Iceland to build first temple to Norse gods since Viking age

[Lovelife090994]

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/feb/02/iceland-temple-norse-gods-1000-years




Iceland to build first temple to Norse gods since Viking age





A modern version of Norse paganism has been gaining popularity in recent years as followers see the stories as metaphors for life not worship of the gods






High priest Hilmar Orn Hilmarsson and fellow members of the Asatru Association attend a ceremony at the Pingvellir National Park near Reykjavik.
High priest Hilmar Orn Hilmarsson and fellow members of the Asatru Association attend a ceremony at the Pingvellir National Park near Reykjavik. Photograph: Reuters


Reuters in Reykjavik

Monday 2 February 2015 10.54 EST


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Icelanders will soon be able to publicly worship at a shrine to Thor, Odin and Frigg with construction starting this month on the island’s first major temple to the Norse gods since the Viking age.


Worship of the gods in Scandinavia gave way to Christianity around 1,000 years ago but a modern version of Norse paganism has been gaining popularity in Iceland.







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“I don’t believe anyone believes in a one-eyed man who is riding about on a horse with eight feet,” said Hilmar Örn Hilmarsson, high priest of Ásatrúarfélagið, an association that promotes faith in the Norse gods.

“We see the stories as poetic metaphors and a manifestation of the forces of nature and human psychology.”







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Membership in Ásatrúarfélagið has tripled in Iceland in the last decade to 2,400 members last year, out of a total population of 330,000, data from Statistics Iceland showed.

The temple will be circular and will be dug 4 metres (13ft) down into a hill overlooking the Icelandic capital Reykjavik, with a dome on top to let in the sunlight.

“The sun changes with the seasons so we are in a way having the sun paint the space for us,” Hilmarsson said.







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The temple will host ceremonies such as weddings and funerals. The group will also confer names to children and initiate teenagers, similar to other religious communities.

Iceland’s neo-pagans still celebrate the ancient sacrificial ritual of Blot with music, reading, eating and drinking, but nowadays leave out the slaughter of animals.


This is amazing! A pagan temple built after such a long time! This would never work in America though... Christians would desecrate it! Already our occult books knowingly go "missing".

[Gamma Male]

Cool. I love Norse mythology.

[phuckphace]

This is amazing! A pagan temple built after such a long time!

when you consider the location it's not "amazing" so much as predictable. unlike you or I, these people have a direct heritage back to actual Norsemen who followed the Norse religion. neopaganism is an SJW cult that was invented last Thursday by a weirdo and seems to only appeal to Tumblrites and those with grudges against the "dogma" of other religions. it's like having a toga party and trying to claim you're literally the new incarnation of Caesar et amici.

in my opinion of course, no offense meant.

This would never work in America though... Christians would desecrate it! Already our occult books knowingly go "missing".

lol you say that as though it's something you've cared about for longer than two months. it appears that in switching religions you've exchanged one grudge for another.

[SethfromMI]

interesting. I guess I am not sure what to think. I can certainly understand why, but is it more of a tourist thing, culture significance or a mixture of both. I might be wrong, but is there still an actual, real following for the Norse gods? it is a serious question on my part, I don't know

[Vlerchan]

neopaganism is an SJW cult that was invented last Thursday by a weirdo and seems to only appeal to Tumblrites and those with grudges against the "dogma" of other religions.
It's been embraced (http://www.amazon.com/On-Being-Pagan-Alain-Benoist/dp/0972029222) by a large part of the Nouvelle Droite (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nouvelle_Droite) too.

I find this pretty hilarious.

[Lovelife090994]

when you consider the location it's not "amazing" so much as predictable. unlike you or I, these people have a direct heritage back to actual Norsemen who followed the Norse religion. neopaganism is an SJW cult that was invented last Thursday by a weirdo and seems to only appeal to Tumblrites and those with grudges against the "dogma" of other religions. it's like having a toga party and trying to claim you're literally the new incarnation of Caesar et amici.

in my opinion of course, no offense meant.



lol you say that as though it's something you've cared about for longer than two months. it appears that in switching religions you've exchanged one grudge for another.

Why do people here insist on mocking each other? I've always held Christo-pagan beliefs, but last Samhain decided to leave the Christian sides of it. And books disappearing isn't a good thing either, even Christian books go missing in libraries. How can we educate people on faiths and differentiating practices when all of the books are being stolen?

Grudge? My only grudge is towards intolerance, so on that part of mainstream religion, I do not like that part. I guess this temple is appropriate to go up in Iceland but it is still amazing. Lot's of places have pagan heritage and Norse heritage... nothing out of the ordinary there.

I've cared about stuff like this since I was little! Since I learned of other things than just Christianity. Honestly, was that last sentence even necessary?

AND FYI, Neopaganism is not a cult and that is an umbrella term. Neopaganism is a revival of old pagan faiths and spiritual practices.

interesting. I guess I am not sure what to think. I can certainly understand why, but is it more of a tourist thing, culture significance or a mixture of both. I might be wrong, but is there still an actual, real following for the Norse gods? it is a serious question on my part, I don't know

Yes, in fact many people who are Pagan are actually Heathens of Heathenism and are of the faith Ásatrú.

Please use the 'multiquote'/'edit' button. ~Typhlosion

[SethfromMI]

Yes, in fact many people who are Pagan are actually Heathens of Heathenism and are of the faith Ásatrú.

fair enough. most people usually do not associate paganism with the West anymore, but I know it still does go on, even in America to some extent, so that's why I was asking

[Lovelife090994]

fair enough. most people usually do not associate paganism with the West anymore, but I know it still does go on, even in America to some extent, so that's why I was asking

To be honest the pagans I know kind came out of the blue. I asked them about their regalia or necklaces with symbols unfamiliar to my repertoire and they told me they were this or that type of pagan. I was intrigued by their attitudes and beliefs. Anyway, yes, Wicca especially is one of the fastest growing religions in the Americas actually. But Wicca is neopagan and even some non-Wiccan pagans do not like the idea of Wicca since it mixes old and new... But that is another story. And also some connect Wicca to Satanism which is not correct since the two are so different. The only similarity may be belief in magic and power in one's self... Other than that Satanism and Wicca both are umbrella terms for their OWN variations...

[SethfromMI]

To be honest the pagans I know kind came out of the blue. I asked them about their regalia or necklaces with symbols unfamiliar to my repertoire and they told me they were this or that type of pagan. I was intrigued by their attitudes and beliefs. Anyway, yes, Wicca especially is one of the fastest growing religions in the Americas actually. But Wicca is neopagan and even some non-Wiccan pagans do not like the idea of Wicca since it mixes old and new... But that is another story. And also some connect Wicca to Satanism which is not correct since the two are so different. The only similarity may be belief in magic and power in one's self... Other than that Satanism and Wicca both are umbrella terms for their OWN variations...

that is very true. I know someone who is Wiccan. I don't personally know anyone who follows a pagan religion,but, as you answered, they are there for sure

[Typhlosion]

I can hear the hordes of metal tourists travelling already :lol3:

Seriously, that is pretty cool. I'd love do go see it.

[Obligatory link] (www.youtube.com/watch?v=oy9ueed2Fxk)

[phuckphace]

It's been embraced (http://www.amazon.com/On-Being-Pagan-Alain-Benoist/dp/0972029222) by a large part of the Nouvelle Droite (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nouvelle_Droite) too.

I find this pretty hilarious.

:lol3: that and this too. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Esoteric_Nazism) tl;dr "I studied the deeper Aryan mysteries before it was cool"

Hipster Hitler lives!

[Lovelife090994]

Thanks for the comments