Urðarbrunnr, the Well of Urd

An Introduction to Heathen Reading (And Its Problematic History)

Norse Heathenry. Heathenism. Norse Paganism. Norse Polytheism. The Old Norse Religion.  All of these titles are synonymous for the same theological practice: the worship and veneration of the old Germanic Gods and Goddesses of pre-Christian Scandinavia and Iceland. 

When first delving into Germanic polytheism, it is easy to stumble upon various titles for the faith. Some of them belong to sister religions, such as Anglo-Saxon or Continental Heathenry. Others belong to specific practices within the religion, such as Ásatrú, Vanatru, Rokkatru, etc. This being said, there are heathens who will choose to refer to themselves as Ásatrú / Ásatrúar yet venerate the Gods and Goddesses beyond the just the Aesir. Others may prefer to not use the Ásatrú label entirely due to its unfortunate ties to the Asatru Folk Assembly (AFA), a white nationalist organization with racist "folkish" beliefs.

It takes very little research to learn that the faith has been appropriated throughout modern history for usage by problematic groups since the 19th century. Prominent examples include the Völkisch movement in Germany, SS Leader Heinrich Himmler's inappropriate usage of the runes and other symbology for the Nazi Party, and the Neo-Völkisch White Supremacist groups in the early Pagan Revival throughout North America and Europe. These events and individuals have left and continue to leave an ugly stain on an entire ancient way of life. They continue to inspire groups like the AFA to this day.

Although this history can be difficult to accept, it is important, and it is our responsibility as heathens to acknowledge it so that we may do better in the present and future. The Anti-Defamation League lists several of our religious symbols as symbols of hate. Many in the modern culture of Abrahamic dominance will reach with shock or repulsion to seeing a pendant of Mjölnir or runic tattoos because of negative ingrained associations (or, gods forgive, Marvel movies), but we will never weave a greater future for ourselves if we do not use them as a door through which we can educate others. Opposition and misappropriation will always exist. We must be our own ambassadors to show that we are more capable of good than harm.

To educate others, you must first educate yourself. That is the purpose of this page. It is better to read the original material yourself and come to your own conclusions than it is for you to view another's content on it, as others will filter the original texts through their own bias. I know that for fresh beginners to the faith, this can be difficult if you have no frame of reference, so I have provided books for background in the beginner category.

Norse Polytheism is affectionately dubbed 'the religion of homework' within the pagan sphere because of how few surviving historical sources we have, and the fact that nearly all of them have to be translated from other historical languages like Old Norse, which loses a lot of the linguistic nuance in the process. Here, you will find a sorted list of books relating to a reconstructionist view the faith. Some will be purely historical, some will be analysis, and some will be easier to read than others for most. Each entry will include the book title, author, year of publish, page length, a picture of a possible cover, the ISBN 13, a short summary, any necessary additional information (such as recommended translations), and links on where to acquire the book online. Physical copies are recommended, if possible, but if you are savvy enough to 'acquire' a PDF, do what works best for you.

Interspersed throughout the books will be websites and resources from online content creators. A link to the primary platform will be provided, as well as a description of what the content is about. Watching how other creators interpret the lore and conduct rituals can help particularly with your own personal practice by providing examples, but you absolutely do not have to agree with their nuances nor adopt their personal practices. Remember that your practice is supposed to fit your life and what you can comfortably do. You are always doing enough.

All of the sources contained within these pages have been vetted by the website author and other practiced heathens as either academic sources or well-researched content from practitioners who do not practice a folkish / prejudiced view of the faith. You may or may not politically align with authors or creators, but their knowledge is still valuable. It takes much open-mindedness to unlearn common societal teachings and accept that you are heathen; do not lose that same open-mindedness within the heathen sphere.

You should, however, be cautious when expanding beyond this list if it is your first time doing so. It is easy to accidentally stumble into resources from legitimate white supremacist organizations, other hateful groups, or just flat out find misinformation, so do your due diligence and look into where a source truly comes from before you support it. If you are unsure, it is not shameful to ask another who might be more practiced for help spotting it.

Although this website is intended to help those following the Norse branch of Heathenry, there will be resources relating to both Anglo-Saxon and broader Germanic Heathenry included as well. Studying sister religions helps the reconstruct the faith through comparison and theory.