New Norse temple for Iceland
Growth in Paganism leads to plans for first new temple to Thor and Odin in over a millennium
A modern version of Norse paganism has been gaining popularity in recent years as followers regard the stories as metaphors for life rather than worship of the gods. By the time the Icelandic Eddas were written down in the 13th century, an active belief in the pantheon of historic gods they describe was already archaic. For centuries, however, the Viking world from Iceland to the Black Sea had been shaped by the belief in the central world tree of Yggdrasil, the hammer-wielding god Thor, the one-eyed, raven-attended Odin, the fertility goddess Freyja, and a host of elves, trolls and nature spirits. “I don’t believe anyone believes in a one-eyed man who is riding about on a horse with eight feet,” said Hilmar Örn Hilmarsson, a noted film composer and high priest of the Icelandic Ásatrú Association (or Esetroth Fellowship), which promotes the pagan faith. “We see the stories as poetic metaphors and a manifestation of the forces of nature and human psychology.” However, belief in elves and trolls is still widespread in the country (see FT201:42-47; 311:14-15). Rose Thorsteinsdóttir, a folklorist at the University of Iceland, said: “People tell fairy stories of the hidden people; there are nature spirits that walk over the country and you should not disturb them. These stories are alive.” Roadworks are still occasionally diverted to avoid annoying these denizens of the faery world.
The Ásatrú Association was founded in 1972 and officially recognised as a religion the following year, allowing it to conduct legally binding ceremonies ( blót) and collect a
Belief in elves and trolls is widespread in the country
share of the church tax. It is about to build its first temple or hof, where celebrants can worship Thor, Odin and Freyja (aka Frigg). It will be the first pagan temple to be built in the country since the Viking age, 1,000 years ago. Starting this March, the 3,800ft2 (350m2) circular temple will be dug 4m (13ft) down into a hill overlooking the Icelandic capital, Reykjavik, with a dome on top to let in the sunlight. It should accommodate 250 people at a time. Architect Magnus Jensson has incorporated the ‘golden ratio’ in his design, as well as the numbers nine and 432,000 – which are sacred to the Ásatrú rite and other pagan religions. “The Sun changes with the seasons so we are in a way having the Sun paint the space for us,” Hilmarsson said. The temple will host ceremonies such as weddings and funerals. The group will also conduct naming ceremonies and coming of age rituals. The faithful will gather for weekly study and for the five main feasts of the year, when they will recite poems round a central fire, make sacrificial drink offerings to the gods and feast on sacred horsemeat. Unlike some pagan groups, they do not practise animal sacrifice, and have severed all ties with groups espousing far-right ideology. “Some of them are really pissed off that a stupid hippy nation should have the sources in their own language,” says Hilmarsson.
Reykjavik City Council has donated the site for the new temple, but the Ásatrú Association will raise the £645,000 building costs itself. Membership of the Association has tripled in Iceland in the last decade to 2,382 members out of a total population of 326,000 – that’s 0.73 per cent of Icelanders. About a third of Ásatrú members are women. BBC News, 30 Jan; [R] Guardian, 2 + 7 Feb 2015.