Race and Asatru
by Gunther Hrafngrim

I'd like to take a moment to expound on my own feelings toward race and Asatru- For me, the Gods of the North are REAL, and have existed since the birth of the world. They have been known by many names (And the Allfather, by more than most!), but for me - the real names are those of the Viking Gods. That being said, I do not have ANY problem with folk of ANY race being Asatru. Asatru is, in my humble opinion, the best path for the heroic individual. It is a path of iron, however, which demands much of its followers. In this essay, I will just say some of the stuff that has been circulating in my head about racial issues and our religion.

The Core of Asatru Belief
The basis of Asatru, for me, is about growth - spiritual evolution, if you will, and nothing about one's ancestry. The code of Asatru is that you must strive to be your best, in whatever you do. It is about Excellence.

Why people come to Asatru
I think that most people who come to Asatru do so initially because of their links to western society, and through that - to Northern Europe and its gods. But I feel that the depth of passion it arouses is because it is so freeing to the spirit, while being so rigorous about things like virtue and honor. That is why it appeals to folk of all races - it is so passionate, and yet freeing to the individual. There is no bowing and scraping subservience to OUR gods.

Arayanism
I have yet to form an opinion concerning any so-called "Aryan" race or its' origins. The whole Aryan controversy has historically been used to justify the worst of racial injustices, which makes me shy away from it. I personally have NO doubt concerning the unity of mankind in terms of origin, and consider it more likely than not that "Man" originated in Africa, and spread out from there. The data supporting the existence of an Aryan people is primarily linguistic - in my opinion, a pseudo science at best. For me it is enough to see the commonality of all the indigenous, polytheistic religions of the world to know that we are all heirs to a common religious heritage. The Shinto, Persian, Hindu, Grecian, Etruscan, Roman, Teutonic/Germanic, Celtic, and Slavic religions (to name a very few) have so many cross-over concepts and deities that it would take a scholarly tome to merely catalog them. I have no doubt that the people of the world originally shared a single faith - a derivative of which I currently practice as Asatru. I guess I'd say that my gods (By many names, of course, and with both subtle and significant differences between "tribes") were the source and well spring for all mankind!

If all religions have a single source, why Asatru?
All this begs the question of "Why Asatru?" If the same gods were the source for all mankind's religions, why care which one is practiced? The simple answer for me is the crippling theologies that have crept into most organized religion - Monotheism, Mindless Pacifism, Seeking "Oneness", and Otherworldly Contemplation.

• Monotheism (The scourge of all free thought and spiritual diversity)
• Mindless Pacifism (If someone hurts you and you turn the other cheek you are perceived as weak, and they will abuse you further. If you meet force with strength, or at least defiance, you may force changes in that other's "bad" behavior)
• Oneness (To lose one's own self, is to lose one's identity, and is the direct opposite of the Asatru ideal of the heroic individual.)
• Otherworldly Contemplation (If you treat the world as illusion, a testing ground, or in any way place more importance on the otherworld/afterworld, you neglect this world, and the opportunities for spiritual evolution presented here; and this may well result in the destruction of the world, too!)

These weaknesses have crept into most of the world's religions, and they are weakening the fabric of humankind - threatening its very existence. The way of Odin is to strive, to grow, to fight against the forces of weakness and despair. The way of Odin is to encourage self-growth and evolution.

If Asatru is so great, why did it fall to Christianity?
It is my earnest belief that the reason  the Viking religion was forced down by Christianity was to allow it to be reborn in a new form that would be available to all peoples. A new form that left behind the accumulated clap-trap of millennia of human living, but retained the distilled essence of that early, essential religion. That is my task - and that of all Asatruar, in my opinion, to bring forth the message of Asatru - excellence.

My definition of "tribe" or folk
There are a lot of references to the "folk" in Asatru today. For me, the tribe is made of two sets of people - my blood and legal relatives, and my oathed kin. The folk are all those who follow the Aesir and Vanir. In Ravenswood we have Irish celts, Anglo-Saxons, Nordics, Hebrews, Koreans, Germans, and Slavs represented in our group. They each have personal qualities that make them great, but have nothing to do with their racial makeup. To ascribe any greatness to them due to race, is to denigrate that which they have rightfully earned through their strivings.

Metagenetics
I disagree with the view (widely held though it is), that religion is passed down meta-genetically. There is no data that indicates anything of a religious nature is passed down genetically that could not be accounted for as having been passed down culturally. My German ancestors always ate this...did this on the holidays...valued that..these things are passed down naturally in family interactions, and are endemic culturally as well.

A final thought
Racism and racialism are weaknesses that threaten to undermine Asatru. This is the cultural counterpart to the spiritual weakness of monotheism. The way of Odin does not tolerate weakness of self, and racism/racialism is a form of indulgent weakness - to believe that one's mere biological makeup is a guarantee of some form of "built in" excellence is farcical. Excellence and greatness must be earned, fought for, and held at great personal cost.

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