The Priestly Class in Asatru

 

Almost from the start modern Asatru had a priestly class. This is due to the fact that the founders of modern Asatru were creating a religion based upon lost ways of the Germanic people. They had little to go on from the past, but plenty to draw from their present. Religion, that is Christianity, had a priestly class, therefore so should Asatru. However, from a historical prospective there is little evidence to suggest that the job of priest ever existed in pre-Christian Germanic religious practice.

If you go online and look up “Asatru Groups” or “Organizations” you will find Heathen groups both large and small. All of the national and international organizations have a priestly class associated with them, most calling it the Goði. All have some sort of Goði training program that you need to endure in order to represent yourself as a priest of the local Heathens. In most cases, this is a good idea. The Troth has an excellent program that will educate you on modern Asatru practice and the role of the modern Goði.

Historically, the person who led the religious rites and practices was the head of household. This could be the elder statesman/woman or both. This practice went up the chain of command as social groupings do, thus tribal leaders were often spiritual leaders as well. There is no evidence of a professional priesthood among the Norse, and rather cultic activities were carried out by members of the community who also had other social functions and positions. In medieval Iceland, the goði was a social role that combined religious, political, and judicial functions, responsible for serving as a chieftain in the district, negotiating legal disputes, and maintaining order among his þingmenn. This is not to say there are not acceptations to the general rule, but they do seem to be limited.

In modern Asatru we need a priestly class. I recently wrote about Modern Asatru and how it never truly formed into what we can call a religion due to the conversion. If Heathenry/Asatru had matured we can assume that it would have had priests, and most likely monks and monasteries. Yes, this is an assumption. However, it is based on historical facts. Religion and socio-political systems evolve as people and society evolve. In its infancy Christianity was a folk religion with many different practices that varied from tribe to tribe and village to village. It was not uniform, it was tribal. If Christianity had never matured it would still be tribal.

I, like many other Heathens, have a love hate relationship with the idea of an organized Heathen religion. I like the ability to forge my own path and make my own rules based on my own personal research, needs, and wants. It is what makes Heathenry attractive t so many. However, it would be nice to have a more organized base with temples and a community. The ability to just go into town and pray at the local temple with other Heathens is sort of a nice prospect. The downside is that there is a hierarchy dictating the dogma of religion.

Heathenry in America sparing up in the mid to late 1970s. I am a first-generation heathen going back to the early 1980s. I have kids growing up as Heathens. What that means is there is a second generation of heathens out there, and maybe even a third. Heathenry is growing and maturing. The world today moves much faster than that of The Ancestors, and that means maturity comes quickly. There are a lot of young Heathens out there who want to build communities, temples, and standards for Heathenry. There are organizations out there that are starting to push standardizations, dogma, in Heathenry. I am a member of The Troth and I see a slight push towards a firmer foundation and, yes, dogma in their circles. I do not think this is a bad thing at all. If we want to be accepted as a religion, we cannot stay tribal forever.

Within Hammerhof we have defined our version of Heathenry and the version of Heathenry we want to see. This is our view and may not be yours. There has been no input from a greater Heathen community only a tribal one. We have drawn our version from not only the lore, history, and archeology but from other Heathens, their tribal groupings, and organizations such as The Troth. I know that other tribal groups have developed their own Heathenry in much the same way, by picking up the pieces from other Heathens.

What remains now is, are we willing to accept a mature version of Heathenry? Are we going to actively nature and grow Heathenry? Or are we going to keep it stunted? There have been very few Heathen conferences where all parties have been invited to discuss Heathenry on a grand scale. If we want to be more that individual tribes and squabble organizations, we need to come together and develop Heathenry as a mature religion. Heathenry will grow one way or another, it is inevitable. Sitting back and doing nothing will just allow others to define what Heathenry is for us. We all need to have a say in what Heathenry will become.