Divisions Within

            While one side of man desires to expand and control, another holds steadfastly to independence, autonomy, and kinship. Even centralized religions, like Christianity, cannot avoid the splinters and severances that seem inherent in anything mankind builds. While cooperation and community are vital aspects to social living (and humans are social animals) some believe that healthy divisions and diversification are just as integral to defining the human race. Indeed, these same people would argue that centralized social/religious systems create a superficial community with no real substance bonding its members and that this is one reason even the most organized, monolithic institutions are bound to divide. These are some of the basic tenets of an emerging political movement known as tribalism (n.). As a whole, Heathenry is composed of small tribes or  kindreds (n. originally meaning a familial group within a tribe, but now generally referring to fictive kin-groups bound by oath to one another). Within each tribe a state of frith (n.) must be attained if the tribe is to survive. Frith has been erroneously translated simply as “peace”, but the concept is far deeper and more complex than that. Frith is a kind of tranquility and comradery that is achieved through actively securing the safety and well-being of all members of the tribe, implying the duty of tribal members to work toward this end and compromise for the good of the community, if needed. Grith (n.) is a similar concept but is less intimate and concerns cooperative intertribal relationships. These relationships sometimes evolve into alliances (n.) that are important for maintaining autonomy yet receiving the benefits of “strength in numbers” when necessary. While there are many tribalists within Germanic Heathenry there are also a large percentage who are not. In fact, Heathens range all across the political spectrum from left-wing liberal, to right-wing conservative, to libertarian (possibly the closest mainstream political ideology to tribalism).

            There are also numerous religious divisions within Heathenry and they deserve considerable attention. There is the Nordic (adj. “northern”, Scandinavian) based sect known as Asatru (n.), a reconstructed word built from the Old Norse dialect and literally translates as “faith in/loyalty to the Gods”. Some translate it as “loyalty to the Aesir” which has given rise to another phrase, Vanatru (n.) to describe those Heathens who feel particularly close to the Vanir. [For a further discussion on Asatru and Vanatru, see the section within the Table of Contents: “Asatru”]

            Because most of the existing Lore was salvaged from Scandinavia, the Nordic tradition has become the most common route to Heathenry. However, Germanic Heathenry must not limit itself to the northernmost Germanic tribes, as all the Germanic ancestors have wisdom to offer. The Theodish (adj.) sect is primarily concerned with the dialect and thew (n. OE “custom”) of the Anglo-Saxon tribes. Theodism is highly tribal in nature and the concept of thew is crucial to its (and any tribal outlook’s) existence. The Germanic people are only recently literate, by historical standards, and so written, codified law is also a fairly recent development. Thews are customs that help preserve the essence of a particular theod (n. OE “tribe”) and can change from tribe to tribe. Thew helps maintain a theod’s autonomy from other theods and its own collective success. This hard-earned success of both the individual and the collective is referred to as luck (n.) and should not be confused with “luck” in the modern sense of “getting something for nothing” or living a catered lifestyle (these latter definitions being “antithetical to the Germanic conception of a good life"). [For further discussion on Theodism, see the section within the Table of Contents: "Theodism"]
            There is also a division within Germanic Heathenry known as Odinism (n.) that is, as its name implies, very "Odin-centered". Odinism sees Odin, the Allfather (n.) as a kind of all-encompassing deity who embodies many of the other Gods' qualities within him -- sometimes to the point that the other Gods are reduced to his hypostases (n., sing. hypostasis, "the substance or essential nature" of a divine being in another form). Likewise, Odinism sees Odin's wife, Frigg (n.), the Allmother (n.), as the ultimate feminine deity and also relegates most of the Goddesses as her hypostases. Due to this, Odinism is often perceived by other Heathens as only vaguely polytheistic. There are many active Odinists, however, who are true and honorable folk. Odinism, particularly the organization known as the Odinic Rite, is very active in Prison Fellowship and works toward helping inmates integrate themselves back into society in healthy and productive ways. Visit their website for further information on the Odinic Rite.

Axenthowes, Gerd Forsta. "Some Theodish Vocabulary." Message to the author. 16 Apr. 2011. E-mail.

          Gerd has been involved in Theodism since the early 1990's. He was involved with Garman Lord's 
          Winland Rice and, under those auspices founded Fresena Theod, which disbanded in 2000. Now he 
          is the Forsta of Axenthof Thiad, which has members in Connecticut, Arkansas, and Minnesota. Gerd 
          has been particularly helpful in regards to the vocabulary within the sub-lexicon of Theodism and is 
         directly quoted in the segment concerning luck.

Magnusson, Ragnar. "A Treatise on Tribalism." 20 Apr. 2011. File last modified on 13 Apr. 2010. Essay.

          In this essay, Magnusson discusses the historic aspects of tribalism and its place in modern society 
         citing valid sources and speaking with authority on the subject.


Mills, A. Rud. "The Call of Our Ancient Nordic Religion." Cultus Lake: Odinic Rite, 2005. Pamphlet reprint.
          A. Rud Mills could be considered the founder of Odinism. The above essay, though theologically 
          intriguing, borders on total monotheism.