Essential Ásatrú: Walking the Path of Norse Paganism

There is one statement in the book which especially resonated with me. It was as though the author was saying 'Listen up, this is why Asatru really matters; its essential truth':'Rather than coming to the gods as manipulators or supplicants, the heathen approached his deities as an ally...there was a sense in which all gods and humans were allied in the struggle to maintain a productive order against the forces of chaos in the world.' (page 32)Now that sounds like a team worth joining. Thank you Diana!

Although Essential Asatru serves as a good introduction if one knew absolutely nothing about the religion, Paxson doesn't go into sufficient depth to provide a guide for new practitioners. The first five chapters of the book deal with the historical background of Asatru, and while I find this interesting, I'm not sure it was necessary in a book that seems designed simply to outline Asatru for non-heathens. What Paxton does well is give background on the gods and goddesses and outline the blot, symbel and holy days. Her resource section is well laid-out, which is an important inclusion in a book which pretty much requires additional reading for those that wish to follow the heathen path.While in no way comprehensive and not very useful if you are already a heathen, I would recommend this book to anyone curious about Asatru but perhaps only familiar with general paganism or Wicca. Unlike what some other reviews have claimed, Paxson does lay out Asatru as clearly distinct from other neo-pagan pathways.

I don't think the little "story" that's told in parts at the beginning of each chapter are necessary or any benefit to the reader. In fact, as a socially awkward and newer heathen, the behavior of those characters at the imaginary kindred gathering made me question whether I should seek a local kindred or stay solitary. They were negatively judgmental of a couple of the members, and I could get treatment like that from blood kin without any effort.There's also way more history than I think was appropriate. I like learning about the ways ancient peoples lived, but this was supposed to be a book about the heathen belief system, and I've seen reviews where people were completely put off from this book because there was so much regional history and not much about tradition, and that really turned them off.I've also seen people blasting this as another "neo-pagan fluff piece", but I don't really agree. For one thing, this book doesn't pander to Christianity, and the author doesn't shy away from saying that Christianity almost destroyed the heathen tradition. Other "neo-pagan fluff" I've read has been all about "love and light" and "harm none" and "you have to accept everybody no matter what". This book didn't do that.This is an okay starter book, but it really feels lacking and leaves you wanting something, but you don't necessarily know exactly what. Since I've heard good things about this author in general, I'm guessing this was just a miss for her and her other books are better.In any case, calling this "essential" is a bit of a stretch, so I guess the big problems come from how you think the book is going to go based on the title. Or, that was how I felt about it. It doesn't live up to that title.

Diana L. Paxson "has been a consecrated Ásatrú priestess since 1982, is the founder of the Fellowship of the Spiritual Path, and editor of the journal Idunna. She has written many other books, such as  Taking Up The Runes: A Complete Guide To Using Runes In Spells, Rituals, Divination, And Magic , Trance-Portation: Learning to Navigate the Inner World , Celestial Wisdom for Every Year of Your Life: Discover the Hidden Meaning of Your Age , The Mistress of the Jewels , etc.She wrote in the Introduction to this 2006 book, "it was not until Christians began their attempt to convert the North that the Germanic peoples needed a name for their beliefs. Christians called the religion, and its followers, heathen. When scholars and romantics began to study the old ways in the nineteenth century, some called it the `troth,' or faith, of the gods---Ásatrú... It is a word from Old Norse... It also has the distinction of being the name by which the only state-supported... pagan religious organization is known." (Pg. xiii)She emphasizes that "racism has no basis in the lore. For the ancient Germanic peoples, the important relationship was to the immediate and extended family or clan. Beyond that stood loyalty to a king or war leader... Whether other tribes were enemies or allies depended on whether they had common or conflicting interests, not on race, as can be seen ... by the fact that the Vikings took slaves wherever they raided, irrespective or race or religion... prejudice against Jews was an outgrowth of European Christianity that never took root in Scandinavia. However it proved fatally attractive to Germans seeking a scapegoat for their sufferings after the first World War." (Pg. 48)She prefaces her description of Heathen Holy Days: "In the sagas, we hear of feasts at the beginning of winter, Yule, and spring. Folklore attests to midsummer festivals as well. In addition, a number of other observances are mentioned. Though not all of them are understood very well. Today, most kindreds observe the seasonal blessings and pick and choose among the additional possibilities for their other meetings during the year." (Pg. 109)She points out, "One way in which we prove our Honor is through loyalty, good faith, or Troth. Most will have encountered the term only in the old-fashioned wedding ceremony, where it indicates the importance of the vow. Pledging and keeping troth means that you will stay true to your word through thick and thin, that others can both trust and believe in you. It is a word for the sacred bonds between people, and for the bond between us and our gods... When we keep troth, we not only keep our word to someone, we offer help, defense, or whatever else he or she needs." (Pg. 141-142)She clarifies, "The major difference between Wicca and Ásatrú is that where Wiccan rites may invoke deities from several cultures, heathens stick to gods and goddesses from the Germanic lands. In addition, where Wicca is usually duotheistic and archetypal, seeing all female deities as aspects of the Great Goddess... and all male deities as aspects of the Horned God... heathenry is more straightforwardly polytheistic, worshipping a range of gods and goddesses who all come from the same culture... and can stand alone without need for a male or female complement... [Wicca] ceremonies include a rather elaborate preparation and warding for the circle ... Heathen rites... [are] generally much less formal... observes a strict cycle of ceremonies consisting of regular `esbats' held at the full moon... Where heathenism tends to be much more formal and precise than Wicca is in its relationship to the lore... adherents are encouraged to read the primary sources as well as scholarly works discussing them." (Pg. 157-159)She also includes names, addresses, and contact information for various organizations, and a helpful bibliography.This book is an excellent, reasonably comprehensive, and engagingly-written modern summary of the "old religion," and will be of great use to anyone wanting to know more about these traditions, and how modern practitioners utilize them.

Eh, this wasn't really what I was hoping for. There's just too much useless junk fake stories in there, nothing actually relevant to Asatru at all. Really wish I had returned this book. Super disappointed in this book.

This is a good quick glance at Asatru as it is practiced in the United States. The author usually states what is and isn't her own UPG, which is a rarity and a plus side. In my opinion, the only issue with the book is that it's very short. If you want a further look at Asatru in the United States, I highly recommend the books published by the Troth (of which Diana Paxson is a part of).

Simple to read decent and informative

Great introduction to Asatru, and takes your knowledge a step or three further.

Great book. Great seller. I rwcommend

this book was just dreadful. and useless too. it doesn't really tell you how to practice Norse Paganism in a meaningful way. the author talks about a few insignificant rituals you may want to practice, but even those aren't that groundbreaking. she doesn't get into the philosophy or meaning of Norse Paganism whatsoever. she doesn't get into the meaning and philosophy of Norse Gods. the author also suggested that people who practice this faith are racist. just junk. There have to be better books about Norse Paganism out there.

Paxson's book is one of those books which just about everybody trying to get "into" Asatru will come across at the beginning and to be frank it's an awful book: shallow, silly and mostly composed of Paxson's personal beliefs masquerading as historical lore and some awful songs, poems and drawings which are frankly embarassing. I guess some will enjoy it and i've met neo-pagans who praise this book and often get quite defensive but if you're serious about learning more about heathenry then look elsewhere ... "Our Troth" edited by Gundersson is maybe an imperfect but good place to start ...