Very few people start off in Heathenry or Paganism saying "I think I'll be Vanic" - for most of us, it is a gradual realisation.  While there are many things that make up the Vanic experience, the one thing that defines Vanatru more than anything else is feeling closest to one or more of the Vanir Gods, more so than the Aesir (and we may even feel distance from the Aesir).

As more people share their experience of relating to the Vanir more if not exclusively, there is plenty of opposition to the term 'Vanatru' being used - it often comes up on several well-known Heathen discussion forums where people will sit around and make fun of Vanatruar by saying they're 'idiots' or 'n00bs who don't know anything'.  When pressed to explain why they oppose the term, many will say 'the Vanir are the Aesir, and the word Asatru includes both the Aesir and the Vanir'.

Well, not really.  The word Asatru means 'true to the Aesir'.  While it may have been the case that Frey, Freya, and Njord went to go live among the Aesir in Asgard, this does not make Them Aesic anymore than me marrying someone of Irish descent makes me Irish.  But this insistence at saying 'the Vanir are the Aesir' is symptomatic of a greater whole, and one that needs to be addressed, not for the sake of arguing or trying to prove a point to those who clearly don't think logically to begin with, but for the sake of those who feel themselves leaning towards the Vanic side of things.

Heathenry in the United States is dominated by Asatru, and the groups and individuals which are not Asatru seem to be some flavour of 'Asatru spelled funny' (focusing on a different culture but still working within a basic Asatru framework), and then tribalism.  It could be said that American Heathenry has largely turned into chocolate and vanilla ice cream.  While these flavors are old standbys, sometimes you want strawberry, sometimes you want pistachio, and sometimes you want White Russian.  Indeed, it's notable that Hinduism can sustain several currents, including Shaivaism, Shaktism, and Smartha; that there are denominations of Christianity including Roman Catholicism, Lutheranism, and Pentecostal; that there are Orthodox and Reform versions of Judaism, as well as Hasidic Jews and more mystical Qabala scholars; sects of Buddhism including Mahayana, Theravada, Vajrayana, Bön, and Tendai; and variations of Wicca from Gardnerian to eclectic. Even ancient Hellenic religion had different schools such as the initiation into Eleusinian and Orphic mysteries; there were oracles of Apollo, maenads of Dionysus, those who followed the cult of the nymphs, and hierodules. 

Yet Heathenry balks at the idea of different denominations of Heathenry other than cultural (Anglo-Saxon, Norse, Germanic), even in the face of evidence of certain Gods having cultus areas... Frey in Uppsala, in Thrandheim (Norway), and Thverá (Iceland), and people in our history called Thorsgodhi, Freysgodhi... the historical figure of Egil who was oathed to Odin.  In fact, it is ironic that Heathens can accept Odinism as a viable form of Heathenry, but the idea of Vanatru is still extremely controversial.  Are the Vanir not worthy of Their ways explored, Their names being worthed and Their cultus being restored, upgraded, and preserved?

One of the things we can all basically agree on is that we are polytheists.  We believe in a multitude of Gods, and we believe that our Gods and Goddesses are real, distinct individuals, not faces of 'the God' and 'the Goddess'.  If we truly respect that the Gods and Goddesses are individuals, then we must also respect that They have individual personalities, that each Deity will vary in terms of character and temperament, and thus Their preferences in how They relate to the world and mankind, and how They wish to be approached (if at all).

The idea of 'the Germanic pantheon' is more of a modern one.  As mentioned above, if you look at the history of the various Germanic tribes, you find that they had one or two primary Deities.  The Frisians honoured Fosite (Forseti) first and foremost.  The Langobards owe their name to Wodan and Frija.  The Saxons honoured Seaxneat, and the Angles were Ingvaeones (descendants of Ing-Frey) and were noted as being one of the tribes to honour Nerthus with a wain procession.  The only time you see anything resembling honour of 'all the Gods' is the sacrifices in Uppsala to Odin, Thor, and Frey, and that was done with a specific purpose.

The Eddas - the mythology of the Gods - was written down by Snorri, who clearly admired the Greco-Roman pantheon (e.g. saying the Aesir were from Troy) and it is likely that the idea of the Aesir and Vanir as 'one big happy family in Asgard' came from Snorri's bias towards the Olympians.  It does seem that rather than the Aesir and Vanir being 'one happy family in Asgard' and coming together because they are northern Gods and 'all the same', the story of the war between the Aesir and Vanir is based on one tribe (which worshipped the Aesir) conquering another tribe (which worshipped the Vanir), and the Aesic religion supplanted the Vanir religion whilst retaining a few elements of Vanir worship to appease those conquered.

We will never know for sure, short of building a time machine and having the old stories related to us intact, and even if this perception is wrong, it comes down to being polytheists.  The Gods are individuals.  We, also, are individuals.  There is a lot of pressure in religions like Heathenism to 'honour all of the Gods' when the fact is, no matter how hard we try, some of us will find we don't 'click' with a specific Deity in the pantheon, and indeed, we may get a hostile reception from Them.  This doesn't necessarily mean there's anything wrong with us, but it may be that our lifestyle and Their sphere of influence are incompatible (like vegans trying to honour the huntress Skadhi), it may be that our personality and Theirs are incompatible (such as someone who is very 'bright' and naturally cheerful trying to relate to Odin, or someone shy and timid trying to connect with Thor). 

Many who relate to the Vanir primarily report not having any sort of connection with the Aesir, and may even feel like the Aesir are a foreign pantheon.  There is nothing wrong with this.  Those who are drawn most to the Vanir seem to be called there or lean that way because they approach their religion as earth-centered - the Vanir are Powers of Nature after all - while many Asatruar will say their religion is community-centered.  This is, in my experience, the key, and what differentiates the two.

Many who relate to the Vanir primarily also find they are asked by the Vanir (whether outright or in subtle leanings and proddings) to honour Them in a way different than the standard modern Heathen ritual formats.  Some will go on to work with the Vanir in a Wiccan or Druidic context because these religions are earth-based and the ceremonial symbolism fits very nicely with the Vanir ethos and mythos, and there tends to not be pressure to worship 'all the Gods', just the one the practitioner feels closest to (and there also tends to not be the drama that goes along with being a non-conformist of some sort).  Some may still continue to worship in the standard modern Heathen ritual format, and this is fine too - Frey was given blots, after all - and if it works for them, then that is what counts.  What is right for one person in their worship of the Vanir may not be right for another. 

If we are indeed truly polytheists we must recognise this as part of being a polytheist - dealing with the Gods individually, on Their terms as individuals.  The Vanir, as individuals, deal with us individually as well.

Whatever one decides to do about their approach of the Vanir, should be done from a place of respect to the Gods involved, and should be informed by how one experiences Them.

And so, the need for the word Vanatru remains.  Vanatru as a religious movement is not trying to "be divisive" or "destroy Asatru", but rather assert that the Gods are individuals, as are we, and there are different ways of being. It is necessary to distinguish between the Vanir and the Aesir, and many of us who worship the Vanir primarily find themselves approaching religion differently, as influenced by a Vanic perspective. 

Those who can acknowledge this, even if they are coming from a different place spiritually, are our allies.  Those who oppose us are ultimately doing damage to the good and growth of the Heathen and Pagan communities.  While many have tried to change their nature for the sake of conformity, this does damage to the psyche and hinders spiritual growth in the long-term.  No matter how much criticism there is to conform, these differences will not go away, it is like the proverbial leopard trying to change its spots. 

And no matter how much criticism we receive, we, ourselves, are not going away, but will continue to honour the Vanir, honour ourselves, and provide information and inspiration for others who can feel the call of the wild within, and are yearning to explore their soul's truth.


© 2010 Nornoriel Vanyahildë