Cultic Studies Review, Vol. 1, No. 2, 2002, Page 16
Newfoundland, which corresponds to Leif‘s description of Vinland. (Microsoft
Corporation, 2000)
Recent endeavors have been made to give proper recognition to the contributions of both
the Norse and Icelanders in this pre-Columbian ―discovery‖ of the North American continent.
(Fitzhugh, 2000) For two reasons, the term Vinland will be used in this discussion to refer
generally to the North American continent: first, to impart a Nordic ―feel‖ to the discussion,
and second, to recognize Eriksson‘s accomplishments. Some Ásatrúar use the term
colloquially, while others disagree with it on a semantic level. For example, in response to a
request for a referral of a scholarly source regarding the spread of Ásatrú in Vinland,
HeimdallR hinn gamli wrote ―I guess the people in ‗Vinland‘ should answer for themselves,
[they‘re] Canadians you know‖ (personal communication, February 5, 2001).
The History of Ásatrú
Although it has been used in the above discussion several times, the phrase ―modern
Ásatrú‖ is in fact an awkward redundancy, for the term ‗Ásatrú‘ dates back to only the early
1970s. Although the religious practices of Ásatrú date back into Indo-European prehistory,
it was the Icelandic government that labeled the faith with its contemporary name. Sources
differ on the date Ásatrú was established in America. Kaplan‘s (1997) selection of 1973,
however, seems to be reasonable. In a 1986 interview with the late Sveinbjörn Beinteinsson
(April 4, 1924 -December 24, 1993), the founder of Icelandic Ásatrú reported the following
regarding his efforts at having Ásatrú recognized:
My religion was officially recognized by the [Icelandic] government in May of
‗73...In the winter of ‗71/‘72, at that time we were getting a lot of Jesus
Children into Iceland, and I said to myself, ‗Wait a minute, we have older
beliefs in Iceland. Why should we not bring them back to life?...I had to go
to the Minister of Justice who happens to be pro religious freedom, and
explain our goals...Then I had to apply for a License to Practice with the
police, and since then we‘ve had the same rights as the Church. (Graichen,
1999, 1-15)
Regarding this, Kaplan says:
Ásatrúarmenn in Iceland was formed by the late Svienbjörn Beinteinsson in
1973, and in the same year, the Committee for the Restoration of the Odinic
Rite was founded by John Yeowell in England. The first American Ásatrú
organization, the Viking Brotherhood, was formed in Texas by Stephen
McNallen. It is the Viking Brotherhood, later renamed the Ásatrú Free
Assembly (AFA) [and later again, the Ásatrú Folk Assembly], to which the
organized Ásatrú community in America traces its roots. (Kaplan, 1997, p.
18)
Although this discussion is concerned primarily with the spread of Ásatrú in Vinland, the
following anecdotal lore was found posted on the website of an Ásatrú Kindred (one of the
terms used to denote an Ásatrú group), namely the Raven Kindred of the Ásatrú Alliance,
Inc. While its account is not verified as being factual, it does seem to be the sort of lore
that develops into legend and is a curiosity worth quoting:
In Iceland, Svienbjörn and Thorsteinn Gudjonsson went to the Icelandic
Government and demanded that Ásatrú by recognized by the Althing [the
Icelandic Parliament]. After some predictable political maneuvering, and a
lightening bolt striking the Minister of Religious Affair house (lightening is
very rare in Iceland), Ásatrú was recognized as the official religion of Iceland
on equal par with the other state religion, Lutheranism. At the same time in
Vinland, Steve McNallen, soon joined by Maddy Hunter and a handful of other
Newfoundland, which corresponds to Leif‘s description of Vinland. (Microsoft
Corporation, 2000)
Recent endeavors have been made to give proper recognition to the contributions of both
the Norse and Icelanders in this pre-Columbian ―discovery‖ of the North American continent.
(Fitzhugh, 2000) For two reasons, the term Vinland will be used in this discussion to refer
generally to the North American continent: first, to impart a Nordic ―feel‖ to the discussion,
and second, to recognize Eriksson‘s accomplishments. Some Ásatrúar use the term
colloquially, while others disagree with it on a semantic level. For example, in response to a
request for a referral of a scholarly source regarding the spread of Ásatrú in Vinland,
HeimdallR hinn gamli wrote ―I guess the people in ‗Vinland‘ should answer for themselves,
[they‘re] Canadians you know‖ (personal communication, February 5, 2001).
The History of Ásatrú
Although it has been used in the above discussion several times, the phrase ―modern
Ásatrú‖ is in fact an awkward redundancy, for the term ‗Ásatrú‘ dates back to only the early
1970s. Although the religious practices of Ásatrú date back into Indo-European prehistory,
it was the Icelandic government that labeled the faith with its contemporary name. Sources
differ on the date Ásatrú was established in America. Kaplan‘s (1997) selection of 1973,
however, seems to be reasonable. In a 1986 interview with the late Sveinbjörn Beinteinsson
(April 4, 1924 -December 24, 1993), the founder of Icelandic Ásatrú reported the following
regarding his efforts at having Ásatrú recognized:
My religion was officially recognized by the [Icelandic] government in May of
‗73...In the winter of ‗71/‘72, at that time we were getting a lot of Jesus
Children into Iceland, and I said to myself, ‗Wait a minute, we have older
beliefs in Iceland. Why should we not bring them back to life?...I had to go
to the Minister of Justice who happens to be pro religious freedom, and
explain our goals...Then I had to apply for a License to Practice with the
police, and since then we‘ve had the same rights as the Church. (Graichen,
1999, 1-15)
Regarding this, Kaplan says:
Ásatrúarmenn in Iceland was formed by the late Svienbjörn Beinteinsson in
1973, and in the same year, the Committee for the Restoration of the Odinic
Rite was founded by John Yeowell in England. The first American Ásatrú
organization, the Viking Brotherhood, was formed in Texas by Stephen
McNallen. It is the Viking Brotherhood, later renamed the Ásatrú Free
Assembly (AFA) [and later again, the Ásatrú Folk Assembly], to which the
organized Ásatrú community in America traces its roots. (Kaplan, 1997, p.
18)
Although this discussion is concerned primarily with the spread of Ásatrú in Vinland, the
following anecdotal lore was found posted on the website of an Ásatrú Kindred (one of the
terms used to denote an Ásatrú group), namely the Raven Kindred of the Ásatrú Alliance,
Inc. While its account is not verified as being factual, it does seem to be the sort of lore
that develops into legend and is a curiosity worth quoting:
In Iceland, Svienbjörn and Thorsteinn Gudjonsson went to the Icelandic
Government and demanded that Ásatrú by recognized by the Althing [the
Icelandic Parliament]. After some predictable political maneuvering, and a
lightening bolt striking the Minister of Religious Affair house (lightening is
very rare in Iceland), Ásatrú was recognized as the official religion of Iceland
on equal par with the other state religion, Lutheranism. At the same time in
Vinland, Steve McNallen, soon joined by Maddy Hunter and a handful of other
