Believing and Doing
Stefanie von Schnurbein
BRILL eBooks 2016 DOI: 10.1163/9789004309517_005 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Historical analysis Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Key points | Argues that Asatru shares much with other Neopagan, esoteric, and Wiccan traditions while still carrying significant, often unacknowledged continuities with völkisch religious ideas. Contradictions around core beliefs are treated as insignificant, which the authors attribute to Asatru's non-dogmatic self-conception that permits individual constructions of faith. |
Abstract
Believing and DoingWho are they?What do they believe?How do they make sense of the world?And what do they do?Asatru's path towards public recognition can be traced in the changing make-up of its adherents, in the continuities and changes of its core beliefs and practices, as well as in the attempts to contextualize one's own worldviews and rituals within one's respective social context.We can observe significant overlaps with other varieties of Neopaganism, Western esotericism and Wicca regarding conceptions of the divine; individual deities; the relations between humans, gods, and the world; as well as views on ritual and magic.Nevertheless, the continuities of religious ideas originating in völkisch contexts are still significant, albeit often unacknowledged or unnoticed.Such contradictions and controversies around basic beliefs are perceived as insignificant in Asatru today.This is due to the fundamental self-conception of Asatru as a non-dogmatic religion that leaves ample room for individual constructions of faith and allows for the relatively easy adaption of broader sub-cultural and mainstream currents.