AsatruRingFrankfurt
Leben mit den Göttern. Leben für die Götter. Leben
durch die Götter.
Asatru and Women
Is Asatru the last Bastion
of Machismo?
© Michael
Schütz – ARF
I
belief a man wants the same what a women wants from a man: Respect
Clint Eastwood
A
few years ago some followers of Asatru made it look like a boys club.
Ideas about being a warrior with references to Vikings and berserkers
were told around. These belief of being a warrior and re-enactment in
general has nothing to do with Asatru as it is a modern Religion of the
21st century with old ties. But at this time it looked like
that women stood aside and supporting just the spleen of the men.
Today women and men alike follow the
call of the Nordic, Germanic gods. When you attend
meetings of Asatru today you will nearly meet an equal amount of men and
women. At our monthly pub meeting the amount of women is even higher
then that of men and many are Asatru even if their partner is not. (I
am Asatru, but my partner is not.)
The attraction of Asatru for women
The
answers to this are as different as the women who are Asatru.
“Odin has touched me.”
“It is Frigga who attracted me first hand.”
It is often the one god or godess who fascinated us before we got drawn
into the family of gods. So Polytheism
is a road from one to many a travel that is very
rewarding.
Women got attracted not just by one of the many Goddesses like Frigga
but as well by Odin the mystic wanderer, or the irresistible Thor or
Frey the fruitful. It is the multitude of gods and goddesses and the
richness of different personalities and facet’s that makes our belief so
intriguing. For example Frigga and Freya are very different Goddesses,
as one is the Lady of the Hall and her interest lies in home and hof and
she seldom shares her deep insight and wisdom. Freya the unbound lives
out all emotions to its depths the lust as the sorrow and full of
uninhibited passion. (Images of the
Gods – Understanding of the Gods)
Spirituality and Women
There are several women who have a special kind of relationship to Odin. Their way is a mystical one, who is characterized by deep experiences of the gods in general and Odin especially. This mystical way is not just limited to one god it is one to experiences them all. It exists no difference in the spirituality of men and women and how they relate to the gods just different people and different interests.
Everyone lives his belief as intensive as he or she wants to. In a life time the way of living with the gods will change several times. Every lived relationship changes over time.
Poetry and Women
Women were the first to write a lot of poetry and it is a wonderful
expression to share the inspiration and feelings about the gods and our
belief. One could say it is easier for women to do so but this isn’t
this just an excuse for men not wanting to express their feelings?
Further Reading: Asatru and poetry
Germanic images of Women
The role of women in society
which are oriented on real or pretending to be historic Germanic is of
no interest for the modern Asatru.
In our Religion there are no differences because of gender and as Asatru
you are not obliged to have a specific gender role. This is one of the
many opportunities for Asatru as there are no old cultural expectations
hidden under the mantle of religion to be sold as divine expectations.
The way to the gods stands wide open to any women and men without and
limitations by gender, ancestry or complexion. Further reading:
Who can become Asatru?
© Michael Schütz – Asatru Ring Frankfurt & Midgard– www.asatruringfrankfurt.de
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