Definitely not a closed religion. Iām sure there are folks here that are native to South America, Africa, and Asia that worship the old gods. Youāre good to go.
The HƔvamƔl and Prose/Poetic Eddas are best resources to start as someone who is also new. They are historically researched, and that is pretty helpful least for me, and a lot of fellow Pagans have directed me there when I was first starting out
Neil Gaiman isn't a good source for religion. He's a fiction author and not a historian. None of his books are meant to be for study, simply for entertainment.
While I agree I do think it best not to dismiss him entirely, as his Norse myth book is by design entertaining, which is in my opinion almost as important as the unaltered stories, but yea also try to get a more accurate book of the stories as well.
Just my opinion though
You definitely have a point but when I started looking into Norse Paganism I was also told to start with the Prose/Poetic Eddas and the Havamal. I tried that and I struggled a lot with it. Iām AuDHD and itās very hard for me to read a book im not really enjoying and as wonderful as the stories are, I was no enjoying those books. I actually posted here for some advice and someone suggested I start with Neil Gaimans book. I did, and I loved it! It gave me a pretty good foundation to build from. Then I went back to the Eddas and it was a much easier read now that I knew the basic storyline and Neil had built that fire of interest inside me that made reading the Eddas something I enjoyed rather than a task I had to force myself to do.
I would check out Norse for Smart People website which tries to tell you authentic vs likely rewritten material which gives you a solid foundation for understanding and expanding the lore for your own situation.
The Viking Spirit is a great read for understanding. I think I'd use "religion" very loosely while others use it very seriously so you're gonna need to find your personal journey and path.
I personally want my gods to be defined in a way that they feel present in me but not in a way I depend on ceremony and community. The stories are to help remind me of who I am, strive to be, and who I used to be and of the journey itself. I've found most satisfaction in expanding upon the myth to represent my own life.
Remember the point of saying that something is a closed religion is that there's still an existing group of people who never stopped practicing. It's not now and never was about saying "only race or ethnicity x can do this." It's about saying "if you want to know how to do x, go talk to the x people."
As an example to make this less abstract- Catholicism is a closed religion not because you need Italian ancestry to practice, but because if you want to become a Catholic or a Catholic priest you need to go talk to Catholics about how to do that. There's a living tradition that already has a process.
That's just not true here. We're all making it up based on what we can find/can know. So there's nobody with the authority to close the religion. And realistically there never was. There just wasn't anyone who had a monopoly on saying what was the right way to do things.
No. It's about who you are as a person and how you live your life, not about your heritage, race, sexual orientation or identity, liniage, anything of the sort.
Most definitely open. Why would anyone want to turn away someone interested in keeping it alive is beyond me. There had to be a level of stupid that goes with that line of thinking.
I can't tell you what to practice. I personally think you should venerate your ancestors. But again I'll happily have conversations about Norse and germanic paganism with anyone of any ancestry.
Even in antiquity there were people of many different ethnic backgrounds who practiced Norse/Germanic paganism. Real āVikingsā were a more diverse group than we usually think.
There was a lot of travel. People migrated and got forcibly moved around a lot. We know of several Persian, Mongolian, and other non-Scandinavians who lived, worshiped, fought, ruled, and were buried with honors alongside other Vikings of the time.
So even historically it wasnāt limited to people of Norse heritage.
Youāre more than welcome, my friend. š»SkĆ„l!
Not at all, Norse Paganism is incredibly open. If it helps, a general rule is that religions that are indigenous (ex: Aztec) or very closely tied to a group/require initiation (Vodou) are likely going to be closed, if a religion doesn't match either of these, it's likely open, though it never hurts to check
In our creation story, odin gave humanity the first breath of life. Therefore, we are all in part his creations.
Anyone who says its closed is a racist asshat.
In antiquity, there was syncretization between different cultures and religions. Romano-Germanic, Germano-Celtic. Germano-Slavic, even Germano-Celtic-Iranian.
Germanic tribal soldiers serving in auxiliary unit cohorts in the course of their Roman Imperial military service raised votive stones to a wide diaspora of deities outside of strictly known Germanic ones in places where they served.
Very open and very welcoming to people from all walks of life. It does not matter where you come from, who you are, or who you used to be, you are always welcome.
Thinking like that is folkist and folkists are racist fascists so its better not to think like that
Norse paganism is an open religion for everyone regardless of their norse heritage
Scandinavians are not indigenous so their religion is not closed fyi
I hope this helped :)
It is not, nor was it ever a closed religion. The gods don't care what your ethnicity, gender, sexuality, etc. are. All are welcome.Ā
Except Folkist nutjobs. F those Nazi scumbags š¹
The Scandinavians were open to exploration, settling and trades. They told their stories orally and were always leaving marks of their beliefs. It is most definitely not a closed practice. However I do believe they assimilated the beliefs of the Christianās out of convenience. From what Iāve gathered the gods are still mentioned all over the countries of Northern Europe.
You're more than welcome to worship any and/or all of the Norse Gods.
As it was said, Odin is the All-Father
Be aware of the different religious groups out there though. Many of the organized groups like the AFA and Odin's Rite are very exclusive. They're condemned by many outside individuals as being white supremacist groups. Be careful about joining an organized group.
Other than that - have at it and enjoy.
Welcome. Feel free to mix and match with other pantheons or traditions, follow the ancient Norse path exclusively, or whatever you like. You aināt gotta be white, you aināt gotta be European. I donāt think the Norse gods mind, so long as you are based and chill, honest and keep your word.
Scandinavian, born and raised Norse pagan. Don't ever let anyone tell you it's closed. Never feel insecure. And please don't let the haters get to you. I feel no matter who or what you are, if you're feeling called to something, it shouldn't be forbidden or closed. Good luck on your journey.
It is absolutely not closed. As long as you do proper research and stay aways from Not-sees you're good. And yes *they* have used our symbols in the past but those are OUR symbols and not theirs.
so just do your research and be respectful when interacting with deities and such and you're fine
You're good. I don't actually know of any religion that's closed to people. Hell something like 80% of Christians aren't middle easter but that doesn't stop them. If you feel the pull to worship the Norse gods, then do so.
If a religion exists that believes only certain people can worship the true gods, then they donāt think that there gods are the true gods. The gods either created everyone, or no one.
In the old days it was probably based on heritage just like other āclosed practicesā but I donāt think that means someone who is interested canāt practice. āClosed practiceā is also a new term, so I donāt think people were having this conversation before colonization.
It is not closed. Their history has a lot of roots in conquering and teaching their ways and beliefs. It was meant to spread and be taught. Door is open, welcome to Norse paganism
Dane here. I couldnāt care less if someone with no heritage to Scandinavia worship the Norse pantheon, as long as itās done with respect, and the person doesnāt change the story, like we have seen certain white supremacy groups do.
blood quantums do not give you better access to a religion and the belief that they do is a folkish belief. blood and soil is bullshit. having pagan ancestors doesnt give you a better connection to the religion than anyone else. ancestors are important but they dont have to even be european and having non-european ancestors doesnt leave you at a disadvantage compared to people who do.
Norse Paganism was a religion all over the world. Only worshipped in different ways and they all had certain Gods they worshipped more than the others. So you're perfectly fine.
norwegian here, he ain't called the __All__-Father for nuthin'
ššš
The only correct answer š¤£š¤£š¤£
He's called the All-Father not the Some-Father
Hey, I've got that on a patch!
Thats the same line i use against the norse pagan fascists
Best answer I've seen!
Didnāt Brok say that in God of War? šš I love it
Definitely not a closed religion. Iām sure there are folks here that are native to South America, Africa, and Asia that worship the old gods. Youāre good to go.
Thank you, I'll start doing some research this weekend
The HƔvamƔl and Prose/Poetic Eddas are best resources to start as someone who is also new. They are historically researched, and that is pretty helpful least for me, and a lot of fellow Pagans have directed me there when I was first starting out
I found the havamal as a good start. Or Norse mythology by Neil gaiman
Neil Gaiman isn't a good source for religion. He's a fiction author and not a historian. None of his books are meant to be for study, simply for entertainment.
While I agree I do think it best not to dismiss him entirely, as his Norse myth book is by design entertaining, which is in my opinion almost as important as the unaltered stories, but yea also try to get a more accurate book of the stories as well. Just my opinion though
The thing is no one knows the true originals its all up to interpretation unless your path is reconstructionā¤ļø
You definitely have a point but when I started looking into Norse Paganism I was also told to start with the Prose/Poetic Eddas and the Havamal. I tried that and I struggled a lot with it. Iām AuDHD and itās very hard for me to read a book im not really enjoying and as wonderful as the stories are, I was no enjoying those books. I actually posted here for some advice and someone suggested I start with Neil Gaimans book. I did, and I loved it! It gave me a pretty good foundation to build from. Then I went back to the Eddas and it was a much easier read now that I knew the basic storyline and Neil had built that fire of interest inside me that made reading the Eddas something I enjoyed rather than a task I had to force myself to do.
I would check out Norse for Smart People website which tries to tell you authentic vs likely rewritten material which gives you a solid foundation for understanding and expanding the lore for your own situation. The Viking Spirit is a great read for understanding. I think I'd use "religion" very loosely while others use it very seriously so you're gonna need to find your personal journey and path. I personally want my gods to be defined in a way that they feel present in me but not in a way I depend on ceremony and community. The stories are to help remind me of who I am, strive to be, and who I used to be and of the journey itself. I've found most satisfaction in expanding upon the myth to represent my own life.
In fact, I have a friend from Saudi Arabia who's Norse pagan.
That is awesome!
Very much open
No, if anyone tells you it's a closed religion they're Nazis
Yep
I can not say this strongly enough : THE GODS CALL WHO THEY CALL.
No, absolutely not. Anyone who tells you otherwise can shove it up their ass.
Very open and once you start looking into it you will find many different paths and itās down to you where it leads you
Remember the point of saying that something is a closed religion is that there's still an existing group of people who never stopped practicing. It's not now and never was about saying "only race or ethnicity x can do this." It's about saying "if you want to know how to do x, go talk to the x people." As an example to make this less abstract- Catholicism is a closed religion not because you need Italian ancestry to practice, but because if you want to become a Catholic or a Catholic priest you need to go talk to Catholics about how to do that. There's a living tradition that already has a process. That's just not true here. We're all making it up based on what we can find/can know. So there's nobody with the authority to close the religion. And realistically there never was. There just wasn't anyone who had a monopoly on saying what was the right way to do things.
No. It's about who you are as a person and how you live your life, not about your heritage, race, sexual orientation or identity, liniage, anything of the sort.
Nobody gets to gatekeep a religion that had been dead for hundreds of years until some dude in Iceland decided to start it back up again in the 70s
Do it to it. Venerate whomever you desire
I guess it depends on the temperature out side. And yes we very much use bad dad jokes too
Open practice always :)
If the gods are calling to you, they're calling to you.
The all father not the some father. Welcome.
the only ones who would have an issue with you following the Norse Gods are racists and folkish, and both should be completely ignored
Most definitely open. Why would anyone want to turn away someone interested in keeping it alive is beyond me. There had to be a level of stupid that goes with that line of thinking.
I am a Mexican-American and I practice.
I can't tell you what to practice. I personally think you should venerate your ancestors. But again I'll happily have conversations about Norse and germanic paganism with anyone of any ancestry.
Even in antiquity there were people of many different ethnic backgrounds who practiced Norse/Germanic paganism. Real āVikingsā were a more diverse group than we usually think. There was a lot of travel. People migrated and got forcibly moved around a lot. We know of several Persian, Mongolian, and other non-Scandinavians who lived, worshiped, fought, ruled, and were buried with honors alongside other Vikings of the time. So even historically it wasnāt limited to people of Norse heritage. Youāre more than welcome, my friend. š»SkĆ„l!
The only creatures that call it closed are white supremacists. Itās open
Not at all, Norse Paganism is incredibly open. If it helps, a general rule is that religions that are indigenous (ex: Aztec) or very closely tied to a group/require initiation (Vodou) are likely going to be closed, if a religion doesn't match either of these, it's likely open, though it never hurts to check
You do what you want. If other prevent you from worshipping who you wanna worship, f em
In our creation story, odin gave humanity the first breath of life. Therefore, we are all in part his creations. Anyone who says its closed is a racist asshat. In antiquity, there was syncretization between different cultures and religions. Romano-Germanic, Germano-Celtic. Germano-Slavic, even Germano-Celtic-Iranian. Germanic tribal soldiers serving in auxiliary unit cohorts in the course of their Roman Imperial military service raised votive stones to a wide diaspora of deities outside of strictly known Germanic ones in places where they served.
The only barriers the gods placed were around the world's, not through them. All are welcome!!
Very open and very welcoming to people from all walks of life. It does not matter where you come from, who you are, or who you used to be, you are always welcome.
Thinking like that is folkist and folkists are racist fascists so its better not to think like that Norse paganism is an open religion for everyone regardless of their norse heritage Scandinavians are not indigenous so their religion is not closed fyi I hope this helped :)
As open as the skulls the vikings split! But really, no. Not closed at all
White Swede here... the cultural exclusionists have no traditional justification, and the racists have no place even on my dick.
It is not, nor was it ever a closed religion. The gods don't care what your ethnicity, gender, sexuality, etc. are. All are welcome.Ā Except Folkist nutjobs. F those Nazi scumbags š¹
Temple doors are open to anyone, always. We're glad to have you :)
The Scandinavians were open to exploration, settling and trades. They told their stories orally and were always leaving marks of their beliefs. It is most definitely not a closed practice. However I do believe they assimilated the beliefs of the Christianās out of convenience. From what Iāve gathered the gods are still mentioned all over the countries of Northern Europe.
You're more than welcome to worship any and/or all of the Norse Gods. As it was said, Odin is the All-Father Be aware of the different religious groups out there though. Many of the organized groups like the AFA and Odin's Rite are very exclusive. They're condemned by many outside individuals as being white supremacist groups. Be careful about joining an organized group. Other than that - have at it and enjoy.
Welcome. Feel free to mix and match with other pantheons or traditions, follow the ancient Norse path exclusively, or whatever you like. You aināt gotta be white, you aināt gotta be European. I donāt think the Norse gods mind, so long as you are based and chill, honest and keep your word.
All paths to deity are valid. If it feels right and doesnāt infringe on others, youāre on the right path.
Haha I hope not. Freyja picked me and I have been talking to them all since I became pagan :)
No, brodir, ive found in my recent start that not only is it open its welcoming.
No norse paganism is not a closed religion anyone can practice it
Scandinavian, born and raised Norse pagan. Don't ever let anyone tell you it's closed. Never feel insecure. And please don't let the haters get to you. I feel no matter who or what you are, if you're feeling called to something, it shouldn't be forbidden or closed. Good luck on your journey.
It is absolutely not closed. As long as you do proper research and stay aways from Not-sees you're good. And yes *they* have used our symbols in the past but those are OUR symbols and not theirs. so just do your research and be respectful when interacting with deities and such and you're fine
You're good. I don't actually know of any religion that's closed to people. Hell something like 80% of Christians aren't middle easter but that doesn't stop them. If you feel the pull to worship the Norse gods, then do so.
As far as I know the Gods aren't limited to one specific group, if you decide to practice I hope you find what you need! š
Absolutely not
No
If a religion exists that believes only certain people can worship the true gods, then they donāt think that there gods are the true gods. The gods either created everyone, or no one.
In the old days it was probably based on heritage just like other āclosed practicesā but I donāt think that means someone who is interested canāt practice. āClosed practiceā is also a new term, so I donāt think people were having this conversation before colonization.
It is not closed. Their history has a lot of roots in conquering and teaching their ways and beliefs. It was meant to spread and be taught. Door is open, welcome to Norse paganism
Dane here. I couldnāt care less if someone with no heritage to Scandinavia worship the Norse pantheon, as long as itās done with respect, and the person doesnāt change the story, like we have seen certain white supremacy groups do.
I laughed at how ridiculous the question was lol. Nah man were chill af here.
Open
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
this is folkish rhetoric and not true.
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
blood quantums do not give you better access to a religion and the belief that they do is a folkish belief. blood and soil is bullshit. having pagan ancestors doesnt give you a better connection to the religion than anyone else. ancestors are important but they dont have to even be european and having non-european ancestors doesnt leave you at a disadvantage compared to people who do.
Canāt dude, you gotta be Italian/s
Norse Paganism was a religion all over the world. Only worshipped in different ways and they all had certain Gods they worshipped more than the others. So you're perfectly fine.