by Diana L. Paxson
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0 of 0 people found the following review helpful:
 Seriously Creepy, 2009-01-04
It is seriously creepy to see an endorsement for 'Essential Asatru' written by someone who died in 1999. Marion Zimmer Bradley's endorsement on the back cover is sufficiently vague that it could refer to Ms Paxson's works of fiction. It is an ethically questionable tactic to use the endorsement without qualifying it.
It has been about 20 years since Asatru gained a foothold in the US. In recent years, there has been a surge of 'beginner' books on the subject, few of which carry the substance that those earlier books did and still do.
There is, in my opinion, nothing unique in 'Essential Asatru'. I recommend 'Living Asatru - A Handbook of Simple Celebrations' by Stephen McNallen; 'True Hearth - A Practical Guide to Traditional Householding' by James Chisholm; 'A Book of Troth' by Edred Thorsson; or (reluctantly) 'Exploring the Northern Trandition' by Galina Krasskova before 'Essential Asatru'. There are also several on-line sources available.
2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
Excellent!, 2008-10-17
Review by Michele Lee and Michael Lush
Asatru is the pagan path that follows Norse tradition. For laypersons, this means Odin, Thor, Loki, their stories and their kin. Ask any pagan their views on Asatru and you'll get mixed responses. While many people, especially men, find their spiritual home as followers of the Asgardians, it's also been adopted by hateful, racist sects. Asatru, however, is not a racist belief system, in fact it's one of the few ancient paths that holds men and women equal. Goddesses and gods are equal, Odin accepts men and women into his ranks of warriors and in the Norse lifestyle men and women could both own land and hold respected social positions.
Because of Asatru's adoption by small groups of racists, and the reputation even centuries later of the Viking invaders, books on the subject often hint at the faith only being applicable to those of Northern European decent. However, Essential Asatru is different.
To begin with it points out that the Vikings traveled so far, to the Americas, even into Africa, that it's possible that many people who don't look Nordic might still have Norse blood.
Essential Asatru also focuses on the other thing that makes Asatru different from other pagan paths. Asatru is a functional religion, it's designed to blend into a life, not rule it. In Asatru the gods are allies in every day life, not overlords who must be appeased for humans to survive. Interacting with the religion is, and was, a low priority (which is not surprising when considering that the original Vikings lived with 9 months of winter a year, implying that they often had little time for anything other than survival.)
Essential Asatru is the first fully satisfying non-myth book we've added to our collection on Asatru. It's a choice pick for those interested in the faith, readers interested in religious studies in general and writers looking for research books on the Norse faiths.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
Very good first read of the religion, 2008-08-31
It's got a bit of a slow start, but that's only because it gives a ruff history of the religion and the people who worshiped these deity's. It's a very good read for those who are new to this religion or those who are interested in what it is. It answers a lot of questions, and give very good list of what to read next if indeed you what to know more. I'd suggest it to anyone interested in the religion.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
excellent introduction, 2008-07-21
An excellent guide to Northern European legend, culture and lore by the noted fantasy novelist and author of Taking Up The Runes. Beginning with a concise and scholarly history of the origins and spread of the Germanic peoples, proceeding to an account of their gods and customs and magicks, outlining religious ritual in both ancient and modern forms, explaining the various retro-heathen Asatru groups, their core values and issues, their parallels to and differences from other neo-pagan traditions including Wicca, and ending with a guide to further study and the various organizations of modern times. One of the most significant differences between the Norse and Celtic revivalists is that the Norse generally have a stronger emphasis on accurate cultural information and a firm basis in the surviving texts of the Poetic & Prose Eddas and the various folktales and sagas. This is a clear and complete introduction to an important part of the 21st century's diverse spiritual traditions, by an author who clearly knows whereof she speaks!
12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
 An excellent overview!, 2008-03-18
There are a few books out now that offer a general overview of Asatru, and for the novice, I think this is the best one to start with. Diana Paxson has a great way of writing, and the book is a quick, fun read. I certainly don't think the aspiring heathen should stop there - the book IS of course only a brief introduction, but it covers the basics and provides plenty of resources to continue with.
One thing I like about this book is that TO ME, at least, it seems that the author made a very solid attempt to remain un-biased. (Although I see that some here disagree). Remaining unbiased is very difficult in Asatru, because the source material is so far removed from us and thus rather mysterious and difficult to interpret. Thus, each scholar makes his or her own interpretations, and obviously every person has their own biases and pre-conceived notions that they can't help inserting into the lore they read. There is absolutely NO authoritative overview on Asatru, because each author colors it with their own biases. That is why in Asatru it is ESSENTIAL that a person read as many authors as possible (both those considered 'liberal' and those considered 'conservative') and read the lore themselves, and then make their own determinations. The remarks here about feminism, by the way, I don't even understand where they got this from. Is it because the Goddesses are given equal weight to the Gods? I don't see any other basis! But where in the lore does it say that the Goddesses are less important? I have a feeling that perhaps some people didn't really read the book, perhaps they just assume that a female author can't possibly write a good book on Asatru.
Anyway, I do think that Ms. Paxson made a great effort to include a mention of EVERY interpretation of Asatru, even those she obviously doesn't agree with. I think this is to her credit. As I mentioned in a comment to someone else's review, all novices deserve to be exposed to EVERY interpretation before they make up their own minds. And in fact, I think numerous sections including the very important "Questions and Conflicts" does a very good job of outlining these very tense ongoing arguments (Universalist or Folkish? Honor Loki or ban Loki? Earth religion or not? Is it Wicca, or is it Tru? Liberal or Conservative? etc etc etc) In most (though admittedly not all) cases Ms. Paxson does a great job of self-restraint in regards to not pushing her own opinion, and simply lets the readers know what the different opinions are.
All that said, again I maintain that this is a perfect choice for a first book, before going on to other overview books and the lore itself. It's got a little bit of everything: some history, descriptions of the Gods and Goddesses (including very nice prayers and songs for each one), a brief description of the runes and other heathen esoteric practices, as well as both a very handy list of references and heathen organizations AND descriptions of heathen rituals and how to show good manners therein!
All in all, I can't praise this book enough, and just for it's "quick reference" value, it's definitely a keeper no matter how many more in-depth books one reads.
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