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Asatru 101
for UofT Pagan Society - March, 2006
Glossary
Aðumbla - Primeval cow, melted from the ice of Niflheim, nurturer of Ymir.
Æsir - The name of the tribe of gods inhabiting Asgard. The name literally means "the gods" (the singular is Ás), and has come to encompass both the original Æsir and the Vanir.
Álfheim/Ljossálfheim - Home of the elves (álfar), also called "light elves" (ljossálfar), one of the Nine Worlds. Freyr rules this realm.
altar/stalli/hörg - An altar in Ásatrú is called a stalli if indoors, a hörg (sometimes harrow) if outdoors. Sometimes they are just a flat space, but outdoors often are piles of flat rocks, or even a single large boulder.
Anglo-Saxon Paganism - One of the many terms for Ásatrú, particularly when based on the Anglo-Saxon model.
Ásatrú - The most commonly-encountered name for the modern rediscovery of the faith of the ancient peoples of what would come to be known as the Germanic and Scandinavian countries. Opinions on the correct pronunciation vary, but as it is an Icelandic word and all such words have the greatest emphasis on the first syllable, this much can be said for sure -"a-SA-tru" is incorrect, though it is the version most commonly heard. The word means "true/loyal/faithful to the Æsir."
Ásatrúar - A word for one who follows Ásatrú. The plural is the same.
Asgard/Ásgarð - The home of the gods, literally meaning the "enclosure/walled place/garden of the gods," one of the Nine Worlds.
Askr and Embla - The first man and woman in Norse cosmology, created from an ash and an elm tree and given life and living traits by Odin and his brothers.
Ásynjur - Plural Old Norse word for the goddesses, taken as a group, especially when Æsir is sometimes used to refer to the male gods.
Balder/Baldr - Norse god who was known for his beauty. So loved was he by all that his mother, Frigga, struck a bargain with everything in the worlds that they would do him no harm. Thinking it too young to make such a promise, she extracted no such oath from mistletoe. For the rest of the story, do some reading. Baldr will come back from the lands of the dead to the world of the living after Ragnarök.
Bilrost/Bifrost - The rainbow bridge between Midgard and Asgard. It will be destroyed when the sons of Muspell (fire giants) march across it to do battle with the gods at Ragnarök. Though the spelling Bifrost is most often seen today, in the ancient sources, only Snorri Sturlusson spells it this way; all other ancient references are to Bilrost.
blót - The main worship ritual in Ásatrú, whose name means "offering" or "sacrifice," anciently consisting of a meat animal humanely killed and then shared among the people in a feast to the gods and ancestors (many other things were also offered, depending on the occasion and intended recipient, from enemies captured in battle, to money and valuables, to finely-crafted hilites), but today usually consisting of mead shared among the group with some poured out in libation.
disir - One name for ancestor spirits, specifically female. Usually, when treated well and remembered, they are very helpful, but they can be offended and cause harm.
dwarves/dvergar - Said by some to be the same as the dark-elves, the svartálfar. The dvergar (singular dvergr) are great craftsmen and are responsible for most of the greatest treasures of the gods.
Edda - Two ancient Old Norse works that form much of the basis of Ásatrú. The Poetic Edda (or Elder Edda) is a collection of poems about the gods that is our greatest source of lore about them, and the Prose Edda (or Younger Edda) is a work written by scholar Snorri Sturlusson, who was concerned that the ancient oral history of Iceland was being lost. He wrote a story about someone trying to trick the gods of Asgard, in the process learning a great deal about the gods and the beginning and ending of the worlds, and added a large section that consisted largely of the explanation of many kennings.
einherjar - The "solo fighters," Odin's chosen in Valhalla who will fight at his side at Ragnarök.
elves/álfar - The elves (singular is álf), also called "light elves" (ljossálfar), the peoples of one of the Nine Worlds. They are generally seen as beneficent beings, sometimes as kin to landwights. The word is sometimes also used as a term for the helpful spirits of deceased male ancestors, as a male counterpart to disir.
eth (ð/Ð) - One of the letters appearing in Old Norse and other languages that modern English no longer has. It represents the sound of a "voiced th" - that is, "th" as it appears in English words like "these," "this" and "whither," as opposed to "thin," "thick" and "with." When Old Norse words are rendered in English, eth is sometimes given as "th," sometimes as "dh" and sometimes as "d."
Forn Sedr - A particularly Scandinavian name for Ásatrú, varying due to language from one country to the next as Forn Sedr, Forn Sid, etc. The name means "the old ways."
Freyja - Norse goddess of beauty, love and fertility. She is also a warrior in her own right. Her brother and sometimes consort is Freyr. She weeps tears of amber or gold for her missing husband, Od. She is one of the few Vanir whose names we know.
Freyr - Norse god of fertility, plenty and wealth. His sister is Freyja. He gives his sword away as a pledge of love, and so has only an antler as a weapon when Ragnarök arrives, and is killed by the king of the fire giants, Surtr. Freyr takes on the role of goði among the Æsir when he joins their tribe. He is one of the few Vanir whose names we know, and he rules Álfheim.
Frigga - Norse goddess of the home, marriage, childrearing and weaving. Odin’s wife, Frigga is mother to many of the Æsir and acts in a motherly way to many of the rest.
frith/friðr - A complex concept involving ancient ideas of peace and community. Frith is the web that connects people, especially those of family, community and clan, through shared and fulfilled oaths, exchanged gifts and interconnected dependencies. The end result is a solidly-founded community with peace and shared responsibilities -- trust. Sometimes, it is simply translated as "peace", but the concept is much deeper.
frithgard/friðgarð - Hallowed ground, the sacred space where blót and other rituals take place. Having been made holy, it is a place where no violence or foulness is to take place, or it will make the place permanently unholy.
fulltrui - When one concentrates their attention on only one god or goddess, making offerings (almost) exclusively to them and seeking (almost) exclusively their help when divine help is sought, they are said to be fulltrui ("fully true/loyal/faithful") to that god or goddess.
fylfot/swastika/Þórshamarr - The four-armed figure known infamously as the swastika to most was a holy and/or lucky symbol among many Indo-European and other cultures around the world before the German National Socialists got their hands on it and tarnished it, perhaps forever. Sometimes known as the fylfot, this symbol in ancient Norse belief was said to be the mark of Thor’s hammer, perhaps as it would be seen spinning. There are a small number of Ásatrúar today who work to see the symbol cleansed of its ill reputation through education about its ancient status and meaning, but many others see it as forever damaged and do not use it, or use versions of it which are so stylized that they are not easily recognized.
galdr - A type of spoken or sung magic. Due to several words for magic being used somewhat interchangeably by the time anything was written down to survive to today, it is difficult to know much specific about galdr, but we know it was a vocal way of using magic, and many magic-using Ásatrúar today have their own theories as to its specifics. Galdr is often used to aid the development of a trance-like state for the purpose of spellwork and divination. Some connect it more specifically to rune work, especially since Oðinn is considered its patron.
Germanic Paganism - One of the many names for Ásatrú, particularly when based on the Continental model.
giants/jötnar (singular jötun) - The classic enemies of the gods, some giants actually have been helpful and some are even adopted into the tribe of the gods, such as Loki and Skaði, or are descended partly from them, like Thor. Some see the giants as personifications of chaotic natural forces. Different types of giants include frost giants, fire giants, mountain giants and more.
Ginnungagap - The "space of charged potential" which existed between Muspellheim and Niflheim before the beginning of the worlds.
gothi/goði, gythia/gyðja, gothar/goþar - These are the words for priestly functions in Old Norse. The words basically mean "god-man/woman" or "god-friend." Gothi is the male term, gythia is the female term and gothar is the plural. Unlike in many modern faiths, a priest is not required as an intermediary between humanity and the divine. Rather, gothar existed then and exist today as experts in lore and ritual - anyone can perform blót (indeed, the job usually falls to the head of a house or group), a gothi/gythia would usually preside only for the largest affairs, or for services in the temple that he/she might maintain.
Hávamál - A poem said to be advice from Odin himself (the name means "the sayings of Har," and Har means "the High One"), consisting of advice for getting along in the world, the tale of Odin discovering the runes, and more. It is one of Ásatrú’s most important texts.
Heathenry/Heathenism - Two forms of one of the words for Ásatrú. Though previously most often used to refer to the Anglo-Saxon model, the term is gaining popularity as a catch-all generic term for all types of Ásatrú.
Heathen - One who follows any of the variants of Ásatrú. It was originally a term specific to those who clung to the old Norse beliefs when Christianity was spreading through the north, but through the Christian church’s opinion of those, the word gradually picked up the meanings most associate with it today, "godless," "evil," much as did the term Pagan. This particular term, though it bears a stigma in the greater society around us, is finding more and more use among Ásatrúar, as it is the closest thing there is to a common term among all the different styles and flavours of the faith.
heill - The Old Norse word heill (pronounced like hail) was a greeting, and is still used by Ásatrúar today. It is short for "may you be well," and is related to our English word "hello." A related word, heilsa, is also used.
Heimdal - The god who guards the end of Bifrost. His senses are so acute that he can hear the wool grow on the back of a sheep. When the signs of Ragnarök begin, he will sound the horn Gjallarhorn to summon the gods to battle. In the story of the god Rig going down to Midgard and fathering the three classes of humans, jarl, karl and thrall, it is believed that Rig is Heimdal.
Hel - Goddess who rules the land of the dead named for her (or is she named for it?), Helheim. The daughter of Loki, she is half dead and half alive, half fair and half hideous.
Helheim - Also called simply Hel, the land of the dead in Norse belief, one of the Nine Worlds. Far from the Christian Hell which would be named for it, it is not a place of torment, merely a resting place for those for whom existence in the worlds of the living is at an end. Some beliefs have Hel as simply a shadowy version of the same life from before, where farmers till fields which grow downwards, as a mirror reflection of the world of the living. However, there is a place for those worst of the worst to go when they die - see Niflhel.
hlaut - In ancient days, the blood from an animal sacrifice; in modern days, the blessed mead or other drink used in blót. Since the substance of the sacrifice offering is dedicated to the gods and ancestors, it is blessed by being touched by them and is therefore holy. In the ancient blót ritual, the hlaut-blood was sprinkled around the temple area and participants so that they, too, would touch the gods and be made holy. In the way many Ásatrúar conduct blót today, the blessed mead is passed in the horn for all to sip, to accomplish the same purpose. This word is found in compound words for things involved in the offering ritual, such as the offering-bowl hlautbolli and the sprinkling twig hlautteinn.
housewights/húsvættir - In Ásatrú belief, houses have spirits of their own. When treated respectfully, given small gifts such as porridge and beer on holidays and when the house is well-kept, housewights can be very helpful, assisting in finding lost car keys and such. When not treated well, they can be the cause of those lost car keys, or any number of other small problems.
Ibn Fadhlan, Ahmed - An Arabian traveler and chronicler, his Risala describes his encounter with the eastward Norse tribe the Rus along the Volga river (Russia is named for them). Though accentuated by the author to make his points about how different they were than he, the piece depicts life among a Norse warband, one kind of funeral rite, and more.
innangarð - Literally "inside the fence," this term refers to that which is understood, tamed, friendly, ordered, trustworthy. It is often used to refer to the people one knows well, those with whom one feels a sense of community.
Irminism - One of the words used for Ásatrú, particularly of a Continental Germanic style, emphasizing the Irmin/Irminsul.
Irminsul/Irmin - The Irmin or Irminsul is the pillar of the world, the axis around which the universe turns - another way of looking at Yggdrasil. Depicted as a symbol, it looks like a capital I with wavy horizontal arms at the top.
jarl - An Old Norse noble title, the source of the English word Earl. In discussing the three classes of humans in the Old Norse worldview, the jarl epitomizes the nobility, at the top of the structure.
Jormungandr - The "World Serpent," the dragon that encircles Midgard in its coils. It is the offspring of Loki and is Thor’s mortal enemy. They will destroy each other at Ragnarök. When the serpent tightens its coils, the world shakes.
Jotunheim - The home of the giants, the jotnar (singular jotun), one of the Nine Worlds.
karl - An Old Norse word for an old man or for a farmer. In discussing the three classes of humans in the Old Norse worldview, the karl epitomizes the freeman, in the middle of the structure.
kenning - A kenning is an alternate, poetic way of saying something. For example, someone who is very generous might be referred to as a "gold-hater," the implication being that he must figuratively hate gold, since he gives so much of it away. The technique of kennings was very popular in the ancient Norse poetry. In some cases, puzzling out kennings is impossible, as many refer to other stories that the original audience would have known well, but no longer exist for us today.
landwights/landvættir - Spirits of features of the land, such as rocks, hills, waterfalls, trees and specific areas of land (such as a particular property). If offerings are made to them and they are treated well, the land will prosper and luck will befall those living there.
Loki - Troublesome Norse god, of giant stock and blood-brother to Odin. Loki often causes trouble and strife, but usually is caught and forced to put things right, if not actually better than they were before. Although he is responsible for Baldr’s death and in the end becomes the greatest enemy of the gods of Asgard, it is erroneous to equate him with Satan, as some scholars used to do. Since he does become the enemy of the gods, some Ásatrúar will not even say his name, but before those events, he was an ally and common traveling companion of both Thor and Odin.
Midgard/Miðgarð - The middle world, the world of humans, one of the Nine Worlds, located in the centre of the Norse cosmology.
Mjollnir - Thor’s mighty hammer, forged by dwarves to be the greatest treasure of the gods. Though its handle is a little too short, Mjollnir (in Thor’s hand) is the greatest weapon the gods have against the troublesome giants. It will always return to Thor’s hand when thrown and causes lightning in its path.
Muspellheim - The home of the sons of Muspell, fire giants who will break through into other lands at Ragnarök and raise the Nine Worlds with fire. Led by Surtr, whose fiery sword will be the doom of Freyr and used to raze all the Nine Worlds with flame. Muspellheim is the home of fire and sparks, one of the original realms bordering Ginnungagap, one of the Nine Worlds.
Niflheim - Home of mist, rime and ice, one of the original realms bordering Ginnungagap, one of the Nine Worlds.
Niflhel - "Misty-Hel," an area within the lands of Hel where the worst of the worst spend time after death - oathbreakers and the like. From here, the restless dead will break through to the worlds of the living at Ragnarök, lead by Loki sailing aboard the ship made of dead men’s fingernails.
Nine Noble Virtues - One way of summarizing the ethical system of Ásatrú, these are culled from the advice of the Hávamál and other sources. Though the list sometimes varies a little depending on whom you ask, the list basically consists of: Truth, Honour, Fidelity, Hospitality, Courage, Industriousness, Self-Discipline, Self-Reliance and Perseverance.
Nine Worlds - All the realms of the ancient Norse cosmology. They are Asgard, Midgard, Vanaheim, Alfheim, Svartalfheim, Jotunheim, Helheim, Niflheim and Muspellheim.
norns/nornir - The norns are the shapers of fate, though actual destiny is not a concept truly believed in the ancient ways of the north. The three main norns (Úrð - what has gone before, Verðanði - the turning of this moment and Skuld - "debt," the neccesary result of what has gone before, but yet to happen and so can be changed) sit at the well of Úrð at the base of Yggdrasil, washing the bark of the tree in the mud from around the well, adding the layers of time and event to the what has gone before. Other, minor norns are present at the birth of children and serve to lay down some of what the child’s future may hold.
Norse Paganism - One of the terms used to refer to Ásatrú.
Norse Wicca - A term used for the practice of Wicca using Norse gods, goddesses and terms. In some circles of Ásatrú, this is not given much respect and even seen as outright "culture theft."
oathring/stallahringr - The ring, carried by a gothi or gythia, upon which holy oaths were sworn.
Odin/Óðinn - The Allfather, the chief god of the Norse pantheon at the end of the ancient Heathen era. Odin discovered the runes, sacrificed his eye in Mimir’s well for wisdom, began the first war in the universe and is seen as the source of both the frenzy of the berserker and the inspiration of the skald. Father of Thor and many of the other gods and goddesses in the Norse pantheon. In the ancient era, typically the patron god of the nobility and professional warriors. Today, Odin is followed by a much larger proportion of Ásatrúar.
Odinism - One of the terms used to refer to Ásatrú. In North America, this particular term tends to get associated with the more race-oriented groups, though in Europe, the same is not true.
offering bowl/blótbolli/hlautbolli - The bowl in which the blood of the sacrificed animal was caught in ancient times, from which the hlaut was sprinkled and finally poured out in libation. In the way many Ásatrúar perform blót today, the drinking horn serves this purpose.
ørlög - Literally "old law," the layers of the past laid down to form the foundation of now. It is used in the sense of the future, of what another culture might call destiny - based on the layers laid down across all time to this moment, ørlög is what must certainly result.
Ragnarök - The end times in the ancient Norse beliefs. Brother will fight brother, bonds of kinship and friendship will be forgotten, the world will suffer under three winters with no summer between, the sun and moon will be swallowed, the fire giants will march on Asgard, all monsters will be released, the restless dead will sail the ship Nagalfar back to the lands of the living and the gods will fight their mortal enemies, in most cases to the death. The worlds will be razed by fire, leaving only the scorched remains of Yggdrasil and a few beings who shelter within its branches, such as Thor’s sons Módi and Magni, and the last man and woman, Lif and Lifthrasir. The ocean will rise and swallow the land, but then recede to reveal a new, green land of promise and a new age will begin. There are varying opinions on the worth of this story, laced as it seems to be with Christian imagery - it may have originated at a much later time than much of the other ancient lore, and not be a true reflection of what ancient Heathens actually believed.
Rig - The god from Asgard who traveled to Midgard and fathered the three classes of humans, jarl, karl and thrall. Believed by many to be Heimdal. There is a strong connection here to the Rig Veda of India.
runes - The ancient characters that formed the first written alphabets in the north. Several different sets, each usually called a "futhark" (a nonsense word created from the transliteration of the first letters in order), existed over time and space. They were used for mundane writing as well as for magical purposes. Today, based on certain references in the lore which seem to be referring to runes, many Ásatrúar and others use them for divinatory practices.
saga - The Icelandic sagas, most of them local or family histories, were written down several hundred years after they took place (and most of them take place near the end of the Heathen era) and are some of our best material for knowing what life was life in the times and places we study, what the worldview of those people was like. Many snippets of religious and folk practices survive within the sagas.
skald - Poetry was very popular in ancient Scandinavia, and a skald was a person who composed and recited it (it was a strictly oral art at that time). They often were at the right hand of kings and were well-known and well-rewarded for their art.
seidhr/seiðr - A word used for a variety of magical practices in the ancient era. Sometimes used interchangeable with spá/spae, also a word for magical practices. Due to several words for magic being used interchangeably by the time anything was written down to survive today, it is difficult to know much specifically about seiðr. Several sources indicate that its practitioners were looked at with suspicion or even downright hatred, but other sources seem to indicate respect and a glad use of their services. Some consider it to be the most "shamanistic" aspect of Norse Paganism. Mostly practiced by women, seiðr is generally accepted to indicate a personal journey of the seer's spirit to other worlds of the Norse cosmology for the purpose of gathering knowledge from the inhabitants of those worlds - be they gods, elves, dwarves, or spirits of the dead - for the purpose of personal growth, healing, forsight, and other reasons.
Skuld - One of the three chief norns. Her name means essentially "debt" - based on what has gone before, she represents what has to happen to restore balance, that which is most likely to happen.
sumble/sumbl - Sometimes translated as a feast, the ritual of sumbl is actually a set of formalized, ritualized toasts. Toasts are drunk to the gods, to ancestors gone by and to oaths sworn and fulfilled. Songs and stories are related, and the community is brought closer together.
sunwheel/Odin’s cross - An ancient symbol consisting of an equal-armed cross inside a circle, sometimes said to symbolize the sun. Indeed, the same symbol has meant that in many cultures, and even survives with that meaning in today’s astronomy. Not to be confused with a similar shape wherein the arms of the cross extend beyond the circle - a Celtic cross - which is a Christian design.
Svartálfheim - The home of the dark-elves, said by some to be the dwarves, the dvergar (singular dvergr), one of the Nine Worlds.
Tacitus - A Roman historian who traveled the Empire writing of the peoples he encountered. His work Germania in his Histories is some of the earliest records we have of the ancient Germanic tribes, and tells us much of their attitudes, social structure and lives, including the first known reference to something which may be the precursor of runes.
teinn/twig - The twig or bunch of twigs used to sprinkle the hlaut during blót.
Teutonic Paganism - One of the many ways of referring to Ásatrú. Teutonic is used here in an attemp to encompass all of the various peoples descended from the Germanic tree of languages.
Theodism/Theodisc Gealafa - One way of referring to the Anglo-Saxon style of Ásatrú, specifically from a tribal perspective. A theod (A-S) is a tribe, or a clan of related people, and Theodisc Gealafa (A-S) means "the beliefs of the tribe."
Thor/Þórr - The Norse thunder god, still famous today. Much different than how he’s presented in Marvel Comics, Thor is red-haired and bearded, possessed of his hammer, Mjollnir, his magic glove Jarngreipr and his strength-enhancing belt Megingjarð, and driving a wagon through the sky drawn by two goats, Tanningristi and Tanningnosti. Thor will die defeating the world serpent Jormungand at Ragnarök, and his sons Módi and Magni will inherit his hammer in the world after.
thorn (þ/Þ) - One of the letters appearing in Old Norse and other languages that modern English no longer has. It represents the sound of an "unvoiced th" - that is, "th" as it appears in English words like "thin", "thick" and "with", as opposed to "these", "this" and "whither."
thrall/þræll - An Old Norse word for a slave. In discussing the three classes of humans in the Old Norse worldview, the thrall epitomizes the bonded slave, at the bottom of the structure. Thralls were not usually treated badly (sometimes almost as part of the family), though they were, indeed, unfree.
útangarð - Literally "outside the fence," this term refers to that which is not understood, wild, unfriendly, chaotic, untrustworthy. It is often used to refer to people one does not know well, those with whom one feels no sense of community.
valknut - One of the more frequently-seen holy symbols of Ásatrú. Sacred to Odin, this symbol is said to embody his might and attract his attention. Odin is known to claim those dedicated to him, sometimes in sudden and bloody ways, so using this symbol casually as a tattoo is not recommended.
Valhalla/Valhöll - Odin’s hall in Asgard, the "hall of the slain" or "hall of the chosen." Odin splits the battle-dead with Freyja (she gets first pick), though in the surviving material, we do not know what comes of her chosen. Feasting and drinking all night from unending supplies served by valkyries, then fighting and dying all day long only to rise again at evening to do it all again, the einherjar are in unending training to fight at Odin's side in the battles of Ragnarök. Contrary to popular belief, it was not every person’s wish (nor is it among Ásatrúar today) to end up in Valhalla, nor would simply dying with a sword in one’s hand ensure it.
valkyrie/valkyrja - The "choosers of the slain," those who visit the battlefield to take Odin’s choices to Valhalla. Sometimes also said to be helpers and guardians of heroes, blurring the line between them and disir. Often associated with crows, they are alternatively seen as 'eaters of the dead'.
Vanaheim - The home of the Vanir tribe of gods, one of the Nine Worlds.
Vanir - One of the two tribes of gods in Norse belief. Back in the mists of time, the first war ever was fought between the Æsir and Vanir, and it ended in a truce with the exchange of hostages who went to live with the other tribe. A few other misunderstandings later, and now the Vanir are seen as a sub-tribe within the gods of Asgard. The names of only a few survive to this day, including Freyr and Freyja, Njörðr and Nerthus.
Vé - One of Odin’s brothers, with whom he gives life and lively attributes to the first humans, Askr and Embla.
vé - A sacred enclosure, much as a frithgard, but usually marked off with ropes strung between hazel poles and also used for sacred duels.
Verðandi - One of the three chief norns. Her name means essentially "becoming," and she represents the turning of the current moment, the point of choice, that which is coming to be.
Vili - One of Odin’s brothers, with whom he gives life and lively attributes to the first humans, Askr and Embla.
Wiccatru - An often derogatory term used for the practice of Wicca using Norse gods, goddesses and terms. In some circles of Ásatrú, this is not given much respect and even seen as outright "culture theft."
wight/vætt - This word is the survival into English of the Old Norse word vætt and means a spirit. As such, it can refer to the spirit of a house or area of land, a ghost, or even a person or god, all of whom have a living spirit.
Wyrd/Úrð - One of the three chief norns. Her name means essentially "the past," and she represents the layers of the past which have been laid down to set the most likely pattern for the future. Wyrd is also often spoken of as a force guiding and shaping one's life, the pattern of one’s past actions (and the actions of one's ancestors and everyone one has ever sworn oath to) that determines what debt, if any, one will face as one's life plays out.
Yggdrasil - The World Tree, the white ash, the pillar of the world, the axis of the universe. The Nine Worlds rest in its branches, the three wells lie at its roots. Many attempts have been made to devise three-dimensional depictions of the arrangement of Yggdrasil and the Nine Worlds, but most fail on one or more points of detail. It is not so much a three-dimensional map of the universe as it is simply a certain way of looking at the universe.
Ymir - The primeval first giant thawed out of the ice by the licking of Adhumbla. Later, Odin and his brothers slay Ymir and create the worlds from his body.
Yule/Jól - The holy festival that takes place at midwinter, the most important celebration in the Ásatrú calendar. Many ancient traditions of Yule survived into modern Christmas traditions, so in many ways the two can look very similar.
On Lore
Ásatrú is often called "the religion with homework," and it’s an apt description. Most of what we know of the ways of our spiritual forebears comes from the Eddas and Sagas (old Icelandic poetic and historical stories of the gods and people), the Roman historian Tacitus who wrote the Germania in his Histories, the Arabian chronicler Ibn Fadhlan’s Risala (famous as the source for at least the beginning portion of the movie The 13th Warrior), the Gesta Danorum of Saxo Grammaticus, the famous Anglo-Saxon epic poem Beowulf, and more.
Involvement in digging through these sources depends on the individual, but can range anywhere from reading a modern treatment of the stories of the gods from the Eddas (Kevin Crossley-Holland is recommended; his book has been re-titled many times, but often appears as The Penguin Book of Norse Myths: Gods of the Vikings) all the way to in-depth study of several ancient languages such as Old Norse and Anglo-Saxon, doing one’s own translation of many of these ancient works and reading every Icelandic Saga one can find.
There are many modern books written about Ásatrú, and their worth runs the spectrum from golden to worthless. Each seeker must make up their own mind about the value of any given work and it’s author. For that matter, even the ancient works bear scrutiny, as many were created and/or translated with a particular bias and may not accurately reflect the truth. [Personally, I recommend Our Troth, volumes I and II by the Ásatrú organization The Troth, and I recommend against ninety percent of the books on runes ever written. -GP]
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