The Faith of Our Ancestors

1. Ásatrú
The Faith of Our Ancestors

2. What is Ásatrú?
Ásatrú is the indigenous religious tradition of our Northern European
Ancestors. The term is derived from the Old Norse terms Ása, which
refers to the Æsir, and Trú, which means “Faith.” Combined, they
translate roughly to mean “Faith in the Gods.” While originally spoken
aloud by poets known as Skalds, the Folklore of our Ancestors is today
written down in the form of Eddas and Sagas.

3. Creation

4. Creation
Before there was soil, or sky, or any green thing, there was only the gaping
abyss of Ginnungagap. This chaos of perfect silence and darkness lay
between the homeland of elemental fire, Muspelheim, and the homeland
of elemental ice, Niflheim.
Frost from Niflheim and billowing flames from Muspelheim crept toward
each other until they met in Ginnungagap. Amid the hissing and sputtering,
the fire melted the ice, and the drops formed themselves into Ymir, the first
of the godlike Jötunn . From His sweat, the race of the Jötunn were born.
As the frost continued to melt, a cow, Audhumbla, emerged from it. She
nourished Ymir with her milk, and she, in turn, was nourished by salt-licks in
the ice. Her licks slowly uncovered Buri, the first of the Æsir tribe of Gods.
Buri had a son named Bor, who married Bestla, the daughter of the giant
Bolthorn. The half God, half Jötunn children of Bor and Bestla were Óðinn,
who became the chief of the Aesir gods, and his two brothers, Vili and Ve.
Óðinn and his brothers slew Ymir and set about constructing the world from
His corpse. They fashioned the oceans from His blood, the soil from His skin
and muscles, vegetation from His hair, clouds from His brains, and the sky
from His skull. Four Dwarves, corresponding to the four cardinal points, held
Ymir’s skull aloft above the earth.
The Gods eventually bestowed Ennoblement upon the first man and
woman, Ask and Embla, whose names mean “Ash” and “Elm,” and built a
fence around their dwelling-place, Midgard, to protect them from the
Jötunn.
The Slaying of Ymir and the Ennoblement of Ask and Embla

5. The Æsir

6. Óðinn
Óðinn, whose name means “Fury,” is the
most revered among the Gods. He is
associated with lighter qualities such as
wisdom, healing, and poetry, as well as
darker qualities such as battle, sorcery,
and death. He is depicted as one-eyed
and long-bearded, frequently wielding a
spear named Gungnir, and wearing a
cloak and a broad hat. He is often
accompanied by his animal companions,
the wolves Geri and Freki and the ravens
Huginn and Muninn, and He rides a
flying, eight-legged steed named Sleipnir.
Wednesday is named for Him and was
originally known as “Wōdnesdæg.”
The All Father

7. Frigg
Frigg, whose name means
“Beloved,” is the wife of Óðinn. She
dwells in the wetland halls of
Fensalir and is revered for her
foreknowledge. She is attested as
being a Völva, a practicioner of the
form of magic known as Seidr, and
not only does she know the
destinies of all beings, she also has
the power to alter them. Friday is
named for Her and was originally
known as “Frīgesdæg.”
Queen of Ásgarðr

8. Þórr
Þórr, pronounced “Thor,” is the
hammer-wielding Æsir God of
Thunder. He is both the protector of
mankind and of the Fortress of
Asgard. He is the son of Óðinn and
Jörð, a Jötunn who serves as a
feminine personification of Earth.
Þórr is physically the strongest of all
the Æsir and wields a mighty hammer
known as Mjöllnir. He rides in a
chariot driven by two goats known as
Tanngrisnir and Tanngnjóstr, and his
wife is the golden haired Goddess Sif.
Thursday is named for Him and was
originally known as “Þūnresdæg.”
Defender of Asgard

9. Baldr
Baldr, whose name means “Bold,” is the son of Óðinn
and Frigg. He is the most handsome and beloved of
the Gods and is associated with light, joy, purity, and
the summer sun. Upon His birth, Frigg demanded that
all living beings swear to do Baldr no harm. However,
She neglected to exact an oath from Mistletoe,
believing it too be too harmless to be of concern. The
evil Jötunn Loki, upon discovering this, devised a
means to exploit this weakness. During a game in
which the Gods playfully launched various items at the
assumably invincible Baldr, Loki tricked a blind God
named Hodr into launching a spear made out of
Mistletoe at Baldr, resulting in His death. Hermod, one
of Óðinn’s sons, approached Hel, the Goddess of
Death, to ask for Baldr to be returned to life, to which
she agreed, upon the condition that every living being
weep for His return. Every living being wept save Þökk,
a Jötunn who is believed to have been Loki in disguise.
As a result, Baldr remains in Helheim, the Realm of the
Dead, and will continue to remain there until the day
the God Heimdall sounds His Gjallarhorn, signaling that
Ragnarok, the “Twilight of the Gods,” has begun.
Most Beloved of the Gods

10. Týr
Týr is the God of Victory and Justice.
He is portrayed as being one handed,
His other hand sacrificed during the
binding of Fenrisúlfr. In order to bind
the monsterous wolf, Týr had to
establish trust by placing His hand in
the wolf’s mouth. He did so knowing
full well that Fenrisúlfr would bite it
off once He became aware of the
treachery. For this, Týr is revered as
being the most noble among the
Gods. Tuesday is named for Him,
originally known as “Tiwesdæg.”
God of Victory and Justice

11. Iðunn
Iðunn, whose name means “The
Rejuvenating One,” is a Goddess
associated with youth and apples,
the fruit through which she
bestows the Gift of Everlasting
Youth and Beauty. Her husband is
Bragi, the God of Skalds.
Goddess of Youth

12. Bragi
Bragi, whose name is derived from
Bragr, the Norse word for “Poetry,” is
the son of Óðinn and the God of the
Skalds, the poets and orators among
our Ancestors. He is attested as being
eloquent of speech and long bearded,
the latter attribute so significant that
a man who possessed a long beard
came to be known as a “Beardbragi.”
The ceremonial drinking horn known
as a “Bragarfull,” which translates to
mean “Promise Cup,” is derived from
Bragi’s name, as well.
Skald of Asgard

13. The Vanir

14. Freyja
Freyja, whose name means “The
Lady,” is the Goddess of Love and War.
Like Frigg, she is a Völva and practices
Seidr. She keeps as companions two
cats named Bygul and Trjegu and a
boar named Hildisvíni and wears both
a necklace known as Brísingamen and
a magical cloak made of falcon
feathers. Freyja presides over the
realm known as Fólkvangr and selects
among those who die in battle to
determine who join Her in Her Hall.
Her brother is the God Freyr.
Goddess of Love and War

15. Freyr
Freyr, whose name means “The
Lord,” is the God of Wealth and
Fertility. He is Lord of the Elves and
presides over the realm known as
Álfheimr. He rides a Dwarven made
mechanical boar named
Gullinbursti and possesses a
magical ship known as Skíðblaðnir
which always catches wind and can
be shrunken down to fit in His
pocket when not being used. His
wife is the Jötunn Gerðr.
God of Wealth and Fertility

16. The Jötunn

17. Loki
Loki is the foremost villain in Norse Lore. He is
portrayed as a scheming coward who cares only for
shallow pleasures and self-preservation. He’s by turns
playful, malicious, and helpful, but He’s always
irreverent and nihilistic. His villainous acts range from
contributing to the kidnapping of Iðunn, cutting off all
of Sif’s golden hair, and the killing of Baldur. For His
heinous acts, Loki was bound with a chain made from
the entrails of His son Narfi, and a serpent was placed
above His head by the Jötunn Skaði which drips venom
upon His head until the day Ragnarok begins. His wife
Sigyn, however, holds a cup to catch the venom and
prevent it from burning Him. When the bowl becomes
full, requiring Her to empty it, a few drops fall upon
Loki, and our Ancestors attributed His agonized
trembling as being the cause of earthquakes. Loki is
the father of Hel, the Goddess of the Underworld, the
monsterous wolf Fenrisúlfr, and the serpent
Jörmungandr. As a result of His ability to change forms,
He is also the mother of Óðinn’s horse Sleipnir.
The Trickster

18. Hel
Hel, whose name means “Hidden,”
presides over the realm of the
dead known as Helheim. She is
generally presented as being rather
greedy, harsh, and cruel, or at least
indifferent to the concerns of both
the living and the dead. Her
appearance as being half-black,
half-white, and with a perpetually
grim and fierce expression on her
face.
Goddess of the Underworld

19. Skaði
Skaði is a Jötunn Goddess associated with
bowhunting, skiing, winter, and mountains. She is
the former wife of the Sea God Njörðr. As
Weregild, a term for a particular variety of
restitution, for the killing of Her father, Skaði
demanded to be allowed to marry the Æsir God
of Her choice. The Gods agreed, upon the
condition that she only be allowed to see the
Gods’ feet when choosing. She picked the most
beautiful pair of feet, which she believed to be
those of the God Baldur. They were ultimately
revealed, however, to belong to Njörðr. The two
ultimately parted ways as a result of mutual
disagreement toward one another’s preferred
climates, and she later married and produced
multiple sons with Óðinn. Her name is associated
with Scandinavia itself, the term originating as
“Skaði’s Island.”
Huntress of the Nine Worlds

20. Ragnarök

21. Ragnarök
Ragnarök is a series of future events,
including a great battle, foretold to
ultimately result in the death of a
number of major figures, including
the Gods Óðinn, Þórr, Týr, Freyr,
Heimdallr, and Loki, the occurrence of
various natural disasters, and the
subsequent submersion of the world
in water. Afterward, the world will
resurface anew and fertile, the
surviving and returning Gods will
meet, and the world will be
repopulated by two human survivors,
Lif and Lifthrasir.
The Twilight of the Gods