Can Austrians be Heathen/Norse/Asatru??

[DanielR]

I know of Austria as a Celtic region, but could an Austrian be Asatru for example, or is that a completely different culture?

I was looking through the internet and couldn't find anything really, what I've read so far is that Asatru/Norse was mainly a North Germanic/Scandinavian 'religion'?

Could anyone help me out with that? ^^

 

[Flankerl]

I know of Austria as a Celtic region

Well perhaps during the Hallstatt period but not after the area called Germania came into existence.
Just north of the Danube the Marcomanni settled and after the fall of the Western Roman Empire the Area was settled by Slavs and Avars who were then driven out or assimilated by the Bavarians.

So no Austria is not a Celtic region.



@DIR
Sorry for intruding.

 

[Jainarayan]

could an Austrian be Asatru

Yes, anyone who feels the call of the gods and maintains the Heathen worldview (community, family, "tribe") can be Ásatrú. Don't be put off by the folkish and Nordicist naysayers who claim that if you're "not of the blood" you can't practice Heathenry, Ásatrú, Northern Tradition, Germanic Paganism, Forn sidr, and such (it's not a monolithic belief system). Granted, it's a religion born of a particular geographic area and ethnicity (I hate that word, but I can't think of a better one right now), and it seems funny if a Japanese or Australian Aboriginal person adopts it, but it's no less OK. People say westerners cannot be Hindu because they are not Indian... to that I call bulldookey also. The gods, of whatever region are not racist or ethnocentric like humans are.

 

[DanielR]

Well perhaps during the Hallstatt period but not after the area called Germania came into existence.
Just north of the Danube the Marcomanni settled and after the fall of the Western Roman Empire the Area was settled by Slavs and Avars who were then driven out or assimilated by the Bavarians.

So no Austria is not a Celtic region.



@DIR
Sorry for intruding.

no problem I think I read you are from Vienna too!!

Thanks for your reply

 

[DanielR]

Yes, anyone who feels the call of the gods and maintains the Heathen worldview (community, family, "tribe") can be Ásatrú. Don't be put off by the folkish and Nordicist naysayers who claim that if you're "not of the blood" you can't practice Heathenry, Ásatrú, Northern Tradition, Germanic Paganism, Forn sidr, and such (it's not a monolithic belief system). Granted, it's a religion born of a particular geographic area and ethnicity (I hate that word, but I can't think of a better one right now), and it seems funny if a Japanese or Australian Aboriginal person adopts it, but it's no less OK. People say westerners cannot be Hindu because they are not Indian... to that I call bulldookey also. The gods, of whatever region are not racist or ethnocentric like humans are.

Thanks, I was just wondering ! My father is Austrian (but I never actually met him, my parents separated when I was born) so I wanted to look into that side of my ancestry haha, I don't know anything about Norse etc. This might sound like a stupid ignorant question, but why were you drawn to Asatru specifically? I remember you still from the Hindu dir , I too am a bit unsatisfied with Advaita atm

Regards

 

[Jainarayan]

This might sound like a stupid ignorant question, but why were you drawn to Asatru specifically?

It's not a stupid or ignorant question at all. It's just hard to answer because it's mostly very personal feelings, but I'll try...

I can relate better to the Norse gods and to the worldview of Heathenry than I could to Christianity or Hinduism, especially the theology of both. To me Ásatrú is so much more practical and makes so much more sense for living. Heathenry appeals to my sense of justice and honor, my drive to be stronger and wiser, to live in peace with the land, and lead a simple and honest life. It gives an name, a shape and a voice to how I see life. I also feel a connection to the people of the north. I'm not a folkish Ásatrúar but sometimes you just feel a calling to where you belong. Kind of like a homing pigeon.

 

[DanielR]

Hmm, I know what you mean! I was getting interested mainly since I read Nietzsche, and his critique of Christianity and him favouring polytheism

Maybe I'll visit this forum section more often now ^^

 

[Riverwolf]

I wouldn't worry about whether it's "Celtic" or not, anyway. Far as I can tell, the Celtic-speaking Tribes and Germanic-speaking Tribes (remember that those words are primarily linguistic terms) shared a larger pan-culture; I suspect strongly that the Slavic-speaking Tribes shared in that culture, as well.

I would think Austrian Heathenry would look a little different from, say, Asatru (Nordic/Scandinavian) Heathenry or Anglo-Saxon Heathenry (the one I follow), but that's only because they derive from different groups of Tribes that have distinct cultures and histories. We may follow Rome's example these days of lumping in these people as one "Germanic" whole, but they would not have seen themselves like that. A Suebi person would probably hate you if you implied them to be the same as a Cherusci person.

 

[DanielR]

Oops my bad, sorry then

 

[Anthur]

Hey,

I live in Vienna aswell and I am interested in this religion. Are here any churches or something like that where believers of Heathenry meet?

 

[Riverwolf]

Hey,

I live in Vienna aswell and I am interested in this religion. Are here any churches or something like that where believers of Heathenry meet?

Not yet, really, at least in terms of buildings built specifically for that purpose. Iceland's Asatru Fellowship (Ásatrúarfélagið) is currently in the process of constructing the first Heathen temple in a thousand years, but... Iceland.

In terms of meeting in person, I can't say what Heathens on the European Continent do. In the US, at least, Heathens gather in peoples' homes or rented out rooms, and often attend Pagan-themed conventions.

 

[Anthur]

Not yet, really, at least in terms of buildings built specifically for that purpose. Iceland's Asatru Fellowship (Ásatrúarfélagið) is currently in the process of constructing the first Heathen temple in a thousand years, but... Iceland.

In terms of meeting in person, I can't say what Heathens on the European Continent do. In the US, at least, Heathens gather in peoples' homes or rented out rooms, and often attend Pagan-themed conventions.

Thanks for the answer. Do you know any way I can contact a Heathen? Facebook group or something? :]

 

[Riverwolf]

Thanks for the answer. Do you know any way I can contact a Heathen? Facebook group or something? :]

I don't use Facebook, so I don't know where you'd look there. Honestly, because Heathenry is so small (and Heathens often get, shall we say... "aggressively opinionated") connecting to other Heathens of like-mind in person is incredibly tricky.

Some other options might be to find local general Pagan groups. Maybe start looking at a local Unitarian Universalist temple, if there are any in or near Vienna?

 

[GoodbyeDave]

A good starting point on the web is here
http://www.heathengods.com/
and that links to here
http://www.heathengods.com/find/index.htm
Alas, no one in Austria has come forward as a heathen and the nearest German-speaking group listed is in Frankfurt. But it's worth looking on Facebook and in the Yahoo groups. I also found this
http://eldaring.domainfactory-kunde...ntaktforen/board55-europa/board24-österreich/

 

[Anthur]

Thanks alot!

 

[Forgemaster]

Thanks for the answer. Do you know any way I can contact a Heathen? Facebook group or something? :]

Well there are although it can be counterintuitive as there are many differing opinions and they can make it difficult to figure out what you believe, especially if you had a different religion before. I am rather new to heathenry but feel free to message me if you want to talk to a heathen, and there are many on the site although each story is personal. I am more open to discuss it though and i typically reply the same day.

 

[Jainarayan]

Thanks for the answer. Do you know any way I can contact a Heathen? Facebook group or something? :]

There are a couple of good, knowledgeable, friendly Ásatrú FB groups. There are a couple to avoid like the plague. I don't want to mention them here lest it appear that I'm promoting or bashing them. Feel free to message me if you want.

 

[Nietzsche]

I know of Austria as a Celtic region, but could an Austrian be Asatru for example, or is that a completely different culture?

I was looking through the internet and couldn't find anything really, what I've read so far is that Asatru/Norse was mainly a North Germanic/Scandinavian 'religion'?

Could anyone help me out with that? ^^

There is no racial component to Asatru/Heathenry. If you're looking for a form of Germanic customs near or in Osterreich I'd suggest the Lombard/Langobard/Longobard one.

 

[Maponos]

The Celtic legacy of Austria makes it much more feasible as a region for Celtic spirituality.

 

[Nietzsche]

I'm not.

The lands that make up Austria were Celt at one time. Long, long, long ago. But they are solidly Germamic-Latin, and have been for eons.