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I know it isn't Universal. I can give counter examples.

I can't say if it is popular or not.

The best assumption to make in regards to Asatru is that there are no universal beliefs. There's a universal agreement that the structure we're working from is Germanic and/or Norse, but that's about as far as it goes. I even know an atheist Asatruar, for what it's worth.

If you'd ask me, "Deo, do you believe that the creation myths happened" I'd say, "can we specify what kind of belief we're talking about here?" I view the creation as a myth, meaning it is a vast metaphor imbued with more meaning than the bold facts of creation allow for.

Personally, I find the idea that we are living on and in and sustained by the body of a great, dead, terrible giant to be philosophically and psychologically useful on a number of levels. I could unpack it for you if you'd really like, though some bits are personal and wouldn't be included.


emo

I was brought into the fold about 3 years ago, but have since moved away from my Kin. I've been apart from them for a year now and am in much need of someones help and teachings, since my priest and priestiess (to late for my to spell the terms out right now *laughs*) are very hard to get ahold of. If you could in anyway help me, please do, since you have been a part of this for much longer then I.

...ur, the very fact you have a single Priest and a single Priestess and you call them that leads me to doubt you're Asatru. In Asatru, male religious figures call themselves (or are called) Gothi, and female religious figures call themselves or are called Gythia.

Given the /dth/ sound and the pronunciaton of /j/ in many Norse tongues, I'm guessing it's different spellings of the same sounds.

Among the Norse and/or Germanic reconstructionalists or traditionalists there are other paths besides Asatru? Or are they all Asatru, just different "flavours" of Asatru? I'm sorry if this is a dumb question. xp

Yes, lots. You can probably break it down into Norse, Germanic, Scandenavian, and various Combos. Asatru is a combo religion; Primary source and anthropological data used for it is drawn from Iceland, Germany, Denmark, the Netherlands, Norway, etc... Some is also used from Greenland, the Canadian Atlantic coast, and other places where settlements were established. In addition, the focus is on combination and modernization as an integral part of the reconstruction. As an Asatruar, I also use informaiton abut continuous native populations and religions in order to inform how to combine the modern era with a decidedly not-modern religion. In particular, I'm grateful to information about the Huichol for help in this.

The religions also break down along current-nationality lines. I'm an East Coast USian and Asatru is different both in different sides of the oceans and on different sides of the continent.