Germanic Neopaganism - Ethics and Soteriology

Ethics and Soteriology

Ethics in Germanic Neopaganism are guided by a concept of personal ørlög or wyrd, encompassing the notions of both fate and luck. The belief in Wyrd — a concept of fatalism or determinism, similar to some Graeco-Roman concepts of destiny is a commonly held belief amongst most Germanic Neopagans. People's personal destinies are shaped in part by what is past, in part by what they and others are now doing, by the vows they take and contracts they enter into. The Germanic Neopagan community is primarily bound together by common symbological and social concepts. Personal character and virtue is emphasized: truthfulness, self-reliance, and hospitality are important moral distinctions, underpinning an especially cherished notion of honour. Germanic Neopaganism notably lacks any discussion of redemption or salvation.

The Asatru Folk Assembly and the Odinic Rite encourages recognition of an ethical code, the Nine Noble Virtues, which are culled from various sources, including the Hávamál from the Poetic Edda. In addition to the Nine Noble Virtues there are other ethical axioms, such as the Nine Charges recognised mostly by the Odinic Rite members. Specific groups denominations may implement also their own sets of values, for example Fyrnsidu has the Twelve Great Thews and the Sidungas, Urglaawe has additional nine "ancillary virtues" called "Newwereenheide": Generosity, Spirituality, Curiosity, Compassion, Introspection, Self-Improvement, Stewardship, Kinship, and Wisdom.

Although Germanic Neo-pagans revere the forces of nature, Germanic Neo-paganism is not a "nature religion" in the sense of other currents often found in Neopaganism, and adherents oppose neither technology nor its material rewards. More mystical currents of Paganism may be critical of industrialization or modern society, but even such criticism will focus on decadence, lack of virtue or balance, rather than being a radical criticism of technology itself.

Regarding afterlife, practitioners may hold different views. According to the lore, the soul is not a single entity, but a composite of parts both physical and metaphysical, a microcosm of the immense macrocosm. The soul is typically thought to have nine to twelve parts, however some groups combine some of the soul parts. These beliefs makes sense since according to myths man was created by the gifts of three gods, Odin, Hoenir and Lodur.

The most famous post-death destination is Valhalla. The devotees of Odin who die heroic deaths will be his guests in Valhalla. The death-song of Ragnar Lodbrók describes this belief, so, too, does the poet of Eiríksmál. In Ynglinga Saga it is further said that all those who are cremated with their possessions after death will also go to Odin.

A popular belief among Germanic Neo-pagans is reincarnation; this view of reincarnation is exposed in the concept of Apterburder contained in the Edda. Edred Thorsson. Runecaster's Handbook: The Well of Wyrd. Red Wheel/Weiser, 1999. pp. 14–15. The Apterburder (roughly "rebirth") is the process whereby the essence of a man is handed down to his generations allowing him to be reborn later in the same kinship; in other words Heathens believe that reincarnation happens within the boundaries of a kinship, a genetic lineage — for example the grandson is the reincarnation of the grandfather or even earlier generations.