Where can I find information on Norse Paganism be it Odinism, Asatru, etc?
My family ancestry can be traced back to many Scandinavian areas in Europe particularly Sweden and Finland areas if there was a more specific type of paganism. I want to try to find information to get a better understanding of the religion my ancestors had before Christianity. Maybe even start to practice it myself. Any sites or books recommendations would be awesome.
Wikipedia. Google. I wouldn't suggest practicing it though. People might think your crazy. Appreciate it and learn about it but dint start worshiping Odin. Although going to Valhalla would be pretty cool.
Pshh, don't listen to that guy, Odin was a bad ass. He was god of wisdom, war, battle, and death, and also magic, poetry, prophecy, victory, and the hunt, plus with out him we wouldn't have good music like Amon Amarth.
Well the answer is go ogle my friend. Its got it all.
MY question though is if your "practicing" that old religion just out of nostalgia or because its different then are you really practicing it at all. To truly practice a religion you must first actually truly believe it in its entirety. Otherwise aren't you just pretending, like kids in the schoolyard?
Norse and pro to-germanic paganism is largely the same, with small variations. The original sources for traditional Norse paganism are the two Edda's, the Elder Edda, which is a collection of traditional Norse lays upon mythological subjects, and the prose Edda, a later explanation of Norse lore written by a christian scald, Snorri Sturluson. The Prose Edda is easier to read, but written later, and by a christian, so this makes it somewhat unreliable. The Elder Edda will tell you everything you need to know about Norse paganism, but is written in rather dense verse, which can make it hard to understand. That said, I'd recommend the Lattimore translation of the Elder Edda. Another excellent reference is Grimm's book on Teutonic Mythology.There are lots of modern books which purport to speak of paganism, there are largely bullshit.
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/HeathenNews
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/SeidhrStudy
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/trothkentucky
(E-lists I own)
http://home.earthlink.net/~jordsvin
(my site)
http://www.thortrains.com/UncleThors/ordering.htm
http://www.thortrains.com/UncleThors/
(my main teacher's sites)
Check out the Our Troth books at WNW.thetroth.org
Essential Asatru by Diana Paxson is good. She's also a teacher of mine.
Anything by Swain Wodening.
Teutonic Magic and Teutonic Religion by Kveldulf Gundarsson
Various titles by Edred Thorsson
Anything by Freya Aswynn
Norri stressing (may be mi spelled ) great translated the Edda's you will want to head to your library and start research you will find our gods and goddesses fascinating and will also find as you study that there are intriguing similarities to Christianity remember who came first. Talk with dawn search night birds journey she pointed me in the right direction when I started my search. Astra or Odin's or wordings i like Astra
Where can I find information on Norse Paganism be it Odinism, Asatru, etc?
