Before We Begin
Most people come here searching for Norse Paganism. And that’s fair—it's the name most often used online. But the deeper you go, the more you'll hear another word: Heathenry.
Norse Paganism and Heathenry are kin, but they’re not the same. Norse Paganism tends to focus on the gods—how to honor them, how to follow them. It’s often shaped by books, reconstructions, and modern pagan frameworks.
Heathenry goes deeper. It’s not just about the gods. It’s about the land, the people, the kinbond, the thread that ties story to soil. It’s not a revival. It’s a return.
So yes, you’ve landed in the right place. But don’t expect a list of rituals and rules. Expect to remember something older.
What Heathen Means to Me
A living path from the bones out
Heathenry isn’t a religion I joined. It’s a voice I remembered.
It’s the smell of woodsmoke and old earth. It’s the knowing in my gut when I speak to the land and it answers.
It’s been called many things. Ásatrú. Forn Sidr. Norse Paganism.
But I call it Heathenry. Not because I reject the gods, but because I feel kinship with the people. I follow the thread of the old ways. And for me, that thread isn’t only divine. It’s cultural. It’s ancestral. It’s alive.
What It Is
Heathenry is not about rules. It’s about rhythm.
It doesn’t come from a holy book or a single prophet. It comes from stories. From burial grounds and family lines. From superstitions that refused to die.
There is no center. No official voice. No perfect method.
The old Norse didn’t all believe the same. They didn’t worship in one way. They had customs shaped by kin, land, region, and need.
Modern Heathens are the same. We are building something real.
Some people call that chaos. I call it freedom.
What We Believe
If you ask ten Heathens what we believe, you’ll get twelve different answers. Still, there are a few shared threads.
We see spirit in all things.
That’s animism. Stones can carry stories. Rivers remember. Houses hum with presence. The unseen is not far away. It is right here, listening.
We work with many gods.
But not always in the same way. Odin is not a father to all. Freyja does not mother everyone. These are powerful beings with their own motives. We do not worship from fear. We build relationships based on respect.
The gods are not perfect. And neither are we. That has never been the point.
We do not believe in sin.
We believe in consequences. In reputation. In luck. In the weight our actions carry long after we’re gone. Not because of judgment. Because of impact.
We do not chase the afterlife.
We live well now. Because this life matters. Not as a test. As a gift.
Some believe in Hel. Others in Valhalla. Others in halls beyond the veil. But no one earns gold stars for being pious. We honor death by living fully.
We do not need a devil.
We do not split the world into good and evil. We live in a world of many forces. Some are chaotic. Some are kind. All are worthy of being known.
Why I Use the Word Heathen
Some people use it to reclaim. Others to resist.
For me, it is both.
Heathen sounds like the ones who lived off the roads and outside the rules. The ones who still lit fires after the churches came. The ones who remembered when remembering was dangerous.
Pagan can feel too polished. Heathen feels like dirt under your nails and memory in your blood.
A Path Made by Practice
This is not a faith of "believe this or else."
It is a path of doing the work and seeing what answers back.
We call that orthopraxy. It means practice matters. More than belief. More than words.
We make offerings not because the gods need them, but because relationship matters.
We tell the old stories not because they are perfect, but because they are alive.
And If You're New Here...
You don’t need to know everything.
You just need to listen.
Start with the land beneath your feet.
Start with your ancestors.
Start with the gods if they call.
But start where you are.
This path does not demand perfection.
It asks for presence.
You are not here to perform the old ways.
You are here to remember them.