Else Christensen
Encyclopedia
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.
Else Ochsner was born in Esbjerg
, Denmark
, in 1913, and met her husband, Alex, in 1937. She and her husband became syndicalist
activists before the war and thus were under heavy scrutiny by Nazi occupation troops
. An informant tipped off the German police that Else and her husband possessed numerous firearms and they were arrested and detained under suspicion of being involved in the partisan
underground
. They were released, but toward the end of the war Alex spent six months in a camp outside of Elsinore
for his alleged syndicalist involvement.
After the war, the Christensens emigrated to Canada
. In the early 1960s, they heard of a Proto-Odinist named Alexander Rud Mills
who had an Odinist group in Australia
and had written a small book called The Call of Our Ancient Nordic Religion.
In 1969, Else and her husband founded a group called The Odinist Study Group which later evolved into The Odinist Fellowship. Alex died in 1971, and Else continued her work, relocating to the United States
. Else published a newsletter called The Odinist for many years.
in the modern age. She was preceded in the 1930s by the Australian Odinist pioneer, Alexander Rud Mills, whose writings she frequently quoted in her journal The Odinist.
Her writings greatly influenced many of her contemporaries in groups like the Asatru Folk Assembly
, the Asatru Alliance
, the Odinic Rite
, Comunità Odinista. Christensen is probably best known for her successful lobbying to get Odinism and Asatru recognized by the prison system in the United States, as well as her networking and letter writing campaigns. For several years, Else's photocopied and stapled Odinist newsletter was the only thing linking the scattered Odinist community across North America.
Else Christensen had a great importance on the formation of neo-paganism in Spain, in recognition within the Odinist orthodoxy the Spanish Odinist Circle, which became the Comunidad Odinista de España-Asatru
, that got official acceptance in 2010, i.e., full recognition and equality with other faiths recognized by the Spanish state, was considered by her followers in Spain as "Mother Folk. " The day of her death is an official day of worship in the Odinist faith in Spain letter by Else Chistensen to Odinist Spanish Circle in 1981
Else was very well regarded for helping many ex-convict Asatruar and Odinists reintegrate as functional members of society, as well as corresponding with hundreds of inmates who adhered to Asatru. Christensen herself, later spent 36 months in a Federal Prison over a narcotic
s related conviction, allegedly because she had been manipulated into being a drug mule without her knowledge. Christensen was a Canadian citizen, and after serving her prison sentence, she was without transportation, homeless and totally destitute.
The Asatru community held a fund raiser to help her get re-established in British Columbia
. She resumed her involvement with The Odinist Fellowship and continued publishing The Odinist as the Midgard Page newsletter. In 2005, at the age of 91, she retired from running her organization. Else died a few days later, on May 5.
, however, it can be clearly seen from her own writings that she actually advocated the Anarcho-syndicalism
of her youth. She idealized a decentralized folkish communalism with a heavy emphasis on race, ecological awareness and advocated a pagan back to the land movement.
Christensen's Odinist Fellowship along with other racially-oriented groups which were active in the early days of Germanic Neopaganism
contributed to the rise of what has been called "Aryan revolutionary paganism" in the United States and the subsequent infusion of the racist right with pagan
religion.
This is distinctly different from the Folkish
beliefs of most Germanic Neo-Pagans
who distinctly eschew affiliations with Neo-Nazis
and White Supremacists
, although sometimes the lines are blurred by terminology and semantics.
In a 1986 exchange with Ben Klassen
, who was researching materials for his book A Revolution of Values Through Religion, Christensen wrote:
Klassen, then dismissed Christensen and Odinism as incompatible and counter-productive to the white supremacist cause and his anti-Christian agenda, and stated:
After her time in prison, Christensen was adamant about not infusing politics or race with Odinism. The policies of the newly revived Odinist Fellowship and the tone of her writings were distinctly apolitical and non-racially oriented.
Danish
Danes
Danish people or Danes are the nation and ethnic group that is native to Denmark, and who speak Danish.The first mention of Danes within the Danish territory is on the Jelling Rune Stone which mentions how Harald Bluetooth converted the Danes to Christianity in the 10th century...
figure in the emergence of Asatru
Ásatrú
is a form of Germanic neopaganism which developed in the United States from the 1970s....
and 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...
in the post-World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
era.
Else Ochsner was born in Esbjerg
Esbjerg
Esbjerg Municipality is a municipality in Region of Southern Denmark on the west coast of the Jutland peninsula in southwest Denmark. Its mayor is Johnny Søtrup, from the Venstre political party...
, 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...
, in 1913, and met her husband, Alex, in 1937. She and her husband became syndicalist
Syndicalism
Syndicalism is a type of economic system proposed as a replacement for capitalism and an alternative to state socialism, which uses federations of collectivised trade unions or industrial unions...
activists before the war and thus were under heavy scrutiny by Nazi occupation troops
Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany , also known as the Third Reich , but officially called German Reich from 1933 to 1943 and Greater German Reich from 26 June 1943 onward, is the name commonly used to refer to the state of Germany from 1933 to 1945, when it was a totalitarian dictatorship ruled by...
. An informant tipped off the German police that Else and her husband possessed numerous firearms and they were arrested and detained under suspicion of being involved in the partisan
Partisan (military)
A partisan is a member of an irregular military force formed to oppose control of an area by a foreign power or by an army of occupation by some kind of insurgent activity...
underground
Resistance during World War II
Resistance movements during World War II occurred in every occupied country by a variety of means, ranging from non-cooperation, disinformation and propaganda to hiding crashed pilots and even to outright warfare and the recapturing of towns...
. They were released, but toward the end of the war Alex spent six months in a camp outside of Elsinore
Elsinore
Helsingør is a city and the municipal seat of Helsingør municipality on the northeast coast of the island of Zealand in eastern Denmark. Helsingør has a population of 46,279 including the southern suburbs of Snekkersten and Espergærde...
for his alleged syndicalist involvement.
After the war, the Christensens emigrated to Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. In the early 1960s, they heard of a Proto-Odinist named 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...
who had an Odinist group in Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
and had written a small book called The Call of Our Ancient Nordic Religion.
In 1969, Else and her husband founded a group called The Odinist Study Group which later evolved into The Odinist Fellowship. Alex died in 1971, and Else continued her work, relocating to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. Else published a newsletter called The Odinist for many years.
Work
Christensen was one of the earliest advocates of revitalizing Germanic paganismGermanic 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...
in the modern age. She was preceded in the 1930s by the Australian Odinist pioneer, Alexander Rud Mills, whose writings she frequently quoted in her journal The Odinist.
Her writings greatly influenced many of her contemporaries in groups like the Asatru Folk Assembly
Asatru Folk Assembly
The Asatru Folk Assembly, or AFA, an organization of Germanic neopaganism, is the US-based Ásatrú organization founded by Stephen McNallen in 1994. Gardell classifies the AFA as folkish....
, the Asatru Alliance
Ásatrú Alliance
The Asatru Alliance is a US Ásatrú group, succeeding Stephen McNallen's Asatru Free Assembly in 1987, founded by Michael J. Murray of Arizona, who is a former vice-president of Else Christensen's Odinist Fellowship. The AFA seceded into two groups, the other one being The Troth...
, the Odinic Rite
Odinic Rite
The Odinic Rite is a religious organization, practicing a form of Northern Indo European religion termed Odinism after the chief god of Norse mythology, Odin...
, Comunità Odinista. Christensen is probably best known for her successful lobbying to get Odinism and Asatru recognized by the prison system in the United States, as well as her networking and letter writing campaigns. For several years, Else's photocopied and stapled Odinist newsletter was the only thing linking the scattered Odinist community across North America.
Else Christensen had a great importance on the formation of neo-paganism in Spain, in recognition within the Odinist orthodoxy the Spanish Odinist Circle, which became the Comunidad Odinista de España-Asatru
Comunidad Odinista de España-Asatru
The Odinist Community of Spain — Ásatrú , also known as European Odinist Circle 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...
, that got official acceptance in 2010, i.e., full recognition and equality with other faiths recognized by the Spanish state, was considered by her followers in Spain as "Mother Folk. " The day of her death is an official day of worship in the Odinist faith in Spain letter by Else Chistensen to Odinist Spanish Circle in 1981
Else was very well regarded for helping many ex-convict Asatruar and Odinists reintegrate as functional members of society, as well as corresponding with hundreds of inmates who adhered to Asatru. Christensen herself, later spent 36 months in a Federal Prison over a narcotic
Narcotic
The term narcotic originally referred medically to any psychoactive compound with any sleep-inducing properties. In the United States of America it has since become associated with opioids, commonly morphine and heroin and their derivatives, such as hydrocodone. The term is, today, imprecisely...
s related conviction, allegedly because she had been manipulated into being a drug mule without her knowledge. Christensen was a Canadian citizen, and after serving her prison sentence, she was without transportation, homeless and totally destitute.
The Asatru community held a fund raiser to help her get re-established in British Columbia
British Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
. She resumed her involvement with The Odinist Fellowship and continued publishing The Odinist as the Midgard Page newsletter. In 2005, at the age of 91, she retired from running her organization. Else died a few days later, on May 5.
Criticisms
Critics have claimed that Christensen advocated National SocialismNazism
Nazism, the common short form name of National Socialism was the ideology and practice of the Nazi Party and of Nazi Germany...
, however, it can be clearly seen from her own writings that she actually advocated the Anarcho-syndicalism
Anarcho-syndicalism
Anarcho-syndicalism is a branch of anarchism which focuses on the labour movement. The word syndicalism comes from the French word syndicat which means trade union , from the Latin word syndicus which in turn comes from the Greek word σύνδικος which means caretaker of an issue...
of her youth. She idealized a decentralized folkish communalism with a heavy emphasis on race, ecological awareness and advocated a pagan back to the land movement.
Christensen's Odinist Fellowship along with other racially-oriented groups which were active in the early days of Germanic Neopaganism
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...
contributed to the rise of what has been called "Aryan revolutionary paganism" in the United States and the subsequent infusion of the racist right with pagan
Paganism
Paganism is a blanket term, typically used to refer to non-Abrahamic, indigenous polytheistic religious traditions....
religion.
This is distinctly different from the Folkish
Folkish
Folkish may refer to:*Folk culture, in the sense "of the common people; traditional, sophisticated, yet unconventional"*Völkisch movement of German ethnic nationalism*Neo-völkisch, an ethnocentric current in Germanic neopaganism-See also:...
beliefs of most Germanic Neo-Pagans
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...
who distinctly eschew affiliations with Neo-Nazis
Neo-Nazism
Neo-Nazism consists of post-World War II social or political movements seeking to revive Nazism or some variant thereof.The term neo-Nazism can also refer to the ideology of these movements....
and White Supremacists
White supremacy
White supremacy is the belief, and promotion of the belief, that white people are superior to people of other racial backgrounds. The term is sometimes used specifically to describe a political ideology that advocates the social and political dominance by whites.White supremacy, as with racial...
, although sometimes the lines are blurred by terminology and semantics.
In a 1986 exchange with Ben Klassen
Ben Klassen
Bernhardt "Ben" Klassen was an American religious leader who founded the Church of the Creator with the publication of his book Nature's Eternal Religion in 1973...
, who was researching materials for his book A Revolution of Values Through Religion, Christensen wrote:
-
- It is our destiny to be born in a historic period where the present cultural period is dying; it will still take maybe a couple of more centuries before the final collapse. The new has not been born yet, but I hope and believe that we are today doing the groundwork for the foundation upon which the new basis for the religious/philosophical moral concepts will be built. They will have to be racial, discriminatory, self-assertive, proud.
Klassen, then dismissed Christensen and Odinism as incompatible and counter-productive to the white supremacist cause and his anti-Christian agenda, and stated:
-
- A religion that failed to withstand the Jewish-Christian onslaught a thousand years ago cannot reasonably be expected to roll it back now, under conditions a thousand times more adverse.
After her time in prison, Christensen was adamant about not infusing politics or race with Odinism. The policies of the newly revived Odinist Fellowship and the tone of her writings were distinctly apolitical and non-racially oriented.