27-09-2023. Artgemeinschaft. Neopaganism as an ideological tool: the Asatru case.
Artgemeinschaft. This was the name of the group, or rather, the sect, that Germany banned this September 2023 due to its ultra-right, neo-Nazi and anti-constitutionalist features, among other things. It was the oldest far-right group in Germany that used resources and materials from the Third Reich to indoctrinate children and young people, brimming with anti-Semitism and racism from the Nazi era. This group has been dissolved and searches have been carried out in the homes of numerous members.
Artgemeinschaft was born in 1951 in the post-war period. Within this sect, rituals were carried out in nature at the solstices and equinoxes and although there was communion with nature in its doctrine, the ideas that its members spread were of Nazi origin (its creator, Wilhem Kusserow, considered himself as such). Within this sect, there was a worship of the Germanic gods in contrast to Christianity, they rejected ideas from Roman culture and claimed to recover the Germanic one. This ideology is linked to Asatru, that is, the neopagan religion that recovers the Germanic pantheon and is accepted by Nordic countries, however the acts of the sect are not representative of Asatru.
The Artgemeinschaft sect was born with the aim of imitating Nazi ideals under that idea and recreating a search for the Aryan race with the choice of couples "of the same race", recruitment through the internet, books, a magazine called Nordische Zeitung, even distributing books from the Nazi era from the "Asatru.de" page (closed). In this group a German calendar was used and important moments of change of season were celebrated with typical pagan rituals. Within this organization there were neo-Nazi members who committed murders such as Stephan Ernst, who killed a politician of the Christian Democratic Union.
However, although the Artgemeinschaft sect used the Asatru religion as a banner (or rather as a slight cover), the Asatru movement does not promote Nazism and has nothing to do with it. Just as the Buddhist swastika was misused by the Nazis, and has existed for 5,000 years, the Asatru religion has also been used as a banner, but in reality, it bases its ideals on the Nordic gods. It is also called "norsk sed" or Nordic tradition, vanatru or cult of the Vanir, and its origins come from the Stone Age.
The true Asatru religion originated in the Stone Age, in northern Germany and Scandinavian and Baltic areas. It was not called Asatru as such until many centuries later and the religion was largely replaced over time by Christianity. In general, those who preserved this religion the most were the Scandinavian peoples and wherever there were Germanic peoples, at least until their conversion to Christianity. The Asatru religion, which believes in the classic Nordic gods such as Thor, Odin, etc., uses symbols such as Thor's hammer and has ideals of communion with nature, brotherhood with the Aessir and Vanir gods and a strong connection with one's ancestors and descendants.
Natural places such as stone mounds, forests and rivers or natural lakes, and some buildings, are considered sacred for prayer and veneration, and are catalogued under different nomenclatures (Hörg, Stafgardr, Hof, Vé). Their rituals are called "blót" and are ceremonies in which libations and sacrifices were once celebrated, but in modern times they coincide with the changes of season, without including any type of radical or harmful ideology for others. It is a religion of tolerance and peace that seeks harmony with nature and with the gods and ancestors, as well as the search for a dignified life for individuals.
Although Asatru has followers in many places around the world, especially Europe, Iceland is the country with the largest number of believers. It was recognized as a religion there again in 1973 and the first priest, Sveinbjörn Beinteinsson, was the one who requested recognition from the government. The ceremonies or blóts in Iceland are open to everyone and are celebrated on the solstices and equinoxes. The city of Reyjavik housed the first pagan temple in Nordic countries in more than a thousand years. In Spain, on the other hand, we have the Spanish Odinist Circle, which follows the foundations of Iceland from the Iberian Peninsula.
Because of sects like Artgemeinschaft, neopaganism has taken on a bad reputation. Paganism in general has never enjoyed a positive view since few countries like Iceland have even officially recognized their faith. The situation worsens when neo-Nazi groups appropriate Nordic symbols and other groups express devotion to the "Viking race" for being Aryan. Asatru associations and followers claim the purity of their religion and their pacifism, contrary to what the gossip and acts of violent sects have been able to do nothing to tarnish their reputation.
Modern Asatru people practice a spiritual life and stay away from any act of violence, firmly rejecting intolerance. At least in Iceland, although at a slow pace, this religion is growing. More and more people are joining the Asatru faith, in France there is an association called "Les Enfants d'Yggrasill", its followers are over 30 years old and seek spirituality, but for the moment France has not recognized it. Some Asatru people believe that believers of Odin tend to be far right and that the Asatru faith in general, however, stays away from politics. For now, while there is a certain bad reputation, it may not be possible to reach more people, but it is a faith that has not fallen into oblivion but has re-emerged with force within its limited reach.
Rachel Black - raquel_carrasco91@hotmail.com
Here are links to the news and the Asatru community, so that you can learn more about the events we have mentioned.
• The news about the location and elimination of the neo-Nazi group.
https://www.bmi.bund.de/SharedDocs/kurzmeldungen/DE/2023/09/verbot-artgemeinschaft.html
https://es.euronews.com/2023/09/27/alemania-prohibe-la-organizacion-ultraderechista-artgemeinshaft
• Asatru Neopaganism in Iceland
• The Odinist Community of Spain (COE)
https://asatruhoy.wordpress.com/2021/01/20/40-aniversario-fundacion-coe/
•Interview with a French Asatrú (in French)
https://www.vice.com/fr/article/5gxaqk/asatru-religion-des-vikings-812
• Asatru situation vs Aryan movements
https://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2017/11/asatru-heathenry-racism/543864/
https://time.com/5569399/viking-history-white-nationalists/
