Odinist/ Astru folks

[brighid's child]

I find the Asatru focus on honorable behavior and ancestor reverence very appealing, but there are 2 things I'd like to know.
1. Is there a general sense of Scandinavian/Teutonic exclusivity and superiority
2. How literal is your belief in the Gods? Are they physical people? Symbols or a sort of extended allegory for how to live?

Thanks a lot, sincerly hope no one is offended

[Gyda]

1. It depends on who you talk to, there are those who think that only people descended from Germanic peoples should practice and those think anyone can.

2. I view the Gods and Goddesses as individuals; they have their own personalities like we do, you’ll find most heathens are polytheistic


Gyda

[Renny]

1. Hell no! Every faith has its supremacists, even if its a small percentage. Having pride in heritage is different though. You can be proud without being hateful or elitist. You'll find that heathens are a very proud group. For instance, I like being part german, I've always found the german and scandinavian cultures to be fascinating and I'm proud that it's in my ancestry. And I think thats why I was "drawn" to my path.


2. Like Gyda said... I believe they are individual and not archetypes of a god/goddess. I also believe they physically exist somewhere... just have this feeling that they do

[Rick]

I find the Asatru focus on honorable behavior and ancestor reverence very appealing, but there are 2 things I'd like to know.
1. Is there a general sense of Scandinavian/Teutonic exclusivity and superiority
Ummm... no
2. How literal is your belief in the Gods? Are they physical people? Symbols or a sort of extended allegory for how to live?

Thanks a lot, sincerly hope no one is offended
My belief is literal. The Gods are my Ancestors, my blut, just like my physical Ancestors.

[heathenwolf]

The ancestors guide our footsteps, and there experiences are melded into our hearts and minds. The Gods are like the echoes of the voices of our ancestors, i can remember what my fathers voice sounded like, it will always be in my heart. I can remember the love my mother put into the food she cooked, and i can taste that food sometimes. The memories of our loved ones are the blanket that keeps our souls warm and snug. Im not saying that other races dont share these feelings, but being German is very special in mind and heart. Just be proud of whoever you are and if you dont know, then take the time to investigate so you can have a handle on your past and your future.

[brighid's child]

Thanks. Your answers are very reassuring! I had a bad experience with some folks in my childhood who believed some crazy things involving Germanic history. I just wanted to be sure I was pulling my kids into that sort of group.
I did a little more online research, and am looking for a group here in Germany(shouldn't be too hard right? But my German is horrible).
Any tips would be greatly appreciated.

[Rick]

Thanks. Your answers are very reassuring! I had a bad experience with some folks in my childhood who believed some crazy things involving Germanic history. I just wanted to be sure I was pulling my kids into that sort of group.
I did a little more online research, and am looking for a group here in Germany(shouldn't be too hard right? But my German is horrible).
Any tips would be greatly appreciated.
Here is contact info for Ring of Troth Europe:

Ring of Troth Europe
BM Aswynn
London WC1N 3XX
freya@enterprise.net

I'm thinkin' that there's a German branch of this group, but I can't find that info at the moment...

[brighid's child]

Thanks, I'll take a look. The e-mail should be handy.

[David19]

i'm also very interested in Asatru and from people i've asked and my own beleifs.

I don't think it matters whether you're of germanic heritage or not, since i think the gods choose their followers whether they are black, white, Greek, Jewish or middle eastern/arabic or Irish.

As for the gods, from what i've gathered, most believe that they are individual beings like Odin, Thor, Zeus, Hera, Yahweh, etc are all individual beings, which is my belief too.

Hope i've helped :), also the www.thetroth.com has some good stuff