The Verein für germanisches Heidentum (), abbreviated VfgH, is a Germanic neopagan organisation in Germany. It began in 1994 as the German chapter of the British

Odinic Rite The Odinic Rite (OR) is a reconstructionist religious organisation named after the god Odin. It conceives itself as a neo-völkisch Heathen movement concerned with Germanic paganism, Germanic mythology, folklore, and runes. As a white supremacis ...

and was called the Odinic Rite Deutschland. It became independent in 2004 and changed its name in 2006. It practices

Germanic paganism Germanic paganism or Germanic religion refers to the traditional, culturally significant religion of the Germanic peoples. With a chronological range of at least one thousand years in an area covering Scandinavia, the British Isles, modern Germ ...

as a

polytheistic Polytheism is the belief in multiple deities, which are usually assembled into a pantheon of gods and goddesses, along with their own religious sects and rituals. Polytheism is a type of theism. Within theism, it contrasts with monotheism, the ...

religion connected to the region of

Central Central is an adjective usually referring to being in the center of some place or (mathematical) object. Central may also refer to: Directions and generalised locations * Central Africa, a region in the centre of Africa continent, also known as ...

and

Northern Europe The northern region of Europe has several definitions. A restrictive definition may describe Northern Europe as being roughly north of the southern coast of the Baltic Sea, which is about 54th parallel north, 54°N, or may be based on other g ...

, rejecting both ''völkisch'' religiosity and universalist approaches.

History

In 1994, a group created the Odinic Rite Deutschland (ORD) as a German chapter of the Germanic neopagan organisation

(OR), which is based in the United Kingdom. In its early history the ORD was heavily influenced by Bernd Hicker who was its chairman for seven years. It collaborated with the group Yggdrasil-Kreis in the 1990s; this group professed a "European religion of nature" and sought to combine Germanic and

Celtic paganism Ancient Celtic religion, commonly known as Celtic paganism, was the religion of the ancient Celtic peoples of Europe. Because the ancient Celts did not have writing, evidence about their religion is gleaned from archaeology, Greco-Roman account ...

. Due to concerns about connections between the British OR and

far-right politics Far-right politics, also referred to as the extreme right or right-wing extremism, are political beliefs and actions further to the right of the left–right political spectrum than the standard political right, particularly in terms of being ...

, expressed already in 1995 in the ORD's member's magazine, as well as differing views of practice and organising, the ORD was established as an independent organisation in 2004. It changed its name to the Verein für germanisches Heidentum (VfgH; ) in 2006. The VfgH grew from around 40 members in 2004 to around 80 members in 2010. Despite not being a large organisation, it became influential among German neopagans during this period. Its most influential theorist has been Fritz Steinbock, also known as Asfrid, who has been responsible for much of the VfgH's religious management.

Beliefs and activity

The VfgH describes Germanic paganism as a

religion and gods as "concrete, personal beings with individual personalities". Rituals have a central role in the organisation's conception of pagan practice, which is defined as having a living relationship with gods and nature. The Germanic aspect is defined through location in

and

and dedication to the cultures of

Germanic peoples The Germanic peoples were historical groups of people that once occupied Central Europe and Scandinavia during antiquity and into the early Middle Ages. Since the 19th century, they have traditionally been defined by the use of ancient and ear ...

; the organisation's website describes Germanic paganism as "the religion of today's people who are members of a Germanic community by birth or association and who feel obliged to their heritage". The VfgH promotes a cyclical view of time and a view of death as a transition rather than a definite end. It rejects theologies that view gods as aspects of an abstract divinity, as

archetype The concept of an archetype (; ) appears in areas relating to behavior, historical psychology, and literary analysis. An archetype can be any of the following: # a statement, pattern of behavior, prototype, "first" form, or a main model that ot ...

s or as symbols, as well as ''völkisch'' religiosity, which it describes as reliant on monotheistic and dualistic views. By associating the practice with a particular region, it rejects universalist approaches where Germanic paganism can be practiced anywhere in the world. The VfgH is structured around regional groups called (). Rituals are typically conceived as modern revivals of ''

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 ...

'' ceremonies and may consist of invocations of gods, ritual drinking, sacrificial gift giving and incantations of

runes Runes are the letter (alphabet), letters in a set of related alphabets known as runic alphabets native to the Germanic peoples. Runes were used to write various Germanic languages (with some exceptions) before they adopted the Latin alphabet, a ...

. The rituals have been influenced by the OR's ''Book of Blotar'' from the 1980s and by

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 ...

, the latter via the Yggdrasil-Kreis. Steinbock's book ''Das heilige Fest'' (2004; ) has been used as a reference work by members. Literature such as 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 ...

'', ''

Prose Edda The ''Prose Edda'', also known as the ''Younger Edda'', ''Snorri's Edda'' ( is, Snorra Edda) or, historically, simply as ''Edda'', is an Old Norse textbook written in Iceland during the early 13th century. The work is often assumed to have been t ...

'' and

Old Norse Old Norse, Old Nordic, or Old Scandinavian, is a stage of development of North Germanic languages, North Germanic dialects before their final divergence into separate Nordic languages. Old Norse was spoken by inhabitants of Scandinavia and t ...

saga is a series of science fantasy role-playing video games by Square Enix. The series originated on the Game Boy in 1989 as the creation of Akitoshi Kawazu at Square (video game company), Square. It has since continued across multiple platforms, ...

s are used as sources of inspiration but the VfgH regards its practices as reinventions rather than reconstructions. Beyond the basic principles, members are allowed to develop their own beliefs and practices, creating a structure where priestly functions are available to everyone and strictly limited to the performance of rituals. This approach, which the VfgH calls the "guiding idea of free paganism" (german: Leitidee freies Heidentum), sets it apart from many other Germanic neopagan groups. Since its early existence, the VfgH publishes the magazine ''Ringhorn''. In 2012, it co-organised the International Asatru Summer Camp, an international meeting of Germanic neopagans, with the German group

Eldaring Eldaring is a German Heathenry (new religious movement), heathen organisation founded in 2000 and launched in 2002. It operates as an umbrella organisation for local groups and independent practitioners. History Eldaring began in 2000 as a privat ...

and the Dutch groups De negen verelden and Het Rad.

Politics

The VfgH explicitly abstains from taking a political stance. Within the neopagan milieu in Germany, it has been at the centre of some controversy due to far-right involvement of individual members. According to the scholar Stefanie von Schnurbein, the approach to paganism promoted by Steinbock and the VfgH contains a possible contradiction, because it dismisses genetical ideas about Germanic ancestry but also assumes that language and culture are derived from a unity of gods, nature and men. Schnurbein says the VfgH has promoted views that "resemble an ethno-pluralist paradigm", which would mean it has commonalities with an aspect of the German New Right, but she distinguishes it from the New Right in that it does not reject

humanist Humanism is a philosophical stance that emphasizes the individual and social potential and agency of human beings. It considers human beings the starting point for serious moral and philosophical inquiry. The meaning of the term "human ...

and Enlightenment ideas.

References

Citations

Sources

* * * *

External links

Official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Verein fur germanisches Heidentum 1994 establishments in Germany Germanic neopagan organisations Modern pagan organisations based in Germany Modern pagan organizations established in 1994