In the olden times Norse temples and shrines adorned the northern lands of icy, frigid Scandinavia. Stories of great and powerful gods that controlled the elements of nature and the fates of men, determined the lives of all who dwelled there. Now Iceland is trying to regain some of this tradition by building the first Norse temple in the country.
The construction of the temple is being organized by the religious group Asatru, which means “belief in the gods” in Norse, to outsiders this group, could be referred to as pagans. According to the BBC it “has close to three thousand members and is one of the fastest growing religions in Iceland.” A revival of the Pagan religion began in the 1970s and became a registered religious organization in 1973.
Since it has this status it is allowed to all legal rights that all other religions have in Iceland. It is granted the right to perform all legally binding ceremonies, like weddings. It is also entitled to some of the mandatory church tax that all Icelanders are required to pay. This means at least part of the temple is being paid for by taxpayers, which has led to controversy. The protest mostly stems from strict religious Christian groups, but construction on the temple still continues.
The temple will be dedicated to the Norse gods Odin, Frigg, and Thor. Odin is the king and leader of the gods, and is known to represent war, death, and knowledge. The wife of Odin, Frigg, is the queen and represents motherhood and marriage. Thor, their son, who has been popularized in pop culture is the god of war and thunder. The temple is most likely being dedicated to these particular gods because they are the most well-known and popular in modern times. However, Hilmar Orn Hilmarsson the high priest of Asatru, is quick to point out, “I don’t believe anyone believes in a one-eyed man who is riding about on a horse with eight feet. We see the stories as poetic metaphors and a manifestation of the forces of nature and human psychology.”
The temple will not be a typical church; instead it will be a place of celebration and tradition. The temple will mostly hold feasts for its members, and anyone else who wishes to join. Marriages, funerals, name-giving ceremonies, and rites of passage will also take place. However, the temple is not strictly sticking to every tradition the Vikings undertook, no animal sacrifices will be occurring, something which was an integral part of the pagan religion in the past.
The construction of the NorseTemple will be completed in 2016. The building will most likely hold many celebrations in years to come and hopefully will destroy the stigma associated with the word “pagan”, such as the thoughts that it promotes devil worship, bloody sacrifices, and black magic. Hopefully it will show outsiders what the religion is truly about “Its philosophy promotes tolerance and individual liberty. It costs nothing to join and is open to all irrespective of race, cultural background, gender or sexuality.”