The Role Of The Gothar In The Asatru Community

The old norse word "Gothar" is the plural form of Gothi or Gythia. The Gothar are the collective priesthood of the Asatru Community. Proper pronunciation in Old Norse is: Gothar (go-thar). It literally means: those who speak the godly tongue.

We know from many surviving ancient accounts that the Gothar played a pivotal role in the founding of Iceland and the development there of a system of government known as the Godic Republic. This ancient method of self government was known as the AlThing. At the AlThing the Gothar of the 36 districts of Iceland met annually to read the Law, settle disputes among the Folk, and mete justice to law breakers.

This concept of self rule has been practiced since antiquity by the people of the North. We will deal in greater detail in a future article titled "The AlThing", but here we will discuss the role of the Gothar in the contemporary Asatru Community.

In ancient times, as we know from the writings of Tacitus in The Agricola and The Germania, the Teutons worshipped their Gods and goddesses in holy groves and by sacred springs and rivers. Tribal priests and priestesses presided in these matters. We learn from Adam of Bremen of the great Temple of Uppsala, where great public Blots were held, again presided over by the Temple Priests. There are also numerous Saga accounts of the Hofs maintained by the priests for public worship in Norway and Iceland.

From all of this we learn that there were people who specialized in conducting public worship of the Gods and Goddesses. They were also responsible for establishing Hofs and Temples, and maintained the equipment and furnishings necessary to conduct Blots and other religious services. In the days of the Godic Republic, the Gothar was also responsible for the civil administration of the country as well.

In modern times, as the Asatru Community struggles to reassert itself as the true religion of the Folk, the work of the Gothar is difficult indeed. Not only is it his or her duty to conduct the Blots, maintain the Hofs and sacred groves and provide the ritual equipment, but he or she must also seek out those within our Folk worthy to practice the old ways, and to reawaken the Ancestral Soul of our people, which is weak and near death after a thousand years of Christian pollution.

The true Gothar of the modern era must be a fearless spiritual warrior, a fervent Asatru missionary. They must be as wise as the AllFather, as strong as Asa Thorr, and as loving as the Lady Freya, if they are to succeed in their chosen profession. In short, only the bravest, wisest, and most loving of our Folk can ever aspire to the position of Gothi or Gythia. Nothing less than total dedication and personal sacrifice to our cause will do. Anything less will result in failure. If you are a dabbler in the Northern mysteries, a crystal poking Norse Wiccan, or someone who lives in a fantasy world, please go far away and do everyone a favor. For the rest of you who have a sincere desire, a burning will, and a constitution of iron, we will proceed. In Vor Tru No. 52 not only did we discuss the significance of the Blot, we examined the actual mechanics for performing public sacrifice, and we discussed also the part that the Gothi and Gythia played in such religious services of the Folk. I urged all who have the desire to perform Blots to do so whether privately at home with the family, or publicly in the sacred places with the Kindred. The person who performs the Blot, is at that place and time a Gothi. However, it is what you do for the Folk after the Blot which determines whether you are indeed a member of the Gothar, one who has earned the respect of the Asatru Community as a tireless and fearless spiritual leader of the Folk, and one who constantly strives to improve himself through constant study and practice of the lore of our people. Indeed, are you one who has earned the respect and admiration of the Folk because of your tireless efforts in their behalf?

At this point, let's assume that you aspire to become one of the Gothar. Where do you begin? I will start by saying that I have known more than a few who wished to become a Gothi. My best advice at this time is to urge them to find a recognized Gothi, and somehow convince the Priest of the Folk to become his apprentice. You must realize at this point in time that many may choose to walk this path, but by the process of natural selection, few will attain their goal. If you find a Gothi to aid you in your studies, you are fortunate to have that aid in your quest. If you personally don't know anyone of the Gothar, don't despair. You can teach yourself. THEY DID!

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In The Beginning Was The Wyrd

True to form the Christ people placed the birth of their God at the time of the birth of the sun - the Winter Sunstead - their version being a word-play - 'birth of the son', the son of God. Even before this the Judaic Old Testament uses a clever word play to twist the concept of Wyrd, for Genesis maintains: "In the beginning was the Word". It maintains of course that the Word was God.

What is the origin of the term 'word'? 'Word' in modern German is 'wurt', but in Old High German the word 'wurt' meant Wyrd. To emphasise this point the Old Saxon for 'Wyrd' was 'Wurd', phonetically' similar to 'word'. The Norse word for Wyrd is Orlog, which is literally 'primal layers' or 'primal word'. The last part '-log' is the same as the Latin for 'word': we still use the word 'log' for a book of record, or of records of any kind. So we, as Heathens, are safe to say - IN THE BEGINNING WAS THE WYRD.

And so it must be that the Cosmic Mind existed before all things. The Cosmic Mind must have been there in order that Creation could take place. Even certain sections of modern science have turned full circle and ditched the idea of a mechanical universe in favour of the idea of the universe being more like a vast thought-pattern. So what is the Wyrd and how are its workings?

To answer this question we can only scratch at the surface, for only a part of Wyrd can be comprehended at a time. But we can get slight hints at the workings of Wyrd. Orlog has its similarity to a Flemish-Dutch word 'oorlog' which means 'war'. I am led to believe that the word 'war' is an Indo-European root word meaning: 1.To will/choose; 2. To speak; 3. To wind or turn.

These words and meanings seem to have little link, and not much with Wyrd, until we contemplate their word-association. 'To will' hints at the Will of Wyrd - that which is, and that which is to be - evolution - for Wyrd is ever evolving and changing. 'To speak', of course, gives us the 'word', which is touched upon in the first paragraph here. "To wind or turn' is associated with change, with evolution, and also 'wind' is to spiral. Scientists now consider the universe to be a vast spiral.

War is seeming conflict, but not so if we look-closely at it, for war can have very strange results. The same with Wyrd, for on the surface the Cosmos appears to be a war of opposite - Light and Dark, Day and Night, Summer and Winter, Hot and Cold, Fire and Ice. But not really so, for because those are the totality of Wyrd, they are in truth harmonious. 'It is this harmony of opposites which causes the eternal process of Birth-Life-Death to Rebirth, of Creation-Preservation-Destruction to re-Creation. This process we call 'evolution' and this is the ever upward-growing spiral. Wyrd is in a constant state of flux and change.

The workings of Wyrd are contained within the symbolic system we call the Runes, each Rune being an aspect of Wyrd. We could say that the Runes are the Secrets of Wyrd and the secrets of nature in its entirety. The Runes existed in the beginning. It was Odin who learned of them by his sacrifice so that we may use them to aid us in our battle against those forces that seek to destroy the Wyrd..

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God Heimdall

Heimdall is the guardian of Asgard. He watches over the entrance, the Bifrost bridge, and uses his acute vision and hearing to watch and listen for danger. He will sound his horn, Gjallarhorn, at the start of Ragnarok. He is known to have fathered the classes of humanity. Heimdall is also called the White God, or the Bright God, for he is said to shine. He is the watchman of the gods, and stays mostly in his home Himinbjorg, next to the Bridge Bifrost, the way to Asgard, which he guards. He is a most faithful watchman, and is often rained on. He needs less sleep than a bird, can hear the grass grow all the way in Midgard, as well as the wool on sheep. He has a horn called Gjallarhorn, which he will sound when the giant-hordes approach and Ragnarok draws nigh. There are also scholarly arguments that say certain sources tell of a sacrifice Heimdall made similar to Odin's, where he sacrificed an ear for a drink from Mimir's well, which is how he got his hearing. This, if true, is such a close parallel with Odin that it may be that Heimdall is a well-developed heiti of Odin's, that has become an hypostasis. Heimdall, under the name Rig, also fathered the three races of man (thralls, or slaves, carls, or freemen, and jarls, or nobles). As such he is also a God of social order. He is also the only god other than Odin who is said to teach the runes. He would be called on by guards, police, and such like. He would also be called on by runic students as well as those who seek transcendence (as god of Bifrost, and possibly as god of social-climbing).

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Asatru Characteristic Beliefs

As a part of the great European Folkway, Asatru has a number of characteristic beliefs. Some of these are:

- The world is good. Prosperity is good. Life is good, and we should live it with joy and enthusiasm.
- We are free to shape our lives to the extent allowed by our skill, courage, and might. There is no predestination, no fatalism, no limitations imposed by the will of any external deity.
- We do not need salvation. All we need is the freedom to face our destiny with courage and honor.
- We are connected to all our ancestors. They are a part of us. We in turn will be a part of our descendants.
- We are also linked to all our living kin - to our families and to every man and woman rooted in the tribes of Europe. They are our "greater family."
- We are connected to Nature and subject to its laws. The Holy Powers often express themselves in Nature's beauty and might.
- We believe that morality does not depend on commandments, but rather arises from the dignity and honor of the noble-minded man and woman.
- We do not fear the Holy Powers, or consider ourselves their slaves. On the contrary, we share community and fellowship with the Divine. The Holy Powers encourage us to grow and advance to higher levels.
- We honor the Holy Powers under the names given them by our Germanic/Norse ancestors.
- We practice Asatru by honoring the turning of the seasons…the ancestors…the Divine…and ourselves - in everyday life.

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Green Runa

Book: Green Runa by Edred Thorsson

This is an anthology of shorter works written by Edred Thorsson for various Asatraodinist and Rune-Gild publications from the late 1970s to the early 1980s. Many of these essays have become classics, and include the first Introduction of the Odinist world to the ritual known as the symbel. Contains material previously unavailable to the general public on matters of runelore and Germanic religion. Includes a short biography of Edred by James A. Chisholm.

From the late 1970s to the early 1980s Edred Thorsson produced a significant volume of material which was produced in rather obscure Asatru or Odinist journals such as The Runestone in the USA and The Raven Banner in England. Additionally, Edred's own then fledgling Rune-Gild published a number of shorter works. All of these would have ended up virtually "lost" if they had not been Collected and edited for presentation in this volume.

Also includes a biography of Edred Thorsson by James Chisholm.

Buy Edred Thorsson's book: Green Runa

Books in PDF format to read:

Stephen Flowers - Runa
Karl Hans Welz - Armanen Runes
Ann Moura - Green Witchcraft

Asatru As An Ethnicity

For some, Asatru has come to take on an entire ethnic identity. We have come to see ourselves as a unique ethnic/national element in the world like many other ethnicities. This identity is based on a number of common identity factors such as common religion, societal values and ideals, common Historical origins, descent, mythology, folklore and literature, common language, cultural Symbolism and conceptual encoding. These things provide a Powerful and unique identity among Asatru’s followers. As a product of these commonalities a growing sense of people-hood has arisen among many Asatruar. This is the essence of Folkish Asatru. Among Folkish Asatruar, this is seen not only as empirically obvious, but an ideal which is to be promoted. To Folkish Asatruar, their ethnicity is deeply tied to belongingness based on religion, culture and ancestry.

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A Short History Of Asatru

Heathenry or Asatru (pronounced OW-suh-troo) is a modern name given to a living ethnic religion which embraces the indigenous polytheistic spiritual beliefs and sacred cultural formations of Pre-Christian Northern Europe. The first historical Heathens didn't have their ultimate origin in Northern Europe, but were parts of the great Indo-European family of cultures which all began somewhere in the steppes and river valleys of the Eurasian continent, north of the Black Sea.

That family of people would eventually migrate away and settle in ancient Europe, Iran, and India. Once long ago, these dynamic and world-affecting people all embraced similar Gods and sacred cultural institutions. Over time, cultural differentiation, migration, and diffusion of the Indo-Europeans led to the formation of groups recognizable as "Germanic" or "Teutonic" and "Celtic", as well as Roman, Greek, Slavic and many others. Asatru, as a term, is from the Old Norse and Icelandic languages, and it means "Belief in the Gods". The real seeds and root-impulses of Asatru go back as far as the Bronze age, as the symbolism and mythology of the religion reveals.

Asatru today refers firstly to the survival and revival of the belief in the Gods of the Indo-European peoples of Northern Europe. Secondly, it refers to the modern life-ways engaged by people today that draw their form and inspiration from what we know the ancient pre-Christian Northern peoples were doing religiously and how they lived, under the guidance of their cultural beliefs, institutions, and sacred stories.

Asatru was last practiced, in a form close to its present shape, in Iceland, up to the year 1000. In that year, the Icelandic assembly voted (under severe political pressure and threat of isolation from the Christian nations of mainland Europe) for the entire island to become Christian. Making offerings to the Old Gods and honoring the Ancestors was not immediately outlawed because of this ruling, but it became so later. It is believed that the practices and beliefs of the Old Way persisted behind closed doors (a great possibility in tolerant Iceland) until 1973 when the Icelandic Assembly recognized Asatru as the traditional indigenous faith of the people, and bestowed legal status and protections upon it. Asatru Hofs or temples, as well as cemetaries specifically for those who died in the faith, now exist in Iceland and in other places.

From Iceland, and on the heels of some of the earlier attempts to reclaim the old Heathen faith from continental Europe, Asatru spread out and new groups of people called back to the old faith began to appear. The various historical cultural sub-divisions of the Northern peoples- Angle, Saxon, Jutish, Norse, Swedish, Danish, Continental German, and others- have all been given both scholarly and poetic/spiritual attention in the last decades and have been successfully and respectfully tapped as sources for reborn Heathen religious and cultural lifestyles.

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