the makers of a documentary with material. By the mid-80s, membership in the organization started to rise every year. In 1985 there were 74 members and by 1992 membership had risen to 119. At that point the organization decided that the time had come for increased activity. The same year, Sveinbjörn Beinteinsson published his autobiography. Sveinbjörn Beinteinsson acted as ''allsherjargoði'' from 1972 until his death in December 1993. He lived a simple life on a farm without modern luxuries. A popular grandfatherly figure, he was "a little eccentric and shy in his role as a media spokesman". He left a lasting impression in people's minds.

Second ''allsherjargoði'' (1994-2002)

In late 1993, Sveinbjörn Beinteinsson died and in 1994, elections were held for a new ''allsherjargoði''. The candidates were Jörmundur Ingi Hansen and

Haukur Halldórsson Haukur Halldórsson (born 1937 in Reykjavík) is an Icelandic artist and illustrator. After beginning his career as a graphic designer and illustrator he developed into a visual artist. Halldórsson's work also includes sculpture. He is a co- ...

. Jörmundur Ingi ran on a platform of continuity while Haukur promised more innovation. Jörmundur Ingi won with 59 votes against 34. While Jörmundur was, like Sveinbjörn, an older man knowledgeable in ancient literature, he differed from his predecessor in his greater skill at dealing with the media. Jörmundur's time as allsherjargoði saw a rapid rise in membership in the organization, going from 172 in 1994 to 628 in 2002. Jörmundur's time also saw an increase in the percentage of women members, going from 13% in 1994 to 21% in 2002. In 1999, the organization achieved one of its oldest goals of having a burial ground of its own. The burial ground was designed by Jörmundur Ingi and the first burial took place the same year. In the summer of 2000, on the occasion of the 1000 year commemoration of the

Christianisation of Iceland Iceland was Christianized in the year 1000 CE, when Christianity became the religion by law. In Icelandic, this event is known as the ''kristnitaka'' (literally, "the taking of Christianity"). The vast majority of the initial settlers of Icel ...

, the Icelandic state and the Church of Iceland organized a celebration at

Þingvellir Þingvellir (, anglicised as ThingvellirThe spelling ''Pingvellir'' is sometimes seen, although the letter "p" is unrelated to the letter "þ" (thorn), which is pronounced as "th".) was the site of the Alþing, the annual parliament of Iceland f ...

. Ásatrúarfélagið had its own annual ''blót'' at Þingvellir at the same time, leading to conflict over the use of facilities with some underlying ideological tensions. In the end, more than 1000 people participated in Ásatrúarfélagið's summer event, more than in any previous ceremony by the organization. In 2000, Ásatrúarfélagið passed the Buddhist Association of Iceland and the Icelandic Bahá'i Community to become Iceland's largest non-Christian religious organization. The growth of the organization brought with it increased complexity and internal disputes.

Third and fourth ''allsherjargoðar'' (2002-)

In 2002, the board of directors sacked Jörmundur and installed Jónína Kristín Berg (born 1962) as temporary allsherjargoði. In 2003, musician

(born 1958), was chosen as allsherjargoði. As of 2018, he remains in office. The demographic trends of previous years have continued. The number of members went from 628 in 2002 to 4126 in 2018 (from 0.20% to 1.18% of the population of Iceland) while the percentage of women has gone from 21% in 2002 to 33% in 2018. In 2006, the Ministry of Justice increased the number of Ásatrú priests allowed to conduct legally binding ceremonies (icelandic:vígsluréttindi) from two (the ''allsherjargoði'' and his substitute) to five. Two of those five priests are women. As of 2018 there are 10 priests who are officially allowed by the government to conduct legally binding ceremonies.

Beliefs and theology

The website of Ásatrúarfélagið (as of 2009) defines ''Ásatrú'' as belief "in the Icelandic/Nordic folklore, the spirits and entities the folklore represents, in addition to gods and other beings from the Nordic

pantheism Pantheism is the belief that reality, the universe and the cosmos are identical with divinity and a supreme supernatural being or entity, pointing to the universe as being an immanent creator deity still expanding and creating, which has ex ...

". From the beginning, Ásatrúarfélagið has not had any fixed religious dogma or theology. Individual members have various beliefs (there are, for example, a number of

Wicca Wicca () is a modern Pagan religion. Scholars of religion categorise it as both a new religious movement and as part of the occultist stream of Western esotericism. It was developed in England during the first half of the 20th century and was ...

n members). Though members are not expected to follow the lead of any religious authority, all the high priests have publicly expressed their personal beliefs at one point or another. Sveinbjörn Beinteinsson summarized his religious convictions in his autobiography, saying that he had not a simple religious conviction but a "somewhat unquiet faith".

My faith is based on a constant search but I don't search frantically. It's no use to rush out into space to search for some gods there, if they want to have anything to do with me, they will come. I have often become aware of them, but I don't rush after them or shout at them. I have gotten to know them a bit in myself and also in other people. ... Primarily it is the effects of the great force felt by everyone that make me religious. ... The most remarkable thing about faith is that it gives us growth, the possibility to grow and thrive. And humility cannot be neglected. Without it we cannot live to any useful degree, though of course it has its particular place. But a man who is completely without it is a madman.

In a 1992 interview, Jörmundur Ingi Hansen expressed his views on various theological subjects, including the nature of the gods and the basis of his Ásatrú beliefs.

From my perspective, the world is split into two in its nature, divided into constructive forces, the æsir, and the destructive forces which we call jötnar. ... Ásatrú or heathenry is basically only to realize this dichotomy and to decide to side with the æsir. The best way to do that, in my opinion, is to be self-consistent, live in harmony with nature, associate with it with respect and to submit to the public order. ... The gods shape the dwelling places of people, the earth and the solar system out of the material that already exists. To that extent we can look on the forces of nature as the gods themselves and to a large extent that is what people did in antiquity.

In a 1996 interview, Jónína K. Berg said:

Ásatrú is a pantheistic belief. The earth, the air and the water has great value to us. We are a part of the earth and not its masters.

In a 2003 interview, Hilmar Örn Hilmarsson summarized his faith.

I believe in a higher power which appears to us in the multiplicity of nature and of human life. We have manifestations of certain primal forces which we regard as gods and we have a division in the roles of the gods. These are powers that are visible, half-visible and sometimes invisible. One could have a long scholarly discussion on the role of individual gods, but in the end this is a question of a feeling for the different aspects of life.

''Blót'' and other rituals

The central ritual performed by Ásatrúarfélagið is the communal ''

'' feast. A ''blót'' starts with a ''goði'' hallowing the ceremony with a certain formula and declaring a truce between all present. This is followed by the reciting or chanting of verses from the ''

Poetic Edda The ''Poetic Edda'' is the modern name for an untitled collection of Old Norse anonymous narrative poems, which is distinct from the ''Prose Edda'' written by Snorri Sturluson. Several versions exist, all primarily of text from the Icelandic me ...

''. Next, a

drinking horn A drinking horn is the horn of a bovid used as a drinking vessel. Drinking horns are known from Classical Antiquity, especially the Balkans, and remained in use for ceremonial purposes throughout the Middle Ages and the Early Modern period in ...

is passed around and participants drink to the

gods A deity or god is a supernatural being who is considered divine or sacred. The ''Oxford Dictionary of English'' defines deity as a god or goddess, or anything revered as divine. C. Scott Littleton defines a deity as "a being with powers greater ...

, the

wight A wight (Old English: ''wiht'') is a mythical sentient being, often undead. In its original use the word ''wight'' described a living human being, but has come to be used in fictional works in the fantasy genre to describe certain immortal bein ...

s and the

ancestors An ancestor, also known as a forefather, fore-elder or a forebear, is a parent or (recursively) the parent of an antecedent (i.e., a grandparent, great-grandparent, great-great-grandparent and so forth). ''Ancestor'' is "any person from whom ...

Libation A libation is a ritual pouring of a liquid, or grains such as rice, as an offering to a deity or spirit, or in memory of the dead. It was common in many religions of antiquity and continues to be offered in cultures today. Various substa ...

s are offered. This initial part of the ceremony, often conducted outdoors, is followed by a communal feast, typically indoors. The feast is often accompanied by musical performances or other forms of entertainment. In the early days of the movement, the founders were asked whether they conducted

ritual slaughter Ritual slaughter is the practice of slaughtering livestock for meat in the context of a ritual. Ritual slaughter involves a prescribed practice of slaughtering an animal for food production purposes. Ritual slaughter as a mandatory practice of sla ...

of animals during ''blót''. The general response was that while this would not be morally problematic it was not practical. Sveinbjörn Beinteinsson commented:

No, for the simple reason that we can't be bothered. It's far easier to just get a carcass so that's what we do. In earlier times it was normal to slaughter the animal in place because people couldn't store meat. But in modern circumstances it's completely unnecessary and too much trouble."

Nevertheless, during the first public ''blót'' "a sympathizing visual artist brought along a live cock and had it beheaded in the kitchen, while the lamb was being cooked". Ásatrúarfélagið has since stated that it rejects the use of Ásatrú as a justification for animal sacrifice, as well as for militarism and supremacy ideology. The four main ''blót'' are ''Jólablót'' ("Yule blót") on the winter solstice, ''Sigurblót'' ("Victory blót") on the

, ''Sumarblót'' ("Summer blót") on the summer solstice, and ''Veturnáttablót'' ("

Winter Nights Winter Nights or Old Norse ''vetrnætr'' was a specific time of year in medieval Scandinavia Scandinavia; Sámi languages: /. ( ) is a subregion in Northern Europe, with strong historical, cultural, and linguistic ties between its const ...

blót") on the First Day of Winter. The organization also holds ''

Þorrablót Þorrablót (; transliterated as thorrablot) is an Icelandic midwinter festival, named for the month of ''Þorri'' of the historical Icelandic calendar (corresponding to mid January to mid February), and ''blót'', literally meaning ''sacrifice'' ...

'' and individual ''goðar'' hold local ''blót'' on various occasions. Other rituals include name-giving ceremonies, ''siðfesta'' (a

coming of age Coming of age is a young person's transition from being a child to being an adult. The specific age at which this transition takes place varies between societies, as does the nature of the change. It can be a simple legal convention or can b ...

ritual), weddings and burials. The first Ásatrú name-giving ceremony took place in November 1973. Sveinbjörn Beinteinsson performed the first Ásatrú wedding ceremony in August 1977, marrying Dagur Þorleifsson and Ingibjörg Hjartardóttir. Since 1999, the organization has its own burial ground and several burials have taken place. As a part of the ''Jólablót'', children light candles to celebrate the rebirth of the sun. The organization has intermittently run a Sunday school and a youth group.

Religious buildings

Main hof

In 2005, a decision was made to sell the organization's property. The property had increased substantially in value since it was bought in 1998. The profit from the sale made building a

temple A temple (from the Latin ) is a building reserved for spiritual rituals and activities such as prayer and sacrifice. Religions which erect temples include Christianity (whose temples are typically called churches), Hinduism (whose temples ...

(referred to by the organisation in Icelandic as a ''hof'') a realistic option and an application for a plot of land was sent to the Reykjavík city council. Processing of the application took longer than the organization had hoped for due to political instability in Reykjavík. In January 2008, a plot of land was finally granted in

Öskjuhlíð Öskjuhlíð () is a hill in the centre of Reykjavík, Iceland. It is above sea level. The hill is a designated outdoors area and is covered with trees. At the top of the hill stands Perlan, a landmark building set on top of six water tanks. It ...

, a wooded hill in Reykjavík 'The temple will be built into the surrounding cliffs and overlooks the beautiful

Nauthólsvík Nauthólsvík (, "bull hill bay") is a Seaside resort and a small neighbourhood in Reykjavík, the capital city of Iceland, about from Perlan. It has a beach with an artificial hot spring – hot water is pumped into a man-made lagoon. The tem ...

beach. Its design is timeless; being neither contemporary nor reminiscent of the Viking era.'Sara McMahon,
Pagan temple in Öskjuhlíð, Reykjavík, to be completed in 2017
, ''Iceland Magazine'' (21 March 2016). Ásatrúarfélagið commissioned five architects to present proposals for a temple building. Those were ready in September 2008. The organization lost a substantial amount of money in the collapse of the Icelandic banks in October 2008 but proceeded with study of different options for a temple building. The architect Magnús Jensson was chosen; it was announced in February 2015 that the temple construction would start in early 2015, and in 2016 that the temple would be completed in 2017. However, technical problems led to a temporary halt in 2017, and at that time completion was not expected until 2018.

Ásheimar

Árni Sverrisson, a member of Ásatrúarfélagið, built a hof at his farm Efri Ás in

Skagafjörður Skagafjörður () is a deep fjord and its valley in northern Iceland. Location Skagafjörður, the fjord, is about 40 km long and 15 km wide, situated between Tröllaskagi to the east and the Skagi Peninsula to the west. There are t ...

from 2010 to 2014. The project started as a small building which eventually grew to 80 square meters. The building was constructed with stone and turf walls, a wooden framework and a turf covered roof. It was named Ásheimar and consecrated by the ''goði'' Jóhanna Harðardóttir in 2014.

Politics and activism

In June 1974 Ásatrúarfélagið issued a press release opposing the legalization of abortion and recommending strict punishment for distributors of narcotics. In April 1975 there was another press release opposing abortion, this time noting that the battle for legalization of abortion could be "traced to international movements opposed to the Nordic nations and in particular to the Nordic race". A few days later, Sveinbjörn Beinteinsson stated that this latter press release did not have its origins in any legal meeting of Ásatrúarfélagið and only represented the private opinions of its author. In the following years, Ásatrúarfélagið mostly did not involve itself in political questions, though individual members did. Having been unable to advance his racial ideology within Ásatrúarfélagið, Þorsteinn Guðjónsson in 1982 founded a separate organization, ''Norrænt mannkyn'' ("Nordic Race"), to lobby for the reduction of immigration and banning of abortion. Sveinbjörn Beinteinsson was active in the peace movement, erecting a '' níðstöng'' against nuclear power in 1985. Summarizing her 1991 study of Germanic folk religion, literary scholar

Stefanie von Schnurbein Baroness Stefanie Anna Hildegard von Schnurbein (born 24 June 1961 in Augsburg) is a German literary scholar, and Professor of Modern Scandinavian Literature at the Humboldt University of Berlin. Biography She belongs to the Schnurbein family, ori ...

describes Ásatrúarfélagið as a "mix of individualistic anarchists, atheistic church opponents, and racist spiritualists". In a 2001 study of Ásatrú in Iceland, anthropologist María Erlendsdóttir disagreed, pointing out that von Schnurbein's field research included only two interviews with members of the organization and arguing that this was "not enough to give sound grounds to her accusations". She further argued that "the heavy accusations of Von Schnurbein contradict certain clues that Ásatrúarfélagið has an open mind to people of other cultures and races" and concluded that "Icelandic paganism in contemporary society has strong roots within folk belief and literary tradition". In a 2000 study of Ásatrúarfélagið, religious studies scholar Michael Strmiska noted that "Ásatrú movements in America and Scandinavia have been known to espouse racist and Neo-Nazi ideology" but that he was "not aware of any member of Icelandic Ásatrú espousing such sentiments or ideology". Since early on,

environmentalism Environmentalism or environmental rights is a broad philosophy, ideology, and social movement regarding concerns for environmental protection and improvement of the health of the environment, particularly as the measure for this health seek ...

has been important to members of Ásatrúarfélagið and the organization has been active in environmentalist causes. In October 2003, Hilmar Örn Hilmarsson erected a ''níðstöng'' against the

Kárahnjúkar Hydropower Plant Kárahnjúkar Hydropower Plant ( is, Kárahnjúkavirkjun ), officially called Fljótsdalur Power Station ( is, Fljótsdalsstöð ) is a hydroelectric power plant in Fljótsdalshérað municipality in eastern Iceland, designed to produce annuall ...

. Jóhanna G. Harðardóttir, a ''goði'', wrote on the occasion: "We have come to call upon gods and good

s. We intend to ask for mercy for our land and we intend to erect a ''níðstöng'' to those who dishonor their mother, the earth." Since 2007, Ásatrúarfélagið participates in forest reclamation in

Heiðmörk Heiðmörk () was proclaimed a municipal conservation area of Reykjavík in 1950. It is located southeast of Elliðavatn, Iceland, and is about from the city of Reykjavík. Its name is derived from its namesake in Norway, Hedmark ( is, Heiðmö ...

with the Icelandic Forestry Association. The organization has fought for the right to marry gay couples. Ásatrúarfélagið has fought for the

separation of church and state The separation of church and state is a philosophical and jurisprudential concept for defining political distance in the relationship between religious organizations and the state. Conceptually, the term refers to the creation of a secular sta ...

, and for a share in a fund currently only accessible to the National Church. The Church supports the latter effort. Ásatrúarfélagið cooperates on issues of common concern with other Icelandic religious organizations, in particular the

Reykjavík Free Church Reykjavík ( ; ) is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Iceland. It is located in southwestern Iceland, on the southern shore of Faxaflói bay. Its latitude is 64°08' N, making it the List of northernmost items, world's northernmost ...

. In 2003,

Sigurjón Þórðarson Sigurjón Þórðarson (born 29 June 1964) is an Icelandic politician. He was a member of the Althing for the Liberal Party from 2003 to 2007. In 2010, he was elected leader of the Liberal Party. In the municipal elections in May 2010, Sigurjón w ...

, an active member of Ásatrúarfélagið and a ''goði'', was elected to the

for the

Liberal Party The Liberal Party is any of many political parties around the world. The meaning of ''liberal'' varies around the world, ranging from liberal conservatism on the right to social liberalism on the left. __TOC__ Active liberal parties This is a li ...

. When asked if his faith shaped the way he approached laws and the structure of government he replied: "I’m in favour of separating faith and law, but I do think that faith marks the individual."Fontaine-Nikolov, Paul. "The Pagan MP". ''The Reykjavík Grapevine''. Available online a
www.grapevine.is/Features/ReadArticle/The-Pagan-MP
In August 2014 Ásatrúarfélagið issued a statement against the abuse of their name and their religion:

We strongly oppose any attempt by individuals to use their association with the Ásatrúarfélag of Iceland to promote attitudes, ideologies and practices rejected by the leadership of the Ásatrúarfélag. We particularly reject the use of Ásatrú as a justification for supremacy ideology, militarism and animal sacrifice. It should also be known that visitors have no authority to speak on our behalf. There is no advisor to the Ásatrúarfélag and there is no spokesman other than our allsherjargoði. We respectfully request that visitors not claim any such authority based on their association with us.

Notes

References

Bibliography

* María Erlendsdóttir. ''Pagan Beliefs in Modern Iceland''. University of Edinburgh, 2001. * Pétur Pétursson. ''Asasamfundet på Island och massmedia''. Religionssociologiska institutet, 1985. * von Schnurbein, Stefanie. ''Religion als Kulturkritik: Neugermanisches Heidentum im 20. Jahrhundert''. Winter, 1992. * Sigurður A. Magnússon. ''The Icelanders''. Forskot, 1990. *

and Berglind Gunnarsdóttir. ''Allsherjargoðinn''. Hörpuútgáfan, 1992.

External links

Ásatrúarfélagið
Official webpage {{DEFAULTSORT:Asatruarfelagid Germanic neopagan organisations Modern paganism in Iceland Modern pagan organizations Religious organizations established in 1972 Modern pagan organizations established in the 1970s 1972 establishments in Iceland