What is Heathenry?
- Kelli C. Feehan
- Jan 10
- 1 min read
Updated: Jan 30
Written By: Kelli C. Feehan
Image Above: Frigg and Her Maidens Carving by Emil Carl Doepler from Nordisch-Germanische Götter und Helden
Paganism is a term to describe the reconstructed practices of Pre-Christian beliefs. This includes practices stemming from almost every corner of the world, but mostly it's known for its influence from Celtic, Saxon, Slavic, Nordic, and other European cultures.
Heathenry specifically is a term to describe the reconstructed religion and practice of what some refer as Norse Paganism. More specifically the beliefs of Nordic and Germanic peoples. Modern Heathens reconstructed and continue to reconstruct this religion through several sagas and poems, most famously from the Poetic Edda and the Prose Edda. Heathenry encompasses several practices that include magic, worship, and ancient forms of meditation, dance, singing, and giving offerings.
Image Above: Freyja and Her Cat Statues on a Heathen Altar.
The word "heathen" derives from the Old English word of Germanic origin "hǣthen" which means "inhabiting open or rural country." It was a word used by Christians at the end of the Roman Empire to identify people they deemed "savage" or "wild." It was a derogatory term used to separate people who did not believe in the word of the Christian God. Because of this, when Norse Paganism was being revitalized and reconstructed in the 1970's, the term "heathen" was being used to reclaim identity and take something negative and make it a positive.
Not all people identify themselves as Heathen. Some people describe themselves as Norse Pagans, Pagans, Neo-Pagans, etc. There are some distinctions between Paganism as a whole and Heathenry. Paganism is a reconstructed religion or religious practice that is centered around nature, however, Heathenry is the reconstruction around the belief and worships of the Norse Gods specifically. Every Heathen is a Pagan, but not every Pagan is a Heathen.
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