Asatru is an ethnic, or folkish religion. What this means is that there is a strong emphasis placed on ones blood and ancestral heritage. This also means that Asatru is not for everyone, just as the ways of the Native
American Indian, or the Japanese ethnic religion of Shinto are not for everyone, but for those who come from that blood line. Our holy books, the
Havamal and the Eddas, along with the many European Sagas teach us that we are created from our Gods, and we are thus in the image of the Gods and their Kin. This belief is widely held by all folkish religions of the world, Shinto for example teaches that the Japanese race was descended from the Sun Goddess. It is the same in Asatru, as the Northern European folk are said to be descended from Odin, chief of the Gods. Therefore we believe our genetics to be very important and continuing the family line and honoring our ancestors plays a significant role in Asatru. (MEMBERS OF ASATRU FOLK ASSEMBLY, BEAR CLAW OR SUSAN GRANAQUIST FOLLOWERS, HOMOSEXUALS, NON NORTHERN GERMANIC PEOPLE ARE BARRED FROM MEMBERSHIP)

OTHER KEY WORDS: ASATRU, THOR, ODIN, BIFROST, AESIR, ODINISM, MJOLLNIR, BLOT, KINDRED,