An Odinist bears witness
A Personal Statement by Osred
Osred playing the small pipes in his native Northumberland
If I could express everything that I find fulfilling in our native religion it would fill volumes. Instead I will list just nine of the qualities that make Odinism the only religion for me.
Odinism respects nature. Unlike monotheist religions, we have no concept of of the creation of the world by an all-powerful, manipulative god. Like us, our gods and goddesses are part of nature. A sense of the sacred therefore permeates the natural world of Odinism.
Odinism is an ethnic religion. It retains the ancient spiritual and moral values of original Indo-European paganism, but it has also grown and evolved to suit the traditions and customs of the northern European peoples who practice it. Others may understand or even gain spiritually from some aspects of our faith, but they cannot belong to it.
Odinists honour our own ancestors almost as much as we honour our deities, believing that they continue to influence the present and the future. In traditional times, after sacred toasts had been drunk to the relevant gods and goddesses, it was customary for Odinists to drink "a toast to their kinsmen who were buried, and that was called a memorial toast (minni)".
Odinists love our gods and goddess [alike]. Followers of the slave religions grovel to their god, which we regard as an indication of enormous personal insecurity and emotional immaturity. By contrast, we are partners with our deities in the endless struggle against chaos. Our bravest warriors may stand beside the gods at Ragnarok, but we all have an honoured role in the struggle.
We respect the divinity that is within all Odinists. We don't discriminate on the basis of class, age, gender, education or anything else. All Odinists are kin to each other in the "Nation of Odin", and kin also to our gods and goddesses.
Odinism embraces life. We accept that all life is a struggle toward a higher form of existence, and we embrace that striving. A new and higher humanity will come into being after Ragnarok, but meanwhile we know that this will only happen if we, the ancestors of this future breed, joyfully embrace the full dialectic of life. We say Yes to life, in all its terror and beauty.
Odinism is morally superior. The slave religions have their simplistic lists of commandments, but Odinists believe the divine powers show their interest in each of us at birth by giving us individual fates. It is up to us to understand the meaning of the particular aspect of Fate that has been bestowed on us, and to accept it, and to gladly and bravely personify it. How we acquit ourselves in these tasks will determine our future course after death.
Odinism stands for truth. A central icon of Odinism is the image of Odin, who sacrificed one divine eye in his quest for knowledge, thus imposing on us a sacred duty to seek truth and knowledge wherever it may be found. Therefore Odinism is fully compatible with honest science.
Odinism is the religion of health and beauty. Unlike the cults of decadence, we believe in joyful self-affirmation and self-will. "Whatever does not kill us makes us stronger."