The Christianization of Norse Polytheism

Culture is a social construct defined by common elements, one of which is religion. Religion can play a very central role in any given culture, and when that religion is stamped out by another imperialistic government or state the culture of the people can be lost as well. Which is what happened when Christianity, slowly but surely, invaded Scandinavia. The Christianization of Scandinavia was a long and bloody process that took place between the 8th and 12th centuries (Kane). After the fall of the Norse polytheistic religion, Christianity became the official religion of the region. Now, Paganism, especially in Iceland, is making a comeback. This has left plenty of room for the adoption and corruption of this ancient religion by white supremacists in America. Imperialistic cultures have faked interest and tolerance for centuries in order to gain power over other cultures and peoples. This is shown clearly in the close of the Viking Age and the rise of Christianization in Scandinavia.

  Before Christianity came into play Denmark, Sweden, and Norway worshipped deities known as the “Aesir” and “Vanir” (Winters). The Aesir are considered to be the primary gods ruled by Odin, while the Vanir were fertility gods. The Norse polytheist pagans have many gods: gods of “weather, of harvest, of the sea, of the sky, of beer making, of battle, and so forth” (Kane). With the introduction of Christianity into Scandinavia, the Norse saw the Christian god as just another god. It was not difficult to convert these polytheists into believing in another god, what was difficult was trying to convert them into believing in and practicing a monotheistic religion. So the Christian missionaries played the long game.

            First, they began adopting and converting certain Norse beliefs and practices into their Christian ideology. This method manifested itself in many different ways. Take the Norse pagan “name-fastening” ceremony. This occurred when a newly born child would be placed on the ground until their father picked them up, acknowledging their legitimacy and accepting them as the father’s offspring. He would then examine the child, decide whether it had a future or not. If he decided it did the Ausa Vatni was performed, a ceremony in which water was sprinkled or poured over the child and then it was named. This was an ancient sacred rite of the Old Norse religion that was adopted and tweaked by Christians and is now known today as a christening (Kane). There is also the Pagan holiday of Yuletide, a celebration which was originally a fertility rite in order to ensure bountiful harvests in the future. The Nisse spirit who would grant these blessings became Christian St. Nicholas, and we now recognize this holiday to be Christmas (Kane).

  Christianity began to influence Nordic Folklore slowly. When they arrived in Scandinavia trolls who were large, strong and incredibly stupid beasts, suddenly had the power to smell the blood of a Christian man. This was a “symbolic gesture to personify the old, pagan ways, which the new religion condemned” (The Weird). The legend of the Huldra, a beautiful, seductive forest creature with a tail who would lure men into her den to steal their souls, was soon given a twist as well. Under Christian influence, if the Huldra could convince a man to marry her in a church, she would lose her tail and become a human, losing her beauty as well. Another story circulated that she was the daughter of Adam and Eve. The story goes that as Eve was bathing her children, god visited and so she hid the children who were still dirty, one of which was Huldra. He asked her if there were any more, and she denied it. God declared, “Let all that is hidden, remain hidden.” The hidden children became “De Underjordiske,” or “The Ones Living Underground” (The Weird). 

  Religion and mythology played a massive role in Norse culture, and Christianity slowly commandeered both. Iceland formally converted to Christianity almost 1000 years ago (ÁSATRÚARFÉLAGIÐ). Denmark was one of the most easily transformed due to the Viking raids of Christian towns and the wives and slaves brought back as war prizes (Winters). It was not until the baptism of King Harald Bluetooth that formal assimilation began in the 930s. This was followed by the canonization of Canute IV, the Christian ruler of Denmark in the late 1000s making Christianity Denmark’s official religion. The Christian Society in Europe became much less tolerant of other religions and beliefs from the 11th century to the 14th century, and forcible conversion became widely accepted, priming Scandinavia for the future Protestant Reformation. King Charlemagne openly attacked the Saxon nobility and their religious symbols as he chopped down Irminsûl, the holy tree of the Saxons. This ignited the Viking Age and constant raids on Frankish lands. Before this, the kings of Norway allied with Charlemagne against the Danes, but now they teamed up with the Danes to go to war against Charlemagne. This proved ultimately unsuccessful as the Christian hammer was brought down on not only the Pagans but the Jews and Muslims as well (Kane).

  Scandinavia became a Christian region over centuries, that is, until 1972. Starting with 12 men and women who met at Hotel Borg, Ásatrú was formed. Its goal is to revive ancient polytheistic traditions from Iceland’s pre-Christian days. It is now the largest non-Christian religion in Iceland and counts over 4,000 members (Samuel). Ásatrú, along with Odinism, a similar revivalist religion has however been misconstrued and appropriated by white supremacists in the United States, Sweden, Germany, and even Canada (Samuel). The National Socialist Movement in the United States has replaced their Swastikas with Pagan symbols like the Othala rune. Other groups have adopted specific Odinist phrases like “Faith, Family, and Folk” in the name of “languaging” (Lyons). These less inflammatory symbols allow these groups to fly “under the radar.” They are, in essence, aligning themselves with images of a hyper-masculine white Viking. This racial Paganism is meant to “restore the native religion [of Europeans, using] white nationalism, or white identity” (Lyons).

            This theft of an ancient religion and the new religions formed in Scandinavia to harken back to their ancestry is not condoned at all. They are using religion to promote cultural and political beliefs. These radical political right beliefs are “nationalism, cultural pessimism, racism, anti-Semitism, anti-materialism, anti-liberalism, and an enthusiasm for all things’ Nordic’ or ‘Germanic’  “(Schnurbein, 2). The High Priest of Ásatrú said, “I think it is obscene” and “We are absolutely horrified,” when asked about the Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville, Virginia in August of last year (Vice). This is its re-creation of the cultural imperialism of Christianity over Pagan ritual and tradition, as the white supremacists promote their own culture by taking Norse culture and misconstrue it to fit their message. They are using Norse Paganism to say that if everyone else can have their traditions, they should be able to have their own. They have hijacked Paganism in order to embrace a sort of “tribal identity” (Vice). They are adopting Norse symbols like Thor’s hammer because they believe that the Vikings were a “pure white race” (Samuel).

            Both the Christians and the white supremacists latched on to Norse religion and culture, but for different reasons. While the Christians dominated the pagan culture by imposing their religion on all of Scandinavia, the white supremacists are embracing this pagan culture in order to get away with their form of cultural imperialism as they attempt to impose their beliefs on the liberals surrounding them. The Christians succeeded in their imperialistic ventures throughout Scandinavia through exchanges of power through manipulation of the monarchies and therefore their subjects, war, and corrupting the pagan beliefs and traditions. The white supremacists are attempting to do something similar as they soften their language to “harken back to their ancestry,” while still striking fear in the hearts of people who disagree with them. 

Sources

“ÁSATRÚARFÉLAGIÐ: A NEW RELIGIOUS MOVEMENT IN ICELAND.” Prospect Journal, 3 Nov. 2016, prospectjournal.org/2016/08/02/asatruarfelagid-a-new-religious-movement-in-iceland/.

Kane, Njord. “The Christianization of the Norse.” Spangenhelm, 12 Feb. 2017, spangenhelm.com/the-christianization-of-the-norse/.

Lyons, Sarah. “Racists Are Threatening to Take Over Paganism.” Vice, 2 Apr. 2018, www.vice.com/en_us/article/59kq93/racists-are-threatening-to-take-over-paganism.

Samuel, Sigal. “What To Do When Racists Try To Hijack Your Religion.” The Atlantic, Atlantic Media Company, 2 Nov. 2017, www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2017/11/asatru-heathenry-racism/543864/. 

Schnurbein, Stefanie v. (2016). Norse revival transformations of Germanic neopaganism (Studies in critical research on religion Norse revival). Place of publication not identified: Brill.

 “The Weird, Wonderful, and Wicked Beings in Scandinavian Folklore.” Ancient Origins, Ancient Origins, www.ancient-origins.net/myths-legends/weird-wonderful-and-wicked-beings-scandinavian-folklore-009833.

 Winters, Riley. “The Long Goodbye to Scandinavian Paganism and the Christianization of Three Realms.” Ancient Origins, Ancient Origins, www.ancient-origins.net/opinion-guest-authors/long-goodbye-scandinavian-paganism-and-christianization-three-realms-002212.