A Heathen’s Day

I am Hrafnkell Haraldsson, and yes, that is my “heathen” name and not the name I was given at my birth. That said, my father was Harald, and I am his son, and thus “Haraldsson” is comlpetely accurate. Speaking of my father, he died on August 19 of this year. My mother died this past winter, of complications from Parkinson’s Disease. I have a younger brother who serves in the army and is currently stationed (thankfully!) here and not overseas. I have two children by my ex-wife, a boy and a girl, and a little boy who was recently born to my beloved Lofnheiðr and I. We have just discovered that he has a rare disorder called Gaucher’s Disease, which is essentially the absence of an enzyme in the spleen which allows that organ to process blood. He will be on enzyme treatments every two weeks for the rest of his life, but at least he will not be faring to his ancestors anytime soon.

Obviously, I am here to talk about living as a heathen, and more about that in a bit, but it seemed important to introduce myself first. My father was career Navy, and served in WWII, including the allied landing at Salerno on an LST (Landing Ship Tank). My mother also served in the Navy, and I was born on the US Naval Station in Port Lyautey, Morocco (now Kenitra). I grew up in several states, but mostly in Minnesota. Though I now live in Indiana, I am not and never shall be a “Hoosier,” whatever that is.

Now, about “us” heathens. I use the term heathen (from ON “heithinn” or “heiðinn”) rather than Ásatrú (“Aesir Faith”) for the simple reason that the latter is a modern term, originating in the Icelandic heathen renaissance of the 1970s. There is the added disadvantage that the term has become somewhat tarnished in the US due to its use by “folkish” or racist groups. I do not want to be guilty of slander here so I will not name names; suffice it to say that they know who they are and they’re not easy to find, since they insist only those of Northern European descent can become heathen. That being said, I wish to state that I in no way mean to imply that all heathens in the US who refer to themselves as “Ásatrú” are racist or that all American Ásatrú groups are tainted with this disease and I have only the greatest respect for the Icelandic Ásatrúar.

About the word heathen: It derives from the heiðr, or heath, as in one who dwells on the heath. A Heithinn is one who follows the Northern ancestral faith or is used as an adjective to indicate ideals that are of Heithni, i.e. “Heithinn ethics.” The Northern Spiritual Path itself is known as Heiðni or Heithni. Of course, to a Christian, a heathen can be anyone who is not a Christian, but we use it much more specifically. It is not a perjorative, and never has been in Iceland, where that nation’s heathen past is still thought of proudly. Heathens are well spoken of in the Icelandic sagas, for instance in Landnámabók (9) where we find the following:

Thorkell Moon, the Lawspeaker, who, according to the general opinion of the men of that time, was the best amongst heathen men…His life was so pure that it was comparable with the lives of the best of the Christians.

I use the term “alheithinn” in my email address proudly. I was inspired by the line in Hallfreðar Saga (St. 2) where Hallfreðar says his enemy is “alheiðinn,” or “quite heathen.”

Heithni is a reconstructed belief system. I will not use the word “religion” because that word was not used by my heathen forebearers. The heathen Norse did not separate “religion” from custom, culture and society, and when Iceland voted in the year 1000 CE to become Christian (in order to avoid a Norwegian invasion and forced conversion) they spoke of a change of customs, not of religion. As a reconstructed belief system, it is an attempt to reconstitute a belief system that was outlawed in Scandinavia in the 11th century. Much, obviously, has been lost, and there are gaps. But enough of it remains to show us the way.

Heithni differs from “neopagan” belief systems in a number of ways. Wicca, for instance, is not a reconstructed belief system at all, but derives its content from a variety of pagan and heathen beliefs and is not a coherent whole. There never really was a “Wicca” as it is understood by its modern practioners, and belief seems centered more on a single goddess than on the gods and goddesses the ancients worshipped. In this way, (and in others too numerous to mention here) Wicca is almost more a monotheistic belief system than polytheistic. I do not wish to discuss Wicca really, but it is important to explain some of the differences between it and heithni. We are not all “just pagans” anymore than the ancient pagans were.

Basically, as a heathen, I pledge my troth (loyalty) to the gods of my ancestors. I happen to be primarily of Norwegian and Swedish ancestory and so these are the gods of my people, not the desert god of the Judeo-Christian faiths. You might recognize these gods by familiar names: Odin (Óðinn), Thor (Þórr), Frey and Freya, and so forth. We consider these to be individuals, and not archtypes, not forces of nature but actual individuals. Nor are they just other names for Jupiter or Ra or Zeus or Apollo or any other gods of other lands. We think of our gods as our Elder Kin, as it is they who created us. And as our creators, they are also our ancestors in a very real way. I think it is very clear that ancient peoples thought of each land as having its own gods, and it is only through a historical accident that so much of the world worships the god of just one of these peoples. So as heathen I make no argument that my gods are your gods, but they are mine. The troth of my ancestors was broken long ago through forced conversion or pragmatism, but it is re-established now, thanks to Sveinbjorn Beinteinsson and those brave Icelanders of the Ásatrúarfélag, who in 1972 C.E. dared to reclaim their ancient customs and so prepared the way for us all.