Cultural Corner

Within the last 30 years, a lot of people have been trying to get back to their roots, to reconnect with what their ancestors believed and how they lived. One of the faiths that has sought to re-establish itself is Asatru.
Asatru can best be defined as the revival of the ways, beliefs and customs of the ancient Germanic tribes of northern Europe which inhabited, at differing times in history, the modern nations of England, Germany, Ireland, Iceland, Scotland, Wales, Belgium, France, the Netherlands, West Poland, Northern Italy, Austria, Switzerland, Norway, Sweden, and Finland. These countries are currently seeing a revival of this very ancient pre-Christian faith.
Many practitioners of Asatru identify it as a folk-way or the way of their ancestors and family. To them, it is not merely a religion but a way of life and a revival of the culture of their Indo-European ancestors. This way of life is codified in what they refer to as the Nine Noble Virtues which dictate how to live one's life and conduct one's affairs properly. The Nine Noble Virtues are Courage, Truth, Honor, Fidelity, Discipline, Hospitality, Industriousness, Self-Reliance and Perseverance.
Along with these ideals, the people of this way also study and learn from the ancient myths and legends of the northern European gods and goddesses from the "Poetic" and "Prose Eddas." While they study these stories, most Asatruar of today do not take them literally, as myths and legends generally express truths of life in a way that people can easily digest.
The people who follow the ideology of Asatru believe that it is very important for people to realize who they are and where they come from. All ethnicities on the planet have their own indigenous beliefs and cultures, and Asatru practitioners are extremely active in helping people find their indigenous way, what they define as a folkway, and reconnect with it. They believe that knowing where you come from tells you so much about yourself.
This ancient way of life, along with many other indigenous faiths, are becoming increasingly popular throughout the world as people are beginning to look back into the past to find out who their ancestors were and ultimately learn more about themselves in the process.