Q: What is Vanatru?

A: The word Vanatru is a neologism that means "true to the Vanir", and this author is unsure of who coined it, but is aware it came into usage in the 1990s.  The term Vanatru is used to describe the religious practice of those Heathens or Pagans who focus primarily on Frey, Freya, and Njord (and sometimes Nerthus).

Some who identify as Vanatru worship only the Vanir (for various reasons), but most who identify as Vanatru worship the Vanir primarily and the Aesir secondarily.


Q: Then why not just call yourselves Asatru?  Asatru means "true to the Gods", and the Vanir are the Aesir.

A: For starters, only some of the Vanir have joined the Aesir: Frey, Freya, and Njord.  The world of Vanaheim did not cease to exist following the Aesir-Vanir war.  Moreover, Frey, Freya, and Njord going to live among the Aesir and allying with Them does not change who They are and where They come from.

While this author is aware the term Asatru originally meant "true to the Gods" and was inclusive of both the Vanir and the Aesir, over the last decade (2000s) the term has been used increasingly to mean "true to the Aesir".  Many (though not all) Asatruar tend to focus on Odin and Thor primarily and the Vanir secondarily.  Finally, Asatru is an Icelandic word, the religion of Asatru started off in Iceland, and seems to best fit those whose faith is based on the Icelandic primary sources, and who have a Norse focus - while there is nothing wrong with the religion of Asatru, the term is not very accurate for those whose focus is on continental Germanic Heathenry, or (for that matter) Anglo-Saxon Heathens.


Q: So you're saying Asatru started in Iceland and most who call themselves Asatru practice Norse Heathenry.  Are Vanatruar Norse Heathens, then?

A: Some of us are, some of us are not.  Curiously, a disproportionately high number of Vanic-focused Heathens are also Anglo-Saxon Heathens, which makes sense when one considers Nerthus and Ing were the primary Gods of the Angles, that the Angles are Ingvaeones - Ing's people, which makes England (Angle-land) literally "Ing's land", and certain English folk customs (the May Pole, Charming of the Plough, Lammas) seem inherently Vanic.

That being said, in Anglo-Saxon Heathenism, there was no Aesir/Vanir dichotomy and They were all just “the Gods”.  As it were, there is no dichotomy on the continent, either, the only Heathens that acknowledged this dichotomy were the Scandinavians and Icelanders.  Many modern Anglo-Saxon Heathens use the neologism Wenan to refer to the Gods known as Vanir to the Norse.


Q: Didn’t it say in Voluspa that following the war, the Gods decided who would be given tribute?

A: Yes, it does say that in Voluspa.  And it is telling that the only three Gods absolutely known as Vanir are Frey, Freya, and Njord.

In the opinion of this author, there are other Deities that are Vanir.  Nerthus is only briefly hinted at in the Eddas and not by name unless we consider Her to be the same Goddess as Jorð, however She was worshipped by the Angles among other tribes.  Several Vanic Heathens have corroborated personal gnosis and made a list of Deities known to Heathenry who are suspected to be Vanir such as Sif and Idunna, as well as regional Deities like Herne and Nehelennia who also seem to fit the Vanic type.

While Vanaheim continued to be its own world and was not absorbed into Asgard, many feel the overwhelming majority of the Vanir who live in Vanaheim have names lost to us with time, and are largely unconcerned with interacting with humanity and receiving worship.  Those who are concerned with humanity, we have names for, whether They are known to be Vanir or counted Vanir by marriage or adoption, or suspected to be Vanic in origin.


Q: How do Vanatruar feel about the Aesir?

A: Most Vanatruar (but not all) view the Aesir as separate but equal Gods.  Based on the study of history and archaeology of the Northern lands, there seems to be a clear progression of religion:

-Paleolithic hunter-gatherers with artifacts of anthropomorphic beings who probably worshipped what we would now call etins (this being elements, land-masses, or animal Deities, not the hostile thurses listed as enemies of our Gods in the Edda)

-Neolithic transition of hunter-gatherer to horticulture with hunter-gatherer on the side, to agriculture who had wains, burial mounds, and at least one incidence of a carving with a Deity that resembles Frey

-Bronze Age with Indo-European migration and the first appearance of Deities who look like Odin and Thor, which supplanted the indigenous Northern religions while absorbing some of its elements

While the last may be seen as blasphemous, it is not the intention of this author.  The Gods have always existed, but chose certain points in history to reveal Themselves to people and interact with them.  The Aesir were not a mere “invention” of the later Northern people, and should be credited as influencing the progression of civlisation, putting us on the road to longer lifespan and less hardship in life.

Most Vanatruar give Odin and His kin Their due on the holytides and as it is appropriate to do so.  However Vanatruar deal with the Vanir first, before other Gods.  We are polytheists and if we recognize the Gods as individuals we will realize different people deal with the Gods differently.  The Aesic path is not bad or wrong, just different.

Indeed, if the Aesir were bad or wrong, the Vanir would not have made allegiance with Them after the war.  To say that Frey, Freya, and Njord are “unwilling hostages” in Asgard and held there against Their will is not only pure UPG, but is quite frankly insulting to Their power; considering the fact that the Vanir were winning in the Aesir-Vanir war, if the three ruling Vanes had a serious problem being in Asgard, They wouldn’t be there nor would the rest of the Vanir in Vanaheim allow it, for that matter.  There are a few people who profess Vanatru who speak openly of their dislike for Odin and His kin and while this is their right, most Vanatruar feel that bashing the Aesir does the Vanic path a disservice.  Even if one does not personally like Odin or His people, don’t insult the capabilities and choices of Frey, Freya, and Njord and don’t underestimate the power of the Vanir.


Q: What makes Vanatru so different?

A: It is often said that the Aesir are the Gods of civilization and the Vanir the Gods of nature, and while this is basically true, it is also a gross oversimplification of the Powers and Their working in the worlds (as the Aesir also have connections to nature, and the Vanir to the preservation of tribal structures). However, most Vanatruar see Frey's family as being inherently different from Odin and His kin, and seek to explore that and celebrate with rites other than the standard Heathen rites of blót and sumble (or in addition to), including (but not limited to) magical workings, sacred sexuality, and attuning with the elements.

Finally, all Vanatru implies is a focus on the Vanir and that can be done in an Asatru format, a tribalist format, or even a Wiccan format.  Most Heathens choose to focus on the Aesir or see the Aesir and Vanir as a blended pantheon.  Vanatruar acknowledge that the Vanir and Aesir each have Their own set of mysteries, and the individual Gods in each tribe more so.  Working with each God on Their own terms with Their own rites and mysteries (as opposed to treating Them as being all the same, doing the same rites with the same offerings for all), is seen as central to our way, and many of us feel called to Druidry or Witchcraft as a natural expression of this (while it does not seem as natural for the worship of Odin and Thor to be done in this way).




© 2009 Svartesól.