Comunidad Odinista de España-Asatru
Encyclopedia
The Odinist Community of Spain — Ásatrú (Spanish
: Comunidad Odinista de España-Asatru), also known as European Odinist Circle (Spanish: Círculo Odinista Europeo, COE) is a Germanic Heathen
organisation in Spain
founded in 1981 for followers of the denominations of Heathenry known as Odinism
, after the chief god of Germanic paganism
, Odin
, Ásatrú
and Vanatrú. The community bases its ideology on the Visigothic heritage of modern Spain
and Occitania
; it was legally recognised by the Spanish government in 2007.
in his 1848 Letter to Protestants. The term was re-introduced in the late 1930s by Alexander Rud Mills
in Australia with his First Anglecyn Church of Odin and his book The Call of Our Ancient Nordic Religion. In the 1960s and early 1970s, Else Christensen
's Odinist Study Group and later the Odinist Fellowship
brought the term into usage in North America. Odinists do not necessarily focus on the worship of Odin
and most honour the full pantheon.
Ásatrú
is an Old Norse
compound word derived from Áss or Ása, which refers to the Ases
(one of the two families of gods in Norse paganism
, led by Odin
; the other being the Vanir
), and trú, literally "troth" or "faith". Thus, Ásatrú is the "Faith of the Ases"). Vanatrú is coined after Ásatrú, implying a focus on the Wanes
(the other family of gods in Norse mythology
) rather than the Ases
.
in 1981. Else Christensen gave her blessing to this organization and recognized it as such in 1981. In 2007 the organization changed its name to "European Odinist Circle" (Círculo Odinista Europeo) after years of intense struggle for the restoration of Odinism.
In 2006 the COE began a fight against the pillaging in the ancient capital of the Visigoths, Toledo
. Pressure was made on the regional president Jose Maria Barreda
, and the COE obtained the stop of the destruction of the Visigothic remains. Those remains were in the entire Goth city with all its houses, streets, and monuments, and have been declared a national monument thanks to the effort of all.
In 2007, the COE went from being a cultural organization to be officially recognized by the Spanish government as an official religious organisation under the name of Comunidad Odinista de España-Asatru, allowing them to perform "legally binding civil ceremonies" (weddings). COE has been the fourth Odinist and Asatruar religious organization to have been recognized with official status in the world, after organisations in Iceland
, Norway
and Denmark
.
and the seider. The seider office is divided into the spaekona, who perform spae magic
and the seidkona who perform seid magic, which relates and unites the functions of völva
, clairvoyance and high magic. Any person, male or female, may belong to these two offices. Member of the seider must also possess other types of power such as clairvoyance, telepathy. Since 2007 the godar have been governed by Godi Angel Arroyo and since 2008 the order of seider by Seidkona Maria Angeles Lozano. In late 2008, was appointed Ernust president, a position he currently combines with that of Godi. In June 2011, during the Althing held it was decided to appoint Angie Hervör as gyðja, and y Maria Luisa Olmeda (Meskala) as seidkona.
After a long migration integrated into the process of the Germanic invasions and the collapse of the Western Roman Empire
, the Visigoths established their kingdom in the Iberian Peninsula
during the sixth century, placing their capital in Toledo
for its strategic central location.
The code of values of the Odinist religion is to live in accordance with the Nine Noble Virtues
and the Nine Programmatic Points of the COE.
The Odinist Community of Spain is also studying carefully the works of Rupert Sheldrake
on morphic fields and Carl Jung
's works on collective unconscious
as "very close to the Germanic ideas surrounding the Well of Urth". The organisation presents a definition of "metagenetics" as "the hypothesis that there are spiritual or metaphysical implications to physical relatedness among humans which correlate with, but go beyond, the known limits of genetics" (as defined by the American Asatruar Stephen McNallen
).
April(Grasamenoþs)
May (Merrymoon)
June (Sunnamenoþs)
September (Shedding)
October (Wintrufulliþs)
November (Fruma Jiuleis)
December (Afra Jiuleis)
. "Jordi" and "Francesca", members of the Odinist Community of Spain, united their lives under the Continental Odinist Rite led by Ernust, godi of the COE. The ceremony was attended by pagans of all faiths in Spain, as well as members of the COE, leaders of the "Ancient Religious Society of Kelt", members of the Wicca
n "Silver Willow Coven" and the Pagan Federation
.
with a long history related to the ancestors of the town was relatively recently legally acquired tand is currently being rebuilt since mid-2005.
Spanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
: Comunidad Odinista de España-Asatru), also known as European Odinist Circle (Spanish: Círculo Odinista Europeo, COE) is a Germanic Heathen
Germanic Neopaganism
Germanic neopaganism is the contemporary revival of historical Germanic paganism. Precursor movements appeared in the early 20th century in Germany and Austria. A second wave of revival began in the early 1970s...
organisation in Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
founded in 1981 for followers of the denominations of Heathenry known as Odinism
Odinism
Odinism is a type of Germanic Neopaganism.Odinism may also refer to:*Norse paganism** the cult of Odin- See also :*Odinist Fellowship*Odinic Rite*The Odin Brotherhood*Wotanism, a Völkisch / White Nationalist movement*Wodenism...
, after the chief god of Germanic paganism
Germanic paganism
Germanic paganism refers to the theology and religious practices of the Germanic peoples of north-western Europe from the Iron Age until their Christianization during the Medieval period...
, Odin
Odin
Odin is a major god in Norse mythology and the ruler of Asgard. Homologous with the Anglo-Saxon "Wōden" and the Old High German "Wotan", the name is descended from Proto-Germanic "*Wodanaz" or "*Wōđanaz"....
, Ásatrú
Ásatrú
is a form of Germanic neopaganism which developed in the United States from the 1970s....
and Vanatrú. The community bases its ideology on the Visigothic heritage of modern Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
and Occitania
Occitania
Occitania , also sometimes lo País d'Òc, "the Oc Country"), is the region in southern Europe where Occitan was historically the main language spoken, and where it is sometimes still used, for the most part as a second language...
; it was legally recognised by the Spanish government in 2007.
Odinism
The term Odinism was coined by Orestes BrownsonOrestes Brownson
Orestes Augustus Brownson was a New England intellectual and activist, preacher, labor organizer, and noted Catholic convert and writer...
in his 1848 Letter to Protestants. The term was re-introduced in the late 1930s by Alexander Rud Mills
Alexander Rud Mills
Alexander Rud Mills was a prominent Australian Odinist, and one of the earliest proponents of the rebirth of Germanic Neopaganism in the 20th century. He was a published author, lecturer and Barrister. He founded the First Anglecyn Church of Odin in Melbourne in 1936...
in Australia with his First Anglecyn Church of Odin and his book The Call of Our Ancient Nordic Religion. In the 1960s and early 1970s, Else Christensen
Else Christensen
Else Christensen , also known as the “Folk Mother”, was a pioneering Danish figure in the emergence of Asatru and Odinism in the post-World War II era....
's Odinist Study Group and later the Odinist Fellowship
Odinist Fellowship
The Odinist Fellowship was the name of an early Odinist organization, founded by Else Christensen and her husband Alex Christensen in Canada in 1969...
brought the term into usage in North America. Odinists do not necessarily focus on the worship of Odin
Odin
Odin is a major god in Norse mythology and the ruler of Asgard. Homologous with the Anglo-Saxon "Wōden" and the Old High German "Wotan", the name is descended from Proto-Germanic "*Wodanaz" or "*Wōđanaz"....
and most honour the full pantheon.
Ásatrú
Ásatrú
is a form of Germanic neopaganism which developed in the United States from the 1970s....
is an Old Norse
Old Norse
Old Norse is a North Germanic language that was spoken by inhabitants of Scandinavia and inhabitants of their overseas settlements during the Viking Age, until about 1300....
compound word derived from Áss or Ása, which refers to the Ases
Æsir
In Old Norse, áss is the term denoting a member of the principal pantheon in Norse paganism. This pantheon includes Odin, Frigg, Thor, Baldr and Tyr. The second pantheon comprises the Vanir...
(one of the two families of gods in Norse paganism
Norse paganism
Norse paganism is the religious traditions of the Norsemen, a Germanic people living in the Nordic countries. Norse paganism is therefore a subset of Germanic paganism, which was practiced in the lands inhabited by the Germanic tribes across most of Northern and Central Europe in the Viking Age...
, led by Odin
Odin
Odin is a major god in Norse mythology and the ruler of Asgard. Homologous with the Anglo-Saxon "Wōden" and the Old High German "Wotan", the name is descended from Proto-Germanic "*Wodanaz" or "*Wōđanaz"....
; the other being the Vanir
Vanir
In Norse mythology, the Vanir are a group of gods associated with fertility, wisdom and the ability to see the future. The Vanir are one of two groups of gods and are the namesake of the location Vanaheimr . After the Æsir–Vanir War, the Vanir became a subgroup of the Æsir...
), and trú, literally "troth" or "faith". Thus, Ásatrú is the "Faith of the Ases"). Vanatrú is coined after Ásatrú, implying a focus on the Wanes
Vanir
In Norse mythology, the Vanir are a group of gods associated with fertility, wisdom and the ability to see the future. The Vanir are one of two groups of gods and are the namesake of the location Vanaheimr . After the Æsir–Vanir War, the Vanir became a subgroup of the Æsir...
(the other family of gods in Norse mythology
Norse mythology
Norse mythology, a subset of Germanic mythology, is the overall term for the myths, legends and beliefs about supernatural beings of Norse pagans. It flourished prior to the Christianization of Scandinavia, during the Early Middle Ages, and passed into Nordic folklore, with some aspects surviving...
) rather than the Ases
Æsir
In Old Norse, áss is the term denoting a member of the principal pantheon in Norse paganism. This pantheon includes Odin, Frigg, Thor, Baldr and Tyr. The second pantheon comprises the Vanir...
.
History
Under the influence of Christensen's group, Ernesto (or "Ernust") García and Isabel Rubio founded the "Spanish Odinist Circle" (Circulo Odinista Español) in SpainSpain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
in 1981. Else Christensen gave her blessing to this organization and recognized it as such in 1981. In 2007 the organization changed its name to "European Odinist Circle" (Círculo Odinista Europeo) after years of intense struggle for the restoration of Odinism.
In 2006 the COE began a fight against the pillaging in the ancient capital of the Visigoths, Toledo
Toledo, Spain
Toledo's Alcázar became renowned in the 19th and 20th centuries as a military academy. At the outbreak of the Spanish Civil War in 1936 its garrison was famously besieged by Republican forces.-Economy:...
. Pressure was made on the regional president Jose Maria Barreda
José María Barreda
José María Barreda Fontes is a Spanish politician and academic. A member of the Spanish Socialist Workers' Party, he was the President of the autonomous community of Castile-La Mancha from 2004 until 2011.-Biography:...
, and the COE obtained the stop of the destruction of the Visigothic remains. Those remains were in the entire Goth city with all its houses, streets, and monuments, and have been declared a national monument thanks to the effort of all.
In 2007, the COE went from being a cultural organization to be officially recognized by the Spanish government as an official religious organisation under the name of Comunidad Odinista de España-Asatru, allowing them to perform "legally binding civil ceremonies" (weddings). COE has been the fourth Odinist and Asatruar religious organization to have been recognized with official status in the world, after organisations in Iceland
Iceland
Iceland , described as the Republic of Iceland, is a Nordic and European island country in the North Atlantic Ocean, on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. Iceland also refers to the main island of the country, which contains almost all the population and almost all the land area. The country has a population...
, Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
and Denmark
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
.
Structure
The structure consists of the Reiki or president, who is the main social and religious figure in the COE. The priestly class is composed of the godarGothi
A goði or gothi is the Old Norse term for a priest and chieftain. Gyðja signifies a priestess.The name appears in Wulfila's Gothic language translation of the bible as gudja for "priest", but in Old Norse it is only the feminine form gyðja that perfectly corresponds to the Gothic form...
and the seider. The seider office is divided into the spaekona, who perform spae magic
Magic (paranormal)
Magic is the claimed art of manipulating aspects of reality either by supernatural means or through knowledge of occult laws unknown to science. It is in contrast to science, in that science does not accept anything not subject to either direct or indirect observation, and subject to logical...
and the seidkona who perform seid magic, which relates and unites the functions of völva
Völva
A vǫlva or völva is a shamanic seeress in Norse paganism, and a recurring motif in Norse mythology....
, clairvoyance and high magic. Any person, male or female, may belong to these two offices. Member of the seider must also possess other types of power such as clairvoyance, telepathy. Since 2007 the godar have been governed by Godi Angel Arroyo and since 2008 the order of seider by Seidkona Maria Angeles Lozano. In late 2008, was appointed Ernust president, a position he currently combines with that of Godi. In June 2011, during the Althing held it was decided to appoint Angie Hervör as gyðja, and y Maria Luisa Olmeda (Meskala) as seidkona.
Beliefs
Western Roman Empire
The Western Roman Empire was the western half of the Roman Empire after its division by Diocletian in 285; the other half of the Roman Empire was the Eastern Roman Empire, commonly referred to today as the Byzantine Empire....
, the Visigoths established their kingdom in the Iberian Peninsula
Iberian Peninsula
The Iberian Peninsula , sometimes called Iberia, is located in the extreme southwest of Europe and includes the modern-day sovereign states of Spain, Portugal and Andorra, as well as the British Overseas Territory of Gibraltar...
during the sixth century, placing their capital in Toledo
Toledo, Spain
Toledo's Alcázar became renowned in the 19th and 20th centuries as a military academy. At the outbreak of the Spanish Civil War in 1936 its garrison was famously besieged by Republican forces.-Economy:...
for its strategic central location.
The code of values of the Odinist religion is to live in accordance with the Nine Noble Virtues
Nine Noble Virtues
The Nine Noble Virtues or NNV are a set of moral and situational ethical guidelines codified by John Yeowell and John Gibbs-Bailey of the Odinic Rite in the 1970s....
and the Nine Programmatic Points of the COE.
| Nine Noble Virtues of Odinism |
|---|
| 1. Courage |
| 2. Truth |
| 3. Honour |
| 4. Fidelity |
| 5. Discipline |
| 6. Hospitality |
| 7. Self-Reliance |
| 8. Industriousness |
| 9. Perseverance |
| Nine Programmatic Points of COE |
|---|
| 1 - Odinism, our ancestral religion in Europe. |
| 2 - The religion of the future. |
| 3 - The Gods and the sacred. |
| 4 - A code of values as a vital livelihood. |
| 5 - Odinism as a lifestyle. |
| 6 - The world, man, soul and body. |
| 7 - Respect for diversity. Fight for identity. |
| 8 - Religion, politics and society. |
| 9 - Everything perishes, everything returns to be. |
The Odinist Community of Spain is also studying carefully the works of Rupert Sheldrake
Rupert Sheldrake
Rupert Sheldrake is an English scientist. He is known for having proposed an unorthodox account of morphogenesis and for his research into parapsychology. His books and papers stem from his theory of morphic resonance, and cover topics such as animal and plant development and behaviour, memory,...
on morphic fields and Carl Jung
Carl Jung
Carl Gustav Jung was a Swiss psychiatrist and the founder of Analytical Psychology. Jung is considered the first modern psychiatrist to view the human psyche as "by nature religious" and make it the focus of exploration. Jung is one of the best known researchers in the field of dream analysis and...
's works on collective unconscious
Collective unconscious
Collective unconscious is a term of analytical psychology, coined by Carl Jung. It is proposed to be a part of the unconscious mind, expressed in humanity and all life forms with nervous systems, and describes how the structure of the psyche autonomously organizes experience...
as "very close to the Germanic ideas surrounding the Well of Urth". The organisation presents a definition of "metagenetics" as "the hypothesis that there are spiritual or metaphysical implications to physical relatedness among humans which correlate with, but go beyond, the known limits of genetics" (as defined by the American Asatruar Stephen McNallen
Stephen McNallen
Stephen A. McNallen is an influential Germanic Neopagan leader and writer. Born in Breckenridge, Texas, McNallen has been heavily involved in Ásatrú since the 1970s.-Life:...
).
Specifical holy days
January (Snowmoon)- January 21: Day of the founding of the Spanish Odinist Circle.
April(Grasamenoþs)
- 1st full moon after the vernal equinox, Ostara festival. It represents the beginning of life after winter, where light and life back to the souls of men.
May (Merrymoon)
- May 1: Walpurgis Night. Shamanic ceremony where Odin is represented by self-sacrifice in the great world tree, Yggdrasil.
- May 4: Remembrance Day for Else ChristensenElse ChristensenElse Christensen , also known as the “Folk Mother”, was a pioneering Danish figure in the emergence of Asatru and Odinism in the post-World War II era....
. Mother of Odinism who died May 4, 2005.
June (Sunnamenoþs)
- June 21 Summer Solstice. Festival to honor the god Balder.
September (Shedding)
- 2nd Saturday of September: Day of Odinism. National Encounter of the whole Confession Odinism, when a special blot to the gods and Confession Odinism is performed.
October (Wintrufulliþs)
- October 16: Day of Vidarr. Vidarr is the God of silence and revenge. Day of remembrance for the martyrs.
November (Fruma Jiuleis)
- November 1: Day Heimfall / Samhain. Feast where death and life are separated by a line so thin, you can pass in both directions through shamanic rituals.
December (Afra Jiuleis)
- December 21: Yule. Festival consisted of 12 days after the Winter Solstice. The most important for Odinism, represents the victory of Sun over the darkness. It's time to make solemn oaths and special festivals of the god Freyr.
Wedding
On December the 23rd of 2007 the first legal Pagan wedding in Spain in 1500 years took place on the beaches of Vilanova, BarcelonaBarcelona
Barcelona is the second largest city in Spain after Madrid, and the capital of Catalonia, with a population of 1,621,537 within its administrative limits on a land area of...
. "Jordi" and "Francesca", members of the Odinist Community of Spain, united their lives under the Continental Odinist Rite led by Ernust, godi of the COE. The ceremony was attended by pagans of all faiths in Spain, as well as members of the COE, leaders of the "Ancient Religious Society of Kelt", members of the Wicca
Wicca
Wicca , is a modern Pagan religious movement. Developing in England in the first half of the 20th century, Wicca was popularised in the 1950s and early 1960s by a Wiccan High Priest named Gerald Gardner, who at the time called it the "witch cult" and "witchcraft," and its adherents "the Wica."...
n "Silver Willow Coven" and the Pagan Federation
Pagan Federation
The Pagan Federation is a UK-based voluntary organisation, formed in 1971, which campaigns for the religious rights of Neo-pagans and educates both civic bodies and the general public about Paganism. It is active throughout Europe and organises a large number of Pagan events. The organisation...
.
Temple
One of the pillar projects of the new odinist project is to build a temple. An ancient building located in a town of AlbaceteAlbacete
Albacete is a city and municipality in southeastern Spain, 258 km southeast of Madrid, the capital of the province of Albacete in the autonomous community of Castile-La Mancha. The municipality had a population of c. 169,700 in 2009....
with a long history related to the ancestors of the town was relatively recently legally acquired tand is currently being rebuilt since mid-2005.
See also
- OdinismOdinismOdinism is a type of Germanic Neopaganism.Odinism may also refer to:*Norse paganism** the cult of Odin- See also :*Odinist Fellowship*Odinic Rite*The Odin Brotherhood*Wotanism, a Völkisch / White Nationalist movement*Wodenism...
- ÁsatrúÁsatrúis a form of Germanic neopaganism which developed in the United States from the 1970s....
- Vanatrú
- HeathenismGermanic NeopaganismGermanic neopaganism is the contemporary revival of historical Germanic paganism. Precursor movements appeared in the early 20th century in Germany and Austria. A second wave of revival began in the early 1970s...
- NeopaganismNeopaganismNeopaganism is an umbrella term used to identify a wide variety of modern religious movements, particularly those influenced by or claiming to be derived from the various pagan beliefs of pre-modern Europe...
- White Horse StoneWhite Horse StoneThe Upper and Lower White Horse Stones are names given to two sarsen megaliths on Blue Bell Hill near Aylesford in the English county of Kent. They are generally considered to be fragmentary examples of the Neolithic chamber tomb group known as the Medway megaliths...