FIRST GENERAL REPORT TO THE ÁSATRÚ COMMUNITY
FROM THE ÁSATRÚAR FÉLAGIÐ OF ICELAND
by Móði Þórsson and Birgitta Jónsdóttir
with authority from Alsherjargoði
Jörmundur Ingi of the Ásatrú High Council
Hail og sæl!
For those of you that know me I bid you well and for those of you who don't, I am the one you've been hearing about! I am Móði Þórsson the appointed representative of the Ásatrúar Félagið whom, with Birgitta Jónsdóttir act as liaison for the Félagið to the world via e-mail.
For those of you who are unaware, the Ásatrúar Félagið isblót is the original Ásatrú group founded by Sveinbjörn Beinteinsson (may the gods feast him well) and Jörmundur Ingi (long may he reign in Miðgarður). We, in fact, invented the very word 'Ásatrú' after a long battle which the gods themselves helped us win in 1971 (a glorious story for later!).
Besides the Christians who have reluctantly stepped aside, we are the only religion in Iceland with authority and sponsorship by the government and the only religion in Europe to offer programs at state-funded universities. Since the vast majority of all Ásatrú organizations have been logically patterned after this one, we have decided to launch a program to ally with and aid to our glorious brethren worldwide, to encourage their growth and to attack misuse by fools and power-mongers. That said, here is the report:
ITEM 1
- After much debate with the government of Iceland, we have finally won the right to officially open the Ásatrúar Félagið to Ásatrúar outside of our island nation. We are beginning an outline of how the Félagið is constructed and what we would both expect and offer those who wish to join with us. Icelandic Ásatrú was specifically designed by the first Viking settlers with diversity in mind and so we feel that our structure is flexible enough to allow each nation to slightly modify it for their needs without destroying the integrity of the whole. We shall begin posting of this material and accepting messengers before the High Council shortly after the Spring Blot to Iðunn on March 21 of this year.ITEM 2
-Alsherjargoði Jörmundur Ingi (may Óðinn guide his path) has recently secured the donation of over a half-million US dollars worth of land from the Icelandic government in the Hvalfjörður region, northwest of the capital Reykjavík. This land is intended to be used as a permanent Viking settlement and has very strict old-world guidelines upon those intending to build and settle there. There is an excellent harbor for boats, natural hot-springs nearby and road access. Thus far the guidelines for settlers are as follows:
1) All permanent residents must belong to the Ásatrú Félagið as determined by the Alsherjargoði Jörmundur Ingi and the High Council.
2) All structures must be built according to the style of Viking architecture determined by the Alsherjargoði and members of the National Museum.
3) During the summer months (June-Sept..) all residents must be garbed according to the style of Viking clothing (with some variations to account for raiding and trading activities of that time), determined by the Alsherjargoði and members of the National Museum.
4) At no time during the summer months is the village to be closed to the public although the Alsherjargoði and/or his duly appointed Captain of the Guard may eject anyone they deem to be disruptive. (This is a condition imposed upon us by the government who plans to use the village as an exhibition of pure Icelandic-Viking culture. But for a half-million dollars worth of free land, I would say that this is a small price to pay!)
5) All residents of the village are subject to Icelandic laws including residency and work-permit regulations (these will probably be relaxed somewhat for craftsmen such as blacksmiths who are in high demand here).
6) The governor of the village and surrounding lands shall be Jörmundur Ingi who shall hold this position until he officially resigns as such. This entitles him under Icelandic law to banish from said village and lands for any length of time, anyone whom he determines to be disruptive to its vitality.ITEM 3
- After a long and careful study of her character, abilities, and enthusiasm, we of the Ásatrúar Félagið have voted to duly appoint SUSAN GRANQUIST as our information contact in America. By Icelandic law, we are not allowed to grant her an official title (a lengthy and serious process in Europe) until she petitions to join the Ásatrúar Félagið at a Þing (then comes the government paperwork!). My own opinion is that there are enough of us who will speak for her to easily pass this through.In her duties she shall be the first one informed of developments here and the first source of answers to questions. If she is unable to provide a clear answer or there is a special request, then she will forward the poster to us here in Iceland. I should point out that there have already been a number of questions directed towards the Alsherjargoði which can easily be answered by either Susan Granquist or by one of us in the Félagið. Jörmundur (may Óðinn watch over him in his plans) is very much involved in the machinations of world politics including heavy resistance from Christians and other groups so please understand that he has very little time to spare. This power structure was created by our ancestors for a reason and so I ask all of you to please use it in the way it was intended so that we may together become stronger.
Thus ends this First General Report.- Móði Þórsson and Birgitta Jónsdóttir, duly representing Alsherjargoði Jörmundur Ingi and the Ásatrúar Félagið of the Republic of Iceland.
Comment: We received this online from Susan Granquist, and it seems to be of sufficient importance to be included in our newsletter. One of the key points in Ásatrú in America is that we have always bragged about having no “Asa-Pope”. This has been the natural reaction to the sometimes misguided attempts at exerting leadership within this volatile community. In fact, for the politically correct and narrow-minded, there is no more meaningful insult than to accuse one of trying to fulfill that role.
All that considered, it turns out that in fact we do have the equivalent of such a universal leader in the person of the Allsherjargodi of Iceland, Jörmunder Ingi. He was here in Vinland (or Markland, if you prefer) in September and met with some of our leading lights, including Dan O’Halloran, Kirby Wise, William Bainbridge, Susan Granquist and Garman Lord of the Theodish Rice. A full report of this meeting is included in the latest issue of Theod (Vol 4, #1) and is recommended reading. Other reports are circulating elsewhere as well. The main thrust of Jörmunder’s message seems to be one of reconciliation.
He got a sense of the ongoing and continuing squabbling that seems to plague Ásatrú in the U.S. and his rede is to learn to work together better for the good of Ásatrú . It may seem a bit overly optimistic to expect miracles overnight, but I have always counseled the middle path and the need to keep the frith among ourselves. It is part of the Marklander fundamental approach to our work to try to work to bring us together, not drive us apart.
Even as I write this, I know that there are still feuds taking place, in one case dividing brother against brother. Enough! I plan to try to go to Iceland for the Althing in the year 2000 ce at Thingvellir. I hope that by then I will find myself in the company of all my friends and companions in Ásatrú , and that they will all be able to get on the same plane from NY to Reykjavik without the extra baggage. Reading the “report”, I also must say that further involvement in this idea of the Ásatrú movement being centered in Iceland may be troublesome for some. Are they assuming too much authority? Or not enough? Perhaps this is just the focus we need in Ásatrú to finally bring us all together.
(Editor’s note- looking bask from a 2003 vantage point, we now can see that this may have been a tempest in a teapot. No one to our knowledge ever “officially” acknowledged Susan Granquist in any such capacity, and before long the whole business died down.)
© Marklander 1997