Odinism is a is a Monolatristic faith; A microcosm of a larger system of loosely intertwined beliefs referred to as Paganism. More specifically it is a subset of Neo-paganism that falls under the umbrella known collectively as Asatru. There is no formal doctrine that unifies all Odinists in terms of beliefs or practices, so for the purpose of this paper I will be focusing on what Odinism means to me, and less of the on the Lore or political aspects of the faith.
The best definition I have on being an Odinist is: The practice and innate quality of being Odinic . What exactly constitutes Odinic qualities and behaviors? On the surface , another complex question almost too large to do justice to in the short span of this essay. In the simplest of terms there are two schools of thoughts (and with all things in life, grey areas in between) when it comes to Odinist views. On one hand you have the Orthodox school of thought. These Odinists view the lore as absolute truth. The creation mythology is exactly as stated, no room for analogy or metaphor in their interpretation. The deities are living breathing entities. On the other hand, you have the Conceptualists (such as myself, mostly) That argue that The lore serves as an abstract representation of reality, or a View of creation recorded threw the schema of linguistic and cultural context .
The deities to most conceptualists serve as Jungian archetypes; examples of specific human characteristics present in every human consciousness. On A personal level, I view the Deities in An Orthodox sense in that they are living, tangible beings But simultaneously maintain that at least on some level, the deities each represent separate facets of human consciousness. To me it as though the gods are supreme amplifications of human personality, and conscious beings in the same regard. By my definition then, An Odinist exemplifies innate personality traits in line with Odin himself. Again to save space I will forgo an overview of the lore, but will state that if you want further information regarding Odin a great starting place would be the Havamal , found in the Poetic Edda.
Odin is many things. A man of integrity. He is a Man that Operates from a logical position and that is in control of his thoughts and actions. He is a master of Himself. He strives to Accumulate and Assimilate knowledge for knowledge sake. He is willing to sacrifice himself for the greater good of his people, as well as Sacrifice himself to himself (neglect his needs) for personal growth. He has insatiable wanderlust . He is hospitable to his friends and fellow travelers, but savage and remorseless against his enemies. He exemplifies all of the qualities that are Innate in myself, and for this reason alone I am an Odinist.
