Heathenry is a modern Pagan religion. Its practitioners model it on the pre-Christian belief systems adhered to by the Germanic peoples of the Iron Age and Early Middle Ages. Heathenry does not have a unified theology but is typically polytheistic. It adopts cosmological views from these past societies.
About Heathenry (new religious movement) in brief
Heathenry is a modern Pagan religion. Its practitioners model it on the pre-Christian belief systems adhered to by the Germanic peoples of the Iron Age and Early Middle Ages. Heathenry does not have a unified theology but is typically polytheistic. It adopts cosmological views from these past societies, including an animistic view of the cosmos in which the natural world is imbued with spirits. The religion’s deities and spirits are honored in sacrificial rites known as blóts in which food and libations are offered to them. Some practitioners also engage in rituals designed to induce an altered state of consciousness and visions, most notably seiðr and galdr, with the intent of gaining wisdom and advice from the deities. Scholarly estimates put the number of Heathens at no more than 20,000 worldwide, with communities of practitioners active in Europe, the Americas, and Australasia. Heathens who espouse folkish and far-right perspectives tend to favor the terms Odinism, Wotanism, Wodenism, or Odalism. Some Heathens also adopt ideas from the later periods in European history from the archaeological evidence of pre- Christian European history and folklore. A central division within the Heathen movement emerged surrounding the issue of race. Older groups adopted a racialist attitude by viewing HeathenRY as an ethnic or racial religion with inherent links to a Germanic race. They believe it should be reserved for white people, particularly of Northern European descent, and often combine the religion with white supremacist and far right-wing perspectives.
A larger proportion of Heatheners instead adopt a universalist perspective, holding that the religion is open to all, irrespective of origin. The term Heatheny is used widely to describe the religion as a whole, but many groups prefer different designations, influenced by their regional focus and ideological preferences. Heathes focusing on Scandinavian sources sometimes use Ásatrú, Vanatrú and Forn Sed. practitioners focusing on Anglo-Saxon traditions use Fyrnsidu or Theodism; those emphasising German traditions use Irminism. Heatens focusing on German traditions sometimes use Odinism or Wotanism. Heathens focusing on English traditions use the terms Irminist and Wodanism; and those Heathens using Odinism and Wotansism are known as Odinists or Wodans. Some scholars see Heathens as being constructed from partial material, while the religious studies scholar Michael Striska describes its beliefs as being’reconstructing’ and ‘laboratory’ Heathens are known to use the term ‘Lore’ to refer to their religious beliefs and practices. It has been defined as a broad contemporary Pagan new religious movement that is consciously inspired by the linguistically, culturally, and ethnically ‘Germanic’ societies of Iron Age, early medieval Europe as they existed prior to Christianization. It is more specifically as a reconstructionist form of modern Paganism.
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