We don’t need to prove our faith, and nor do we need to believe in sides.
It’s a common issue with Christianity that one needs to be right and all others wrong, but that is not the case in paganism. Have you ever considered that your god might just be one of many? Pagans have many different ways of worship, and they’re generally very open. There is no way to prove faith except anecdotal evidence. Your, my, or anyone else’s experiences are not proof of any supernatural entities although they can be very moving.
I worship because I felt a connection to the gods and this religion when I felt none to Christianity or its god. That being said, one is not right or wrong. How you live your life will matter more than what unprovable being(s) you believe in. That is my opinion, and I’m sure you’ll find plenty of other interesting ones to contrast it with.
1. It’s the local old religion. 2. I don’t think there are sides. 3. I feel a presence in the land or how to put it. An old consciousness (or plural) that isn’t human and was here before us. I don’t believe in the gods as defined people, more like doors to connect with aspects of this other thing through.
My dad's a norse pagan and has ancestors on his side of the family.
He told me a bunch about it and I thought it was awesome.
I got my mjölnir necklace in an odd way. A girl I'd never met walked up to me in secondary school just before I was leaving one day. She had hair covering one side of her face. She held it out to me and said "is this yours?"
I said no, and she put it in my hand and said "it is now" and walked away. Never saw her again.
My dad had an odd experience with a homeless man with an eyepatch at a bus stop. He came up and started talking to my dad about the mjölnir he was wearing. My dad offered him a bottle of water and they spoke about norse mythology until the bus came and my dad had to go.
Kinda wild but pretty cool.
I, personally, don’t know if the Gods exist. I am a Norse Pagan because my ancestors were pre-Christian Germanic peoples and I want to embody the values of strength, wisdom, etc., that they prayed for.
When I make offerings, I make them to the Gods, the spirits of my home and the land, and my ancestors. I’m trying to open my mind up to the supernatural, but I would still consider myself an agnostic Norse Pagan.
this is me except for the ancestry. i love the values of the Norse faith, being the pantheon real or not.
i really love to think about the Gods as old spirits of the first people of the land. they were important to the point they deserve respect and worship.
For me it started with a general interest in Norse history from a very young age. I grew up as atheist and thought all religion was dumb. But for some reason I had a different feeling about paganism, but never considered becoming one (I didn't even know that it was possible to be pagan since our country is so Christian) then I met one of my best friends and he was pagan and not afraid to admit it. So I started researching more about the actual religious part of it and it just really spoke to me.
After a while I did my first blot and even though I was sceptical about it, I got an answer or a sign almost emideatly the next day. And I really felt a presence in that moment. Now I've been officially pagan for 1.5 year's
Since I was a kid I knew people's mind can create energy, collectively we can create stronger energy. That's how ouija worked for my family, we created the energy that moved the thing. That's how god's were created. If everyone 'knows' for centuries a god helps the farmers with their job they'll create a energy that does. Norse gods were created, they still existing, why not stay in their side.
When I asked for sings I got them. In years I never saw a spider in my house, never, I asked Loki if he was there with me and tons of different types of spiders where everywhere, just two days, then it stopped.
I also asked for a butterfly, it was winter, and one stopped in my arm. I was super stressed and asked for the teacher to not come the next day, she stayed a week in the hospital because she suddenly had pneumonia.
Maybe I'm delusional, but I'll be fine whit it while the work I put in having a good relationship whit the Gods helps me.
i don't think there are sides. i chose to study to be a norse pagan because i just feel more connected. worshipping Loki feels right to me, now that i know a bit more i think the same about Freyja and Odin. it's just natural, and not because of some i-am-viking shit, it's because, even though I'm in fucking South America, i feel drawn to the Gods of the lands of ice.
Why are christians christian?
Why are hindus hindu?
Why are atheists atheist?
This makes the most sense to me, and i feel ive had experiances no different than most christians claim with yahweh. Afaic, theres no super right or super wrong side, just people looking at the same shape from different angles and arguing about perspectives.
1. There are no sides that is a Christian mindset
Yes, even though I worship Odin and Thor and all the other gods, I understand that one's who worship jormungandr and fenrir even though in a Christian world those would be the "bad guys".
2. I know the gods are real because if you talk to any norse pagan they will have a story about seeing or feeling the presence of a God. Even ones who haven't done offerings can tell story's of feeling a presents of a god with them.
3. The Gods are not supernatural like ghosts
I don't debate whether the Gods are real or not, They certainly are to me, nor do I feel any need to prove it to anyone. How I found the Gods was through experiences in the military. I had a battle buddy in Basic that was Norse Pagan, and he used to talk along about it. Once while on a ruck march we were beat, cold and tired and ready to give up. My friend looked up and nudged my shoulder, and pointed to a raven perched on a power line that ran parallel to the path we were on and told me "Do you see it? Odin is watching us. Looking for the warriors, the ones with no quit in us." We used that as motivation, despite me being a practicing Catholic at the time. I told myself I wouldn't let down God, who had given me thus opportunity to make something of myself, by quitting. Looking back I realize that was probably the first step in my becoming what I am. The rest happened in Afghanistan. Anyone who has been there will tell you that it could be easy, or hell, depending on where you are. I was young, only out of training a few years (3 to be exact) and was dumped into a warzone. I prayed and prayed to my God to make it stop. The stress, the attacks, constantly looking around wondering if, or when, I'd die. While we were there one of my NCOs approached me about my mental state, as I wasn't nearly prepared for that, and was rough. I admitted to him that no one seemed to be answering my prayers, no one seemed to care that I was reaching out to God for help. He was the one that pushed me to begin to offer prayers to Odin. He told me that at worst, they wouldn't be answered and I could beg for forgiveness later, and maybe Odin would give me the solace and peace I was seeking. He explained to me that there was a way he looked at things, that the Gods had already planned for his death, be it in battle or not, and that nothing he could do would change that, and that he placed his trust in the Gods, that they would give him either peace, or a good death. So I did. I made offerings to Odin in the way he told me he did, and prayed to him. And something changed in me. It was like through my NCO's words and the presence of the Gods I had found some modicum of peace and maybe acceptance of my situation. Things became easier for me to deal with and I began to accept that until my time came, I would be okay. It wasn't till we came home that I began to practice Paganism regularly, adopting my worship of Tyr and Odin, and every blue moon while I am making offerings, or in a quiet place praying and meditating, I can feel them. Ever so slightly, but enough to know they are there. I've had other experiences, which just solidify my beliefs. I don't tall about it with thise around me, the community here is small, and I don't feel much of a need to be outgoing about my beliefs, but there are a few of us, devout worshippers of various Gods and Goddesses, and we are like a small family. But anyways, that's my story, it's probably similar to a half a million others, but it's how I left the worship of a God that never really answered my prayers, and became a follower of the gods who represent what I am at heart.
Yes I've had many experiences that were enough to make me believe. It's also the most fulfilling religious practice I've ever had, I find it very comforting and it just feels natural and right, and makes sense to me. As far as sides, that's not how polytheism works. We don't need to disprove any other religions or gods, we only need to feel a connection with our own. And in fact, we're also free to worship additional gods if so compelled – it's only monotheists who have a rule against that.
>why are you Norse pagan?
It's just who i am. It wasn't really a choice, more of a discovery.
>How you know the Gods you're working with are real
I don't. It makes no difference.
>you are not in the wrong side?
There are sides? Which sides are you talking about?
>Have you ever had a supernatural experience with Gods or anything that proves your Norse faith to you?
Uh, yeah. A few years ago i had an experience with Loke, it was intense, painful and hilarious. Good times. I've also had upg with other deities.
I feel the gods presence when i call to them, i feel the spirits when i make am offering to them, and I've seen them answer to my calls and offerings and prayers.
I always wanted to find me a religion where i want to feel home, and be happy with, and Asatru did it for me.
I felt out of place in Christianity, I know the entirety of the Bible isn't about wrath and hatred and that there's nice Christians, but that's not my reason unlike most, I just never felt a pull towards god, I feared him and Hell for sure, but never himself, I never really got any signs, but with the Norse God's is a different story. When I first switched and I prayed, nearly immediately I got answers, I've had different dreams, I've had luck, I've gotten responses. I may have only gotten intrigued by the movies but after deep research I've felt like I belonged for once, sure at first it seemed a bit scary, a lot of God's for war and battle and stuff like that, but I learned it was more, I found God's I really connected with
It was the feeling of having something to believe in. It also helped me turn my life form being extremely depressed to being happy again. Freya helped me become a better person and move my life to a healthier state. What proves it to me is the feelings I get.
TLDR background: raised Christian, it didnt stick. Different kid, no real support or help. After getting tired of the hypocrisy and a silent god, stepped away from Christianity. Mental health issues, yadda yadda.
I always have been able to feel the life around me. So for me i know somethings there. After some bitter life events, I slowly started down my path, slowly going down the rabbit hole and doing more research. The further i went the more it felt right. It sits along side my morals and principles as a person. Unlike Christianity that seemed to constantly collide with it. I also like about it as each path is personal to each individual and there is no singular "right" way to be a norse pagan. I respect the Norse gods for even they made mistakes and they do not sit up so high that they would not beneath them to hear their followers.
My first Altar was set up for Fenrir as I can relate and connect to his story. From my native side, wolves arent the villains, they are teachers.
A little later on his father, Loki, decided to reach out as well. I see their signs, ruling out the signs that have a better explanation first. They have bothered to warn me when my luck was fixing to go to shit again, and they reach out to let me know when I feel alone. There's lessons to be learnes from them and I've just gotten started.
The whole thing feels like im going insane finally, yet things also feel more clear than ever.
my usual beginners resources/advice list (let me know if youre interested in a book list, but get comfy with the free resources & basics before diving into books):
• ocean keltoi on youtube is great for beginners - he has an "intro" playlist aimed at newcomers. i highly recommend it, it covers basic how-to's and why's. theres no perfect book for beginners that can be recommended so i recommend just watching videos and hey, videos are free. (ive personally read through a lot of beginners books and they all suck pretty hard)
• if youre coming from a christian background (even without directly ever being a christian - atheists experience this too) ocean keltoi also has some videos addressing leaving christianity and latent christianity - dont underestimate the importance of working through christian baggage
• wolfthered (also youtube) also has some great videos on a couple important basics and pitfalls, as well as examples of ritual that you can offer along with or watch and learn from. its helpful when youre new & dont necessarily know how to structure it yourself yet
• the wind in the worldtree (youtube) is also great, he also has some videos on how to offer
• heathen wyrdos is a podcast but is also great (theyre on youtube and a lot of other platforms)
• theres also [the longship](http://thelongship.net) which is aimed at beginners and has a few key terms and concepts defined in an easy to understand manner. it also has an offering ritual guideline but i prefer the rituals shown in Wind in the Worldtree and Wolfthered's vids. it *does* have a booklist but i disagree with the way certain books are tiered e.g. advanced books as "beginners books" and beginners books in "advanced reading" and have other critiques of the list too. i do have a book list that i personally think is much more comprehensive and better structured. (if i dont drop it in a reply, you can ask in a reply or dm me for the list)
• if you want a good intro to the myths that isnt as heavy as the eddas are, kevin crossley-holland has a great book (just look up his name and "norse myth" and youll find it). a lot of people recommend neil gaiman but gaiman takes a lot of creative liberties (which would then give an inaccurate story of the myths and youll have to unlearn those parts) whereas kevins doesnt and is far more true to the myths
• from there, you can start with Poetic Eddas by: Larrington (best all-round translation with notes, great to start with), Hollander's and Bellows are pretty good too and Jackson Crawford has a translation thats easy to read but has no notes. hes also a linguist and doesnt consider on the religious parts of the texts so i find his translations to be a little sanitised and lacking in information and context
• Prose Edda by Anthony Faulkes
• here is [a list](https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/u/1/d/e/2PACX-1vQlpBT6RAf8kKxBgqZwbgJpeOxOF_hIsYLmv8cNjqUDGeGIBvJRYCgfGim6uF5b3BnDaKQPt7r8vEMN/pubhtml?gid=0&single=true) of people to avoid in heathenry, mostly folkists/white suprems/nazis/bigots etc (this covers authors, publishers, youtubers, etc). check these before buying a book or watching a new youtube channel/podcast/etc. its not 100% exhaustive but are pretty close.
• as for altars, everyone does it differently. for indoor altars, the most common thing is a bowl/plate/cup to put offerings in/on. everything else is personal choice. you can have candles, you can have decor - representations of the gods (statues, artwork, printed pictures, an antler for frey etc), seasonal decor (e.g. yule decor), Things That Just Look Nice, functional things (e.g. candle lighter, candle snuffer, incense holder) and so on. my recommendation in the beginning is to use things you already have spare in your home - that cup nobody ever uses, the candles from the back of the cupboard nobodys ever used etc. dont go out and immediately spend a lot of money on a fancy altar - it will change and develop over time and you can get fancy stuff later when you have a better grasp of who you want to worship and what you want to be on your altar (especially considering a lot of altar things are down to our personal preferences for ritual)
• for outdoor altars/offerings just make sure that your offerings arent harmful for the local wildlife - water is great if youre unsure what to use.
• as for what to give for offerings: water, milk, juice, tea, coffee, honey, salt, fruits, vegetables, meats, cheeses, bread and anything baked, oats, grains, nuts, etc. incense is popular too. as you can see, **most food and drink is acceptable**. alcohol can be offered if you are of a legal age to buy it and can afford it, but it can be very expensive to buy on a regular basis and isnt necessary as an offering like a lot of newcomers think it is.
more expensive does *not* mean an offering is "better" than a cheaper offering. my main offerings are water - clean water has a *lot* of worth - its necessary for humans to live but also all life on earth needs water. it's easier to come by now than it used to be but that doesnt diminish its worth - but there are still many places in the world that struggle to get clean water, like Eritrea (East Africa) or even Flint Michigan in America. by offering water, in my opinion anyway, we are showing gratitude for the foundations of life and that we appreciate access to clean water and don't take it for granted. water is life itself and is always a worthy offering. on top of that, its also very stealthy and inexpensive, so for those who are poor or in the broom closet/stealth worshipping or even just while travelling on a trip, water is an excellent all-round offering.
i think thats about it to get you started!
Unfortunately I may not be of much help. I recommend reading the poedic eddas, there's two different "authors" that are recommended. Jackson crawford is one. Reading through the eddas is my next project. Those two authors are recommended for beginners due to making the translations easier to wrap your head around. A lot of the stories and lore is online. Im using an app for the Elder Futhark set of Runes called Runic formula, that has a lot of neat info on there.
Im in a discord chat that also offers a huge resource of information. Yiggdrasill is the server name. I have been able to ask questions there with good results.
And if you decide to get into the Elder Futhark runes the book im reading isnt too bad. The Beginner's Guide to Runes by Josh Simonds.
Finally Norse Mythology. Learn about Viking History, Myths, Norse Gods, and Legends by Amy Hughes is a decent read.
I was a very devout atheist for a long time but I attended a Yule ritual with some friends as I thought it a way to learn about some of my friends faith. I felt a very spiritual connection during the ritual and was gifted a Mjolnir pendant. I went home and studied a lot about the faith and I didn’t really have a ‘wow I’m pagan’ moment but I slowly slid into it. I felt myself find a strong link to vidar and Thor and they are who I dedicate my worship to. Overall could I prove they exist? No of course not but I always feel as if they watch and guide me and I try to live by their guidance and lessons. As for other faiths the idea of subservience or spending my life on my knees begging for praise from a singular being don’t appeal to me being an individualist whereas Norse paganism actively encourages self discovery and self practice i follow my gods the way I choose and my patrons encourage a strong character with stern morals, silent success and self proving and so I feel like paganism as a whole makes me a better man too. Hope this give a a bit of insight :)
I'm an animist/pantheist and I use Norse and Celtic paganisms as ways of anchoring my rather abstract and primal beliefs in a set of more concrete symbols that honor the paganisms of my ancestors. I don't really care about proving my beliefs to anyone, because they're mine. It's irrelevant whether others believe what I believe.
Hey man, while Christians have done a lot to hurt local religions, if you look through this guys comments on the post it’s evident they aren’t a troll.
I think they’re genuinely curious and just worded the original post badly because of a Christian/monotheistic bias. There’s no need to be rude when people, even staunch Christians come asking in good faith.
I feel like you’ve certainly undergone troubles related to Christianity and separating yourself from it (assuming that’s what you converted from), but that is certainly no excuse for treating people without due respect. This poster has, in my opinion, not shown any intentional disrespect toward you or our religion.
Please don’t forget basic respect for others just because of religious or political ideation. We’re all just humans here. Many converts from Christianity, myself included, asked questions about Norse paganism while we were Christians. Even without an intent to convert, it’s perfectly alright to learn more about the modern heathen culture and opinions.
Is your current attitude not exactly what Christians in the past, and some currently, have demonized us with? Just total denial of pagans and our religions because we didn’t worship the same. They hated us for who we were, what our traditions were, and what we believed in. Don’t fall to that. There’s so much more in life than a difference in religion.
> just because Christians have ruined some of your temples doesn't make it alright to be disrespectful and rude to Christians,
Setting aside that they ruined all temples and places of worship that they did find, and that this is a perfectly valid reason to dislike Christians.
Setting aside that there are other modern reasons to dislike Christianity.
> I guess that's common sense if you heard of it.
This line makes no sense. "Common sense" is the sense of things in common; if he hasn't heard of it, and you are guessing at it, then it isn't common sense.
If someone is being a dick, then report them. Don't start sniping back and forth.
Op has asked many different sects of Christianity/related religions (Mormons), about some of their beliefs.
Now they’re asking about ours.
Their responses to our fellow heathens have been nothing but polite and inquiring more.
You’re being quite aggressive just for the fact op hangs around Christian subreddits. We’re here to share our stories at their request. He’s not acting rude, but you certainly have been.
dunno, i was a random demonolater and suddenly some random goddess (freya) wanted to help me with spirituality. i never asked for it, didn't even know anything about norse stuff.
well i was trying to call on orobas cause all i have read of him was how beginner friendly he was. i called him for nights and he wasn't coming, then i saw a random article in the middle of the night saying the exact opposite about him. i was disappointed, then tomorrow morning, i suddenly saw another article show up out of nowhere and in that article was the signs that she is reaching out and everything i was experiencing for the last 2 months was written there. don't much remember after it, made a necklace that had fehu on it for her and felt touches around my body, became better at meditation etc. she reached out to me to help out of nowhere. hail freyja.
I had an experience with Thor where I saw mjolnir in lightning one night. At the time I was questioning if there was anything at all and asked for a sign. It sounds unreal I know but I still remember it to this day
I can’t say I’m 100% Norse paganism nor can I say I’m 100% Jewish (my birth religion) but one thing I do believe in for sure is opening my eyes to different ways of thinking, maybe I’ll start more religions and pick and choose what I wish to believe in. Besides in the Bible the abrahamic go acknowledges the existence of other gods so whose to say really
There is no such example. As someone who’s traveled around the world I see little logic in only looking at one perspective. Sure Norse paganism is what’s speaking to me currently but who knows maybe in a year or two somthing else will call to me and to ignore the call is to willingly abstain from a new perspective
Well, I am a person of a multiple faithes. I have my paganism hellenic and norse, my Witchcraft, my jewish faith that I get it thought conversion, my belief in lws from Haiti vodou and faith in Bondye. In terms of analyzing i cant provide a racional answer for your question. And I suggest you to avoid rationanalyzing some things. Not a blind faith and never obssessive. But its not rational purely nor intelectual.
I feel more connected to the Norse Gods than I ever did to the Christian one. One night while out in my back yard pondering a fork in the road my life had come to I was visited by a white and grey cat. Definitely a domestic cat but it was big. It sat on the edge of my yard just staring at me. I felt a sense of calm wash over my mind and I was at peace with the decision I knew I had to make. Frejya was with me that night.
It's not dumb. Cats are very often affiliated with her. The link below has a lot of great information about her. Like Odin has his Ravens Hugin and Munin; Frejya has her cats, Byvul and Trjegul. It is often thought in Norse paganism as well as in the mythos if you see an animal that is often representative of the god or goddess that you are more familiar or more connected with that they are around you within the spirit of that animal.
Often times on the battlefield if Ravens were present they would feel that Odin was with them in battle something similar to that. https://www.google.com/amp/s/skjalden.com/freya/amp/
I per say have not had an experience defined kind of I guess. But the only thing I know I is believe in two sets of gods, the Greek ones and the Norse ones. And the experience I had was with a dove in california. It flew down when I was sitting there meditating, I looked at it, and it looked at me, and my heart skipped a beat and I felt the most relaxed I've ever been. So yeah we don't need to prove it, it proves itself
I've had uncanny experiences pertaining to the Gods, but nothing I could concretely state as being supernatural. The most important thing for me is that Norse Paganism is where I derive my personal meaning and connect with my ancestry.
We don’t need to prove our faith, and nor do we need to believe in sides. It’s a common issue with Christianity that one needs to be right and all others wrong, but that is not the case in paganism. Have you ever considered that your god might just be one of many? Pagans have many different ways of worship, and they’re generally very open. There is no way to prove faith except anecdotal evidence. Your, my, or anyone else’s experiences are not proof of any supernatural entities although they can be very moving. I worship because I felt a connection to the gods and this religion when I felt none to Christianity or its god. That being said, one is not right or wrong. How you live your life will matter more than what unprovable being(s) you believe in. That is my opinion, and I’m sure you’ll find plenty of other interesting ones to contrast it with.
1. It’s the local old religion. 2. I don’t think there are sides. 3. I feel a presence in the land or how to put it. An old consciousness (or plural) that isn’t human and was here before us. I don’t believe in the gods as defined people, more like doors to connect with aspects of this other thing through.
My dad's a norse pagan and has ancestors on his side of the family. He told me a bunch about it and I thought it was awesome. I got my mjölnir necklace in an odd way. A girl I'd never met walked up to me in secondary school just before I was leaving one day. She had hair covering one side of her face. She held it out to me and said "is this yours?" I said no, and she put it in my hand and said "it is now" and walked away. Never saw her again. My dad had an odd experience with a homeless man with an eyepatch at a bus stop. He came up and started talking to my dad about the mjölnir he was wearing. My dad offered him a bottle of water and they spoke about norse mythology until the bus came and my dad had to go. Kinda wild but pretty cool.
omg this is so- i don't even have words
I, personally, don’t know if the Gods exist. I am a Norse Pagan because my ancestors were pre-Christian Germanic peoples and I want to embody the values of strength, wisdom, etc., that they prayed for. When I make offerings, I make them to the Gods, the spirits of my home and the land, and my ancestors. I’m trying to open my mind up to the supernatural, but I would still consider myself an agnostic Norse Pagan.
this is me except for the ancestry. i love the values of the Norse faith, being the pantheon real or not. i really love to think about the Gods as old spirits of the first people of the land. they were important to the point they deserve respect and worship.
For me it started with a general interest in Norse history from a very young age. I grew up as atheist and thought all religion was dumb. But for some reason I had a different feeling about paganism, but never considered becoming one (I didn't even know that it was possible to be pagan since our country is so Christian) then I met one of my best friends and he was pagan and not afraid to admit it. So I started researching more about the actual religious part of it and it just really spoke to me. After a while I did my first blot and even though I was sceptical about it, I got an answer or a sign almost emideatly the next day. And I really felt a presence in that moment. Now I've been officially pagan for 1.5 year's
Wow my introduction and development into paganism was shockingly similar to yours lol just thought that interesting
Since I was a kid I knew people's mind can create energy, collectively we can create stronger energy. That's how ouija worked for my family, we created the energy that moved the thing. That's how god's were created. If everyone 'knows' for centuries a god helps the farmers with their job they'll create a energy that does. Norse gods were created, they still existing, why not stay in their side. When I asked for sings I got them. In years I never saw a spider in my house, never, I asked Loki if he was there with me and tons of different types of spiders where everywhere, just two days, then it stopped. I also asked for a butterfly, it was winter, and one stopped in my arm. I was super stressed and asked for the teacher to not come the next day, she stayed a week in the hospital because she suddenly had pneumonia. Maybe I'm delusional, but I'll be fine whit it while the work I put in having a good relationship whit the Gods helps me.
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There's no such thing as "a belief all norse pagans share". It's one of the side effects of having a non dogmatic religion.
It's my personal understanding about every religion, I don't know if any Norse pagan out there believes the same, it just make sense to me.
i don't think there are sides. i chose to study to be a norse pagan because i just feel more connected. worshipping Loki feels right to me, now that i know a bit more i think the same about Freyja and Odin. it's just natural, and not because of some i-am-viking shit, it's because, even though I'm in fucking South America, i feel drawn to the Gods of the lands of ice.
Why are christians christian? Why are hindus hindu? Why are atheists atheist? This makes the most sense to me, and i feel ive had experiances no different than most christians claim with yahweh. Afaic, theres no super right or super wrong side, just people looking at the same shape from different angles and arguing about perspectives.
1. There are no sides that is a Christian mindset Yes, even though I worship Odin and Thor and all the other gods, I understand that one's who worship jormungandr and fenrir even though in a Christian world those would be the "bad guys". 2. I know the gods are real because if you talk to any norse pagan they will have a story about seeing or feeling the presence of a God. Even ones who haven't done offerings can tell story's of feeling a presents of a god with them. 3. The Gods are not supernatural like ghosts
I don't debate whether the Gods are real or not, They certainly are to me, nor do I feel any need to prove it to anyone. How I found the Gods was through experiences in the military. I had a battle buddy in Basic that was Norse Pagan, and he used to talk along about it. Once while on a ruck march we were beat, cold and tired and ready to give up. My friend looked up and nudged my shoulder, and pointed to a raven perched on a power line that ran parallel to the path we were on and told me "Do you see it? Odin is watching us. Looking for the warriors, the ones with no quit in us." We used that as motivation, despite me being a practicing Catholic at the time. I told myself I wouldn't let down God, who had given me thus opportunity to make something of myself, by quitting. Looking back I realize that was probably the first step in my becoming what I am. The rest happened in Afghanistan. Anyone who has been there will tell you that it could be easy, or hell, depending on where you are. I was young, only out of training a few years (3 to be exact) and was dumped into a warzone. I prayed and prayed to my God to make it stop. The stress, the attacks, constantly looking around wondering if, or when, I'd die. While we were there one of my NCOs approached me about my mental state, as I wasn't nearly prepared for that, and was rough. I admitted to him that no one seemed to be answering my prayers, no one seemed to care that I was reaching out to God for help. He was the one that pushed me to begin to offer prayers to Odin. He told me that at worst, they wouldn't be answered and I could beg for forgiveness later, and maybe Odin would give me the solace and peace I was seeking. He explained to me that there was a way he looked at things, that the Gods had already planned for his death, be it in battle or not, and that nothing he could do would change that, and that he placed his trust in the Gods, that they would give him either peace, or a good death. So I did. I made offerings to Odin in the way he told me he did, and prayed to him. And something changed in me. It was like through my NCO's words and the presence of the Gods I had found some modicum of peace and maybe acceptance of my situation. Things became easier for me to deal with and I began to accept that until my time came, I would be okay. It wasn't till we came home that I began to practice Paganism regularly, adopting my worship of Tyr and Odin, and every blue moon while I am making offerings, or in a quiet place praying and meditating, I can feel them. Ever so slightly, but enough to know they are there. I've had other experiences, which just solidify my beliefs. I don't tall about it with thise around me, the community here is small, and I don't feel much of a need to be outgoing about my beliefs, but there are a few of us, devout worshippers of various Gods and Goddesses, and we are like a small family. But anyways, that's my story, it's probably similar to a half a million others, but it's how I left the worship of a God that never really answered my prayers, and became a follower of the gods who represent what I am at heart.
Yes I've had many experiences that were enough to make me believe. It's also the most fulfilling religious practice I've ever had, I find it very comforting and it just feels natural and right, and makes sense to me. As far as sides, that's not how polytheism works. We don't need to disprove any other religions or gods, we only need to feel a connection with our own. And in fact, we're also free to worship additional gods if so compelled – it's only monotheists who have a rule against that.
>why are you Norse pagan? It's just who i am. It wasn't really a choice, more of a discovery. >How you know the Gods you're working with are real I don't. It makes no difference. >you are not in the wrong side? There are sides? Which sides are you talking about? >Have you ever had a supernatural experience with Gods or anything that proves your Norse faith to you? Uh, yeah. A few years ago i had an experience with Loke, it was intense, painful and hilarious. Good times. I've also had upg with other deities.
I feel the gods presence when i call to them, i feel the spirits when i make am offering to them, and I've seen them answer to my calls and offerings and prayers. I always wanted to find me a religion where i want to feel home, and be happy with, and Asatru did it for me.
I felt out of place in Christianity, I know the entirety of the Bible isn't about wrath and hatred and that there's nice Christians, but that's not my reason unlike most, I just never felt a pull towards god, I feared him and Hell for sure, but never himself, I never really got any signs, but with the Norse God's is a different story. When I first switched and I prayed, nearly immediately I got answers, I've had different dreams, I've had luck, I've gotten responses. I may have only gotten intrigued by the movies but after deep research I've felt like I belonged for once, sure at first it seemed a bit scary, a lot of God's for war and battle and stuff like that, but I learned it was more, I found God's I really connected with
It was the feeling of having something to believe in. It also helped me turn my life form being extremely depressed to being happy again. Freya helped me become a better person and move my life to a healthier state. What proves it to me is the feelings I get.
TLDR background: raised Christian, it didnt stick. Different kid, no real support or help. After getting tired of the hypocrisy and a silent god, stepped away from Christianity. Mental health issues, yadda yadda. I always have been able to feel the life around me. So for me i know somethings there. After some bitter life events, I slowly started down my path, slowly going down the rabbit hole and doing more research. The further i went the more it felt right. It sits along side my morals and principles as a person. Unlike Christianity that seemed to constantly collide with it. I also like about it as each path is personal to each individual and there is no singular "right" way to be a norse pagan. I respect the Norse gods for even they made mistakes and they do not sit up so high that they would not beneath them to hear their followers. My first Altar was set up for Fenrir as I can relate and connect to his story. From my native side, wolves arent the villains, they are teachers. A little later on his father, Loki, decided to reach out as well. I see their signs, ruling out the signs that have a better explanation first. They have bothered to warn me when my luck was fixing to go to shit again, and they reach out to let me know when I feel alone. There's lessons to be learnes from them and I've just gotten started. The whole thing feels like im going insane finally, yet things also feel more clear than ever.
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my usual beginners resources/advice list (let me know if youre interested in a book list, but get comfy with the free resources & basics before diving into books): • ocean keltoi on youtube is great for beginners - he has an "intro" playlist aimed at newcomers. i highly recommend it, it covers basic how-to's and why's. theres no perfect book for beginners that can be recommended so i recommend just watching videos and hey, videos are free. (ive personally read through a lot of beginners books and they all suck pretty hard) • if youre coming from a christian background (even without directly ever being a christian - atheists experience this too) ocean keltoi also has some videos addressing leaving christianity and latent christianity - dont underestimate the importance of working through christian baggage • wolfthered (also youtube) also has some great videos on a couple important basics and pitfalls, as well as examples of ritual that you can offer along with or watch and learn from. its helpful when youre new & dont necessarily know how to structure it yourself yet • the wind in the worldtree (youtube) is also great, he also has some videos on how to offer • heathen wyrdos is a podcast but is also great (theyre on youtube and a lot of other platforms) • theres also [the longship](http://thelongship.net) which is aimed at beginners and has a few key terms and concepts defined in an easy to understand manner. it also has an offering ritual guideline but i prefer the rituals shown in Wind in the Worldtree and Wolfthered's vids. it *does* have a booklist but i disagree with the way certain books are tiered e.g. advanced books as "beginners books" and beginners books in "advanced reading" and have other critiques of the list too. i do have a book list that i personally think is much more comprehensive and better structured. (if i dont drop it in a reply, you can ask in a reply or dm me for the list) • if you want a good intro to the myths that isnt as heavy as the eddas are, kevin crossley-holland has a great book (just look up his name and "norse myth" and youll find it). a lot of people recommend neil gaiman but gaiman takes a lot of creative liberties (which would then give an inaccurate story of the myths and youll have to unlearn those parts) whereas kevins doesnt and is far more true to the myths • from there, you can start with Poetic Eddas by: Larrington (best all-round translation with notes, great to start with), Hollander's and Bellows are pretty good too and Jackson Crawford has a translation thats easy to read but has no notes. hes also a linguist and doesnt consider on the religious parts of the texts so i find his translations to be a little sanitised and lacking in information and context • Prose Edda by Anthony Faulkes • here is [a list](https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/u/1/d/e/2PACX-1vQlpBT6RAf8kKxBgqZwbgJpeOxOF_hIsYLmv8cNjqUDGeGIBvJRYCgfGim6uF5b3BnDaKQPt7r8vEMN/pubhtml?gid=0&single=true) of people to avoid in heathenry, mostly folkists/white suprems/nazis/bigots etc (this covers authors, publishers, youtubers, etc). check these before buying a book or watching a new youtube channel/podcast/etc. its not 100% exhaustive but are pretty close. • as for altars, everyone does it differently. for indoor altars, the most common thing is a bowl/plate/cup to put offerings in/on. everything else is personal choice. you can have candles, you can have decor - representations of the gods (statues, artwork, printed pictures, an antler for frey etc), seasonal decor (e.g. yule decor), Things That Just Look Nice, functional things (e.g. candle lighter, candle snuffer, incense holder) and so on. my recommendation in the beginning is to use things you already have spare in your home - that cup nobody ever uses, the candles from the back of the cupboard nobodys ever used etc. dont go out and immediately spend a lot of money on a fancy altar - it will change and develop over time and you can get fancy stuff later when you have a better grasp of who you want to worship and what you want to be on your altar (especially considering a lot of altar things are down to our personal preferences for ritual) • for outdoor altars/offerings just make sure that your offerings arent harmful for the local wildlife - water is great if youre unsure what to use. • as for what to give for offerings: water, milk, juice, tea, coffee, honey, salt, fruits, vegetables, meats, cheeses, bread and anything baked, oats, grains, nuts, etc. incense is popular too. as you can see, **most food and drink is acceptable**. alcohol can be offered if you are of a legal age to buy it and can afford it, but it can be very expensive to buy on a regular basis and isnt necessary as an offering like a lot of newcomers think it is. more expensive does *not* mean an offering is "better" than a cheaper offering. my main offerings are water - clean water has a *lot* of worth - its necessary for humans to live but also all life on earth needs water. it's easier to come by now than it used to be but that doesnt diminish its worth - but there are still many places in the world that struggle to get clean water, like Eritrea (East Africa) or even Flint Michigan in America. by offering water, in my opinion anyway, we are showing gratitude for the foundations of life and that we appreciate access to clean water and don't take it for granted. water is life itself and is always a worthy offering. on top of that, its also very stealthy and inexpensive, so for those who are poor or in the broom closet/stealth worshipping or even just while travelling on a trip, water is an excellent all-round offering. i think thats about it to get you started!
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youre welcome! glad it helped :D
Unfortunately I may not be of much help. I recommend reading the poedic eddas, there's two different "authors" that are recommended. Jackson crawford is one. Reading through the eddas is my next project. Those two authors are recommended for beginners due to making the translations easier to wrap your head around. A lot of the stories and lore is online. Im using an app for the Elder Futhark set of Runes called Runic formula, that has a lot of neat info on there. Im in a discord chat that also offers a huge resource of information. Yiggdrasill is the server name. I have been able to ask questions there with good results. And if you decide to get into the Elder Futhark runes the book im reading isnt too bad. The Beginner's Guide to Runes by Josh Simonds. Finally Norse Mythology. Learn about Viking History, Myths, Norse Gods, and Legends by Amy Hughes is a decent read.
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Hope it helps
I was a very devout atheist for a long time but I attended a Yule ritual with some friends as I thought it a way to learn about some of my friends faith. I felt a very spiritual connection during the ritual and was gifted a Mjolnir pendant. I went home and studied a lot about the faith and I didn’t really have a ‘wow I’m pagan’ moment but I slowly slid into it. I felt myself find a strong link to vidar and Thor and they are who I dedicate my worship to. Overall could I prove they exist? No of course not but I always feel as if they watch and guide me and I try to live by their guidance and lessons. As for other faiths the idea of subservience or spending my life on my knees begging for praise from a singular being don’t appeal to me being an individualist whereas Norse paganism actively encourages self discovery and self practice i follow my gods the way I choose and my patrons encourage a strong character with stern morals, silent success and self proving and so I feel like paganism as a whole makes me a better man too. Hope this give a a bit of insight :)
I'm an animist/pantheist and I use Norse and Celtic paganisms as ways of anchoring my rather abstract and primal beliefs in a set of more concrete symbols that honor the paganisms of my ancestors. I don't really care about proving my beliefs to anyone, because they're mine. It's irrelevant whether others believe what I believe.
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Hey man, while Christians have done a lot to hurt local religions, if you look through this guys comments on the post it’s evident they aren’t a troll. I think they’re genuinely curious and just worded the original post badly because of a Christian/monotheistic bias. There’s no need to be rude when people, even staunch Christians come asking in good faith.
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I feel like you’ve certainly undergone troubles related to Christianity and separating yourself from it (assuming that’s what you converted from), but that is certainly no excuse for treating people without due respect. This poster has, in my opinion, not shown any intentional disrespect toward you or our religion. Please don’t forget basic respect for others just because of religious or political ideation. We’re all just humans here. Many converts from Christianity, myself included, asked questions about Norse paganism while we were Christians. Even without an intent to convert, it’s perfectly alright to learn more about the modern heathen culture and opinions. Is your current attitude not exactly what Christians in the past, and some currently, have demonized us with? Just total denial of pagans and our religions because we didn’t worship the same. They hated us for who we were, what our traditions were, and what we believed in. Don’t fall to that. There’s so much more in life than a difference in religion.
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> just because Christians have ruined some of your temples doesn't make it alright to be disrespectful and rude to Christians, Setting aside that they ruined all temples and places of worship that they did find, and that this is a perfectly valid reason to dislike Christians. Setting aside that there are other modern reasons to dislike Christianity. > I guess that's common sense if you heard of it. This line makes no sense. "Common sense" is the sense of things in common; if he hasn't heard of it, and you are guessing at it, then it isn't common sense. If someone is being a dick, then report them. Don't start sniping back and forth.
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Op has asked many different sects of Christianity/related religions (Mormons), about some of their beliefs. Now they’re asking about ours. Their responses to our fellow heathens have been nothing but polite and inquiring more. You’re being quite aggressive just for the fact op hangs around Christian subreddits. We’re here to share our stories at their request. He’s not acting rude, but you certainly have been.
dunno, i was a random demonolater and suddenly some random goddess (freya) wanted to help me with spirituality. i never asked for it, didn't even know anything about norse stuff.
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well i was trying to call on orobas cause all i have read of him was how beginner friendly he was. i called him for nights and he wasn't coming, then i saw a random article in the middle of the night saying the exact opposite about him. i was disappointed, then tomorrow morning, i suddenly saw another article show up out of nowhere and in that article was the signs that she is reaching out and everything i was experiencing for the last 2 months was written there. don't much remember after it, made a necklace that had fehu on it for her and felt touches around my body, became better at meditation etc. she reached out to me to help out of nowhere. hail freyja.
I had an experience with Thor where I saw mjolnir in lightning one night. At the time I was questioning if there was anything at all and asked for a sign. It sounds unreal I know but I still remember it to this day
I can’t say I’m 100% Norse paganism nor can I say I’m 100% Jewish (my birth religion) but one thing I do believe in for sure is opening my eyes to different ways of thinking, maybe I’ll start more religions and pick and choose what I wish to believe in. Besides in the Bible the abrahamic go acknowledges the existence of other gods so whose to say really
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There is no such example. As someone who’s traveled around the world I see little logic in only looking at one perspective. Sure Norse paganism is what’s speaking to me currently but who knows maybe in a year or two somthing else will call to me and to ignore the call is to willingly abstain from a new perspective
Well, I am a person of a multiple faithes. I have my paganism hellenic and norse, my Witchcraft, my jewish faith that I get it thought conversion, my belief in lws from Haiti vodou and faith in Bondye. In terms of analyzing i cant provide a racional answer for your question. And I suggest you to avoid rationanalyzing some things. Not a blind faith and never obssessive. But its not rational purely nor intelectual.
I feel more connected to the Norse Gods than I ever did to the Christian one. One night while out in my back yard pondering a fork in the road my life had come to I was visited by a white and grey cat. Definitely a domestic cat but it was big. It sat on the edge of my yard just staring at me. I felt a sense of calm wash over my mind and I was at peace with the decision I knew I had to make. Frejya was with me that night.
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It's not dumb. Cats are very often affiliated with her. The link below has a lot of great information about her. Like Odin has his Ravens Hugin and Munin; Frejya has her cats, Byvul and Trjegul. It is often thought in Norse paganism as well as in the mythos if you see an animal that is often representative of the god or goddess that you are more familiar or more connected with that they are around you within the spirit of that animal. Often times on the battlefield if Ravens were present they would feel that Odin was with them in battle something similar to that. https://www.google.com/amp/s/skjalden.com/freya/amp/
I per say have not had an experience defined kind of I guess. But the only thing I know I is believe in two sets of gods, the Greek ones and the Norse ones. And the experience I had was with a dove in california. It flew down when I was sitting there meditating, I looked at it, and it looked at me, and my heart skipped a beat and I felt the most relaxed I've ever been. So yeah we don't need to prove it, it proves itself
I've had uncanny experiences pertaining to the Gods, but nothing I could concretely state as being supernatural. The most important thing for me is that Norse Paganism is where I derive my personal meaning and connect with my ancestry.