(, Ásatrú Fellowship), also known simply as , is an Icelandic religious organisation of heathenry (in Iceland also called , " faith"). It was founded on the first day of summer in 1972, and granted recognition as a registered religious organization in 1973, allowing it to conduct legally binding ceremonies and collect a share of the church tax. The is the chief religious official.
The organization was led by farmer and poet Sveinbjörn Beinteinsson from 1972 until his death in 1993. During most of this period membership did not exceed 100 people and after the initial enthusiasm faded, there was little activity. The time of the next high priest, Jörmundur Ingi Hansen (1994–2002), saw considerable growth and activity, including the design of an burial ground. These trends have continued under the present high priest, musician Hilmar Örn Hilmarsson (2003–present), and as of 1 January 2018, the organization has 5770 registered members, about one third of whom are women."Populations by religious and life stance organizations 1998–2019". Statistics Iceland. Since 2002, the number of registered members has grown annually from 8% (2006–2007) to 21% (2011–2012).
does not have a fixed religious dogma or theology, but the high priests have tended towards a pantheistic worldview. The central ritual is the communal feast, but the priests () also conduct name-giving ceremonies, coming of age rituals, weddings, and funerals. The organization has on some occasions taken a stance on basic right issues, including abortion and gay marriage, political issues such as the separation of church and state and on environmental issues. The organisation is a founding member of the European Congress of Ethnic Religions.
History
Origins The idea to found a folk religious organization came about in late winter 1972 in discussions in a café in Reykjavík. The four men who would become the organization's early leaders and ideologues were Sveinbjörn Beinteinsson, a farmer and a traditionalist poet, Jörmundur Ingi Hansen, a jack of all trades and a prominent person in the Reykjavík hippie movement, Dagur Þorleifsson, a journalist and active member of the Reykjavík theosophy lodge, and Þorsteinn Guðjónsson, leader of Félag Nýalssinna, an organization devoted to the theories of Helgi Pjeturss.Pétur Pétursson (1985:21-22).Sigurður A. Magnússon (1990:198)
Sveinbjörn Beinteinsson described the founding of Ásatrúarfélagið as based on a belief in hidden forces in the land and connected to "the desire that Icelanders could have their own faith, and nourish it no less than imported religions".Icelandic, "Hugmyndin að Ásatrúarfélaginu byggðist á trú á dulin öfl í landinu, í tengslum við mannfólkið sem skynjaði ekki þessa hluti til fulls nema einstöku menn. Það tengdist síðan þjóðlegum metnaði og löngun til að Íslendingar ættu sína trú, og ræktu hana ekki síður en innflutt trúarbrögð." Sveinbjörn Beinteinsson (1992:140). Dagur Þorleifsson emphasized that the religion constituted a movement back to nature, seeking refuge from the ills of industrial civilization.Sigurður A. Magnússon (1990:198-9). One observer traces the origins of the organization to the countercultural and religious waves of the time, as well as to nationalism and the widespread Icelandic interest in spiritism, theosophy, and elves.Pétur Pétursson (1985:3-4).
The Ásatrú organization was formed on the First Day of Summer 1972 in a meeting at Hótel Borg. In a meeting shortly thereafter Sveinbjörn was chosen as chairman and dubbed allsherjargoði.
Recognition Shortly before Christmas 1972, Sveinbjörn Beinteinsson and Þorsteinn Guðjónsson visited Ólafur Jóhannesson, minister of justice and ecclesiastical affairs, and expressed interest in registering Ásatrúarfélagið as an official religious organization. The minister at first believed that the request was a joke but when Sveinbjörn and Þorsteinn told him that they were serious he requested additional paperwork. According to Sveinbjörn, shortly after he and Þorsteinn exited the ministry, the lights in the center of town went out due to a thunderstorm, leaving the minister sitting in the dark.Sveinbjörn Beinteinsson (1992:133). The newspaper Vísir wrote about this in a jocular tone, noting that "the representatives of the Ásatrúarmenn got rather vague answers from the minister, — and apparently that's what Thor the thunder god thought as well, because as the visit was at an end and the minister stood up to follow the guests to the door there was a terrible thunder in the center of Reykjavík, causing damage close to the office of the ministry"."Heldur fengu fulltrúar Ásatrúarmanna loðin svör hjá ráðherra, — og það hefur þrumuguðnum Þór víst líka fundizt, því þegar erindinu var lokið, ráðherra búinn að standa upp úr sæti sínu og fylgja gestunum til dyra, — datt ein hin ferlegasta þruma niður í miðborg Reykjavíkur og olli skemmdum ekki alllangt frá ráðuneytisskrifstofunni." JBP. Vísir, 2 January 1973. Page 3. Available online at https://timarit.is/view_page_init.jsp?pageId=3246644&issId=238186&lang=en"
Sigurbjörn Einarsson, Bishop of Iceland, recommended to the ministry that the organization not be granted recognition. In a written opinion, later published, the bishop said that the Icelandic constitution granted everyone a right to "found organizations to serve god"Icelandic, "stofna félög til að þjóna guði". and that this assumed a monotheistic outlook. Sigurbjörn cited the opinion of legal scholar Einar Arnórsson, published in 1912, that "polytheistic religious organizations founded [in Iceland] would therefore not be protected by the constitution".Icelandic, "Fleirgyðistrúfélög stofnuð hér á landi, mundu því ekki njóta verndar samkvæmt stjskr." Sigurbjörn further criticized the application for not including the declaration of an individual stating that he would assume the leadership of the organization. He criticized the organization for having vague teachings and for not including clear documents on them. He also said that the organization had no dedicated house of worship.
In Sigurbjörn's opinion, the most significant effort to revive Germanic folk religion happened in Nazi Germany and was connected to the racial ideology of that regime. He said that the present applicants had hitherto considered themselves followers of the Nýall theories of Helgi Pjeturss and that these theories contained the same racial elements as the Nazi ideology. The bishop expressed concern over the possible moral teachings of an Ásatrú organization, in particular as regarded individualism, polygamy and security of person. Finally he said that the group applying for recognition was small, consisting of 21 individuals. Morgunblaðið, Iceland's biggest daily newspaper, declared its agreement with the bishop in an editorial. The paper stated that the Christian faith was the "basis of Icelandic society" and that "Christ is enough, though he was not enough for Hitler, Stalin or their followers"."Kristin trú". Morgunblaðið, 22 December 1973, page 18. Available online at https://new.timarit.is/view_page_init.jsp?pageId=1449516&issId=115767&lang=en
In the Asatruars' reply to the bishop's criticism, they argued that even Christianity had some polytheistic elements and that Ásatrú could include a belief in a Supreme Being. They denied any association with national socialism and argued that it was doubtful that the Third Reich had any genuine Asatruars while it was certain that a number of Christian sects had cooperated with the Nazis.Pétur Pétursson (1985:11).
Ásatrúarfélagið was officially recognized as a religious organization by the Icelandic government in May 1973.Sveinbjörn Beinteinsson (1992:133-34, 141). This gives it the legal right to perform marriages and other ceremonies and also entitles it to a share of the church tax in proportion to its number of adult members.
In the Althing, Halldór Blöndal and Magnús Jónsson, members of the Independence Party, requested an explanation for why Ólafur Jóhannesson had given legal recognition to Ásatrúarfélagið. The minister defended his decision on the grounds that the constitution granted freedom of association and freedom of religion. Magnús Jónsson argued that the constitution applied freedom of religion only to monotheistic religions and that the recognition of an organization practicing polytheism and idol worship was thus an illegal act. The minister countered that legal scholars had debated whether the clause applied to polytheism."Fyrirspurnartími". Morgunblaðið, 27 November 1973. Page 14. Available online at https://timarit.is/view_page_init.jsp?pageId=1448476&issId=115737&lang=en
In 1975, the Althing changed the law in a way that made it more difficult for new religious organizations to gain recognition.Pétur Pétursson (1985:28).
First allsherjargoði (1972–1993)
On 5 August 1973, Ásatrúarfélagið held the first public outdoor blót (plural same as singular) in Iceland since public blót were forbidden by law in the year 1000. The event was held at Sveinbjörn Beinteinsson's farm at Dragháls in pelting rain below a plaster statue of the god Thor made by Jörmundur Ingi Hansen. The blót was described by the newspaper Vísir as "vigorous and energetic"Icelandic, "fór fram með tilþrifum og atorku", "Reiddust goðin?" Vísir, 7 August 1973. Page 1. Available online at https://timarit.is/view_page_init.jsp?pageId=3249986&issId=238363&lang=en while Sigurður A. Magnússon commented that the historic significance of the event had not been matched by the quality of the ceremony, "It could hardly have been simpler or more pedestrian".Sigurður A. Magnússon (1990:194).
Ásatrúarfélagið had received extensive media coverage even in its very early formative stages and by the time of the first public blót that attention extended to foreign media and had become disproportionate to the scale of the event with about as many journalists as participants attending.ÞS. "Blótuðu Þór í úrhellisrigningu." Vísir, 7 August 1973, page 2. Available online at https://timarit.is/view_page_init.jsp?pageId=3249987&issId=238363&lang=enPétur Pétursson (1985:passim).Sigurður A. Magnússon (1990:193).
Early on, the organization had ambitious plans for building a temple, getting a burial ground, and dividing the land into goðorð, led by individual goðar (a nomenclature borrowed from the political system of the Icelandic Commonwealth). However, membership in the organization did not increase as quickly as these goals would have necessitated. In 1973, Ásatrúarfélagið had 58 registered members, in 1974 it had 70, and in 1976 it had 77. As its leaders realized that the organization's more ambitious goals could not be quickly achieved, the society settled down to a low level of activity.Sigurður A. Magnússon (1990:208). In 1983, a blót had not been held for three years, but one was arranged to provide the makers of a documentary with material.Sveinbjörn Beinteinsson (1992:138)."Blótað á Draghálsi". DV, 20 June 1983, page 3. Available online at https://timarit.is/view_page_init.jsp?issId=189406&pageId=2477329&lang=en
By the mid-1980s, membership in the organization started to rise every year. In 1985 there were 74 members and by 1992 membership had risen to 119. At that point the organization decided that the time had come for increased activity.Þorri Jóhannsson. "Leiðirnar að guðdómnum eru margar". Lesbók Morgunblaðsins, 14 November 1992, pages 4–5. Available online at https://timarit.is/view_page_init.jsp?pageId=3309806&issId=242568&lang=en The same year, Sveinbjörn Beinteinsson published his autobiography.Sveinbjörn Beinteinsson 1992.
Sveinbjörn Beinteinsson acted as allsherjargoði from 1972 until his death in December 1993. He lived a simple life on a farm without modern luxuries. A popular grandfatherly figure, he was "a little eccentric and shy in his role as a media spokesman".Strmiska (2005:166). He left a lasting impression in people's minds.
Second allsherjargoði (1994–2002)