The Germanic people had no special word for their religions. If you could ask a Viking or a Roman-era Germanic tribesman "what's your religion?", he or she would probably have said "just our people's way" or "the way we've always worshipped". But in the 19th century, the word Ásatrú was coined, meaning, more or less, "faith in the Gods" or "trust in the Gods" in Old Norse. That word is probably the most commonly used one now to denote the modern revival and rebirth of the pre-Christian religion of the Norse and other Germanic peoples. However, several other words are in use for different groups and different cultural and theological varieties of Germanic religion -- these include Theodish Belief, Odinism, Irminenschaft, Forn Sed, the Northern Tradition, the Elder Troth, and still others. "Heathenism" or "Heathenry" is probably the best catch-all term for all these faith traditions.

A few words about what we're not: We're not the SCA or any other sort of medieval re-enactors. Some of us do enjoy wearing Viking-era clothing and doing medieval crafts, but that's not the real point of what we do. Our purpose isn't to be Vikings, or to live in an idealized past: it's to take our pre-Christian faith tradition and values, and bring them anew into the modern world. Our Gods and our values still live, and they still have a great deal to offer us.

We're not Wiccans, "occultists", or "New Age." Wicca descends from the tradition of Western ceremonial magic; ours is derived from written lore, folklore, and archaeology. We don't claim to be following an unbroken tradition handed down from ancient times; we freely admit that our forbears' faith, along with many other aspects of their culture, ceased to be a living reality -- and it's our job to bring it back into the world. While there were various forms of Norse and other Germanic magic, which Heathens may study and practice today, magic isn't the point of our religion: the point is to come into right relationships (known as frith) with our Gods, other beings and spirits, our ancestors, and our fellow Heathens. And while "New Age" thought usually centers around personal growth and transformation, ours emphasizes building and maintaining community.