However there are a group of writings on which the religions is based, the first is the Prose Edda, also known as the Younger Edda, written by Snorri Sturluson. In Asatru there are no set scriptures which are said to be 'the word of god' like in other religions. It is estimated to have around 20,000 followers and is currently both the largest non-christian religion and the fastest growing religion in Iceland. Since then the religion has grown and many heathen communities have formed, especially throughout the USA and the UK. His appeal was successful in 1973 and it was also later recognised in Norway and Denmark. The faith was officially recognised when he started a petition with the Icelandic government to acknowledge the Íslenska Ásatrúarfélagið (the Icelandic Asatru Fellowship) as a real religion. He was a farmer by trade and became a priest in the Asatru religion, publishing a book of Rimur (Icelandic poetry) in 1945. The modern attempt of reviving the ancient norse religion begun in Iceland with the work of Sveinbjörn Beinteinsson, who became the first high priest in the organisation. The main focus of the Asatru faith is around these gods, most notably Odin, Thor, Frigg, Tyr and Baldur. This comes from the old norse ' ǫ́ss' ( being the singular form of Æsir) and the word ' trú ' which meant 'faith'. The meaning of the word 'Asatru' roughly translates as 'being true to the 'Æsir' the Æsir being the main cohort of gods in Norse Mythology. ![]() The pre-christian belief system of the Scandinavian people was not widely practiced for centuries therefore most of what is known about this Norse faith is from ancient writings. It is a polytheistic religion which worships numerous Gods, with its practitioners often referred to as 'heathens'. Asatru is a neo-pagan religion that emerged with a revival of the old viking age beliefs during the 20th century.
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