/pol/ - International Politics

Creation. In the beginning, there were two regions: Muspellsheim in the south, full of fire, light and heat; and Niflheim in the north, full of arctic waters, mists, and cold. Between them stretched the yawning emptiness of Ginnungagap, and into it poured sparks and smoke from the south and layers of rime-ice and glacial rivers from the north. As heat and cold met in Ginnungagap, a living jotunn, Ymir, appeared in the melting ice. From his legs, the frost jotnar were born, making Ymir the progenitor of the jotnar. Most sources identify Ymir's oldest son as Thrudgelmir, who bore Ymir's grandson, Bergelmir. The other jotnar are usually unnamed. Ymir fed on the milk of the cow Audhumla. She licked the blocks of salty ice, releasing Buri. Buri's son Borr had three sons, the God's Odin, Vili and Ve. The three slew Ymir, and all of the jotnar (giants) except for Bergelmir and his wife were drowned in the blood. From Ymir's body they made the worlds: his blood the seas and lakes, his flesh the Earth, his bones the mountains and his teeth the rocks. From his skull they made the dome of the sky, setting a dwarf at each of the four corners to hold it high above the earth. They protected it from the jotnar with a wall made from Ymir's eyebrows. Next they caused time to exist, and placed the orbs of the sun and moon in chariots which were to circle around the sky. Odin, passing through the world of the jotnar found two beautiful young giants named Sol and Mani, sun and moon. They were brother and sister, and their father had named them after the beautiful lights in the sky. Odin decreed that Sol and Mani should drive the chariots of the sun and the moon across the sky, and to ensure that their journey was always constant and never slowed, he created two great wolves. These wolves were called Hati and Skoll, and they were placed in the sky to pursue the chariots and devour them if they caught them.

Fate. According to Odinic belief, three sisters known as the Norns sit at the end of the World Tree's root. These figures spin Wyrd, which refers to the actions and interrelationships of all beings throughout the cosmos. The three primary Norns are Urdr, Verdandi and Skuld. These three figures are sometimes termed "Being, Becoming and Obliation" or "Initiation, Becoming, Unfolding". Our personal Orlog is fate set in motion by the events of our own lives, which are set in motion by our ancestors lives.

Wights. Odinism has animistic elements, with practitioners believing in sentient non-human entities commonly known as wights that inhabit the world, and each of whom is believed to have it's own personality. The old norse term vaettr and it's English cognate wight are descended from Proto-Germanic wihtiz (thing, creature), from Proto-Indo-European wkti (object, thing). Some of these are known as landaettr (land-wights) and are believed to inhabit different aspects of the landscape, living alongside humans, whom they can both help and hinder. Others are deemed to be house-wights, and are believed to live within the house, where they can be propitiated with offerings of food. Wights are often identified with various creatures from European folklore, such as elves, brownies, and trolls. Odinist practitioners also believe in and respect ancestral spirits.

Afterlife. Adherents believe the soul is not a single entity, but a composite of parts both physical and metaphysical, a microcosm of the immense macrocosm. The soul is typically thought to have nine to twelve parts. The most famous post-death destination is Valhalla. The devotees of Odin who die heroic deaths will be his guests in Valhalla. The death-song of Ragnar Lodbrok describes this belief, so, too, does the Poet of Eiriksmal. In Ynglinga Saga it's further said that warriors who mark themselves with a spear and devote themselves to Odin will go to Valhalla. Heilheim (in Niflheim the world of ice and mist) is the realm of Hel, the goddess of the dead. The realm of Hel is merely a place of the dead, but for people who die of old age or sickness, it is not a place of punishment, but a place of rest and peace.

Ethics. Odinist ethics strongly emphasize loyalty, hospitality and family. It is common for pracitioners to be expected to keep their word, particularly sworn oaths, and to take personal responsibility for their actions. These values are formalized in an ethical code commonly called the Nine Noble Virtues, which is condensed largly from the Havalmal and Voluspa from the Poetic Edda.

1. Truth
2. Honor
3. Fidelity
4. Discipline
5. Hospitality
6. Self-Reliance
7. Industriousness
8. Perserverance
9. Courage
Odinism recognizes certain moral transgressions known as nids. Odinists recognize that those who descend into the path of chaos and malicious deeds become enslaved by their wordly desires, stray from the upward path, and become disgraceful to the Gods and the community. These wicked acts are weighed on one's day of judgement after death. Odinism warns against acts which, motivated by greed, cruelty, dishonesty and falsehood, work to the detriment of others. These can generally be reduced as:

Murder
Thievery
Sacrilege
Perjury
Treason
Adultery
Lecherousness
Slander
Cowardice