Essential Asatru: Walking the Path of Norse Paganism [Paperback]

Diana L. Paxson (Author), Isaac Bonewits (Foreword)

Product Details

• Paperback: 224 pages
• Publisher: Citadel (December 1, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0806527080
• ISBN-13: 978-0806527086
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.7 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (28 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #51,450 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #16 in Books > Religion & Spirituality > Earth-Based Religions > Paganism
  • #64 in Books > Religion & Spirituality > Earth-Based Religions > Witchcraft

More About the Author

I was brought up in southern California, but came north to attend Mills College and never left. I got my M.A. in (medieval) Comparative Literature from the University of California in 1966, the same year I put on the first tournament of what was to become the Society for Creative Anachronism. Since 1971 I've lived at Greyhaven, a hundred-year old house in Berkeley, with successive generations of family, friends, cats and dogs.

It's a literary family, including my husband, Jon DeCles, and the late Marion Zimmer Bradley, who was my mentor as a writer as well as colleague in founding Darkmoon Circle. My first published novel was Mistress of the Jewels, which began the chronicles of Westria. After I had written several historical fantasies, Marion, whose health deteriorated after she wrote Mists of Avalon, asked me to help her with The Forest House, which is how I ended up writing the Avalon series.

Much of the spiritual experience in my novels comes out of my work in the pagan community. I have now begun to publish that material in a series of non-fiction books, the most recent being Trance-Portation. My most recent novel is Sword of Avalon, set at the end of the Bronze Age, which gave me an opportunity to explore the end of the Homeric Age and the techniques of bronze- and iron-forging.

For more about my work, see:

www.westria.org
www.avalonbooks.net
www.seidh.org

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

39 of 40 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Not as "Fluffy" as I Expected, October 7, 2007

By 

Spence the Elder (East TN, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Essential Asatru: Walking the Path of Norse Paganism (Paperback)

Very nice, understandably written introduction to Norse Paganism. Paxson's book covers a great deal of information in a short period of time. As an introduction to Asatru it does have all the essentials. I won't retread the points that most of reviewers have already covered.
Probably the most useful section of the book to me was, "Toasts, Boasts & Oaths". For those of you who are new to Norse Paganism, the section on , "Surviving Your First Heathen Event", is an absolute must read. Additionally the, "Asatru and Wicca", section drew some distinctions between the faiths and will give the novice some pat answers to often asked questions..
I rather liked the, "Heathen Holy Days", section and disagree with the reviewer who stated that they were "Wiccan with a few Asatru concepts grudgingly allowed". The most widely recognized days were marked with a Volknot while other celebrations & commemorations are so blatantly obvious that no explanation was needed, i.e., Leif Eriksson Day & Columbus Day etc. If these holidays were influenced by Wiccan thought then why is there no Norse version Samhaim?
All and all yet another good introductory book on Asatru/Heathenism. Enough detail to get you more interested but not bored. Consider "Essential Asatru" as the Cliff's Notes to "Our Troth vol. I & II". This book and Krasskova's "Exploring the Northern Tradition" compliment each other well and will point newcomers in the right general direction. After that they, (the newcomers), should be able to figure things out on their own.

In Frith,
Spence

"Sic gorgiamus allos subjectatos nunc"
M. Addams

41 of 45 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An excellent 'Welcome to Heathenry', December 19, 2006

By 

Roisin "bibliophile" (Ontario, Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Essential Asatru: Walking the Path of Norse Paganism (Paperback)

Firstly, I wish this book came out years ago when I was looking around on 'Bambi-legs' for accesible intro material. Essentail Asatru serves as a very thorough introductory text. What especially impresses me is the 'airtime' Ms. Paxson gives to the history of Heathenry; and the explanations of different traditions exsisting under the banner of 'Heathenry'.
In addition to explaining the basic facts about Asatru, Ms. Paxson also guides the reader through a 'sumble' (an important Heathen ritual), as if we were an invited guest at the homestead of 'Raven Banner Kindred'. She also takes the time to expain proper ritual etiquette; and includes a comprehensive list of public Heathen organisations one may contact.
The book is both friendly and informative. Even if one is practicing solo, one really feels the connection to the greather Heathen community after reading this book.
If you are new to Heathenry: read this book! If you are an experienced member of the Heathen community -pass this book onto others! A great learning and teaching tool!

23 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Not a main course., February 19, 2007

By 

W. Martin - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Essential Asatru: Walking the Path of Norse Paganism (Paperback)

When I received this book, I racked my brain trying to figure out why the author's name was so familiar. By the time I got to the acknowledgements, I had the light bulb go off in my head. Ms. Paxson is the very same author who penned those wonderful fiction books with Marion Zimmer Bradley. These very books were my introduction into the worlds of magic back in my 20s. I settled in for what I was sure was to be a very enjoyable ride.

Each chapter starts off with a scene from a Heathen ritual. From this scene the chapter goes off into small segments of history, customs or mythology based on Norse Paganism. The chapters are divided into three sections called "Rounds" and follow the lines of a typical Heathen ritual. The first section (Round one) is dedicated to Heroes and Ancestors, the second is for Gods and Goddesses, and the final one is entitled Toasts, Boast and Oaths. Following these sections there are some pages with resources, a bibliography and an index. I'm not sure an index is necessary though, as the main body of the book is barely 200 pages long.

This book is a basic introduction for a non-Heathen. It is very lean and briefly touches on many topics. It was an easy read and did not require much effort from the reader. I would have liked to see more of Ms. Paxson's story telling ability in evidence in the mythological sections instead of a bland recounting of the facts related to each personality.

Although I have been to several boasting rituals in the last few decades, I really wasn't aware of many of the backgrounds behind the rites. This book cleared up many of my misconceptions and some of my ignorance on this fascinating branch of Paganism. The book sheds light on the kindred for the non-heathen, but it is so short and only touches on the surface of so many topics, I doubt anyone but a non-heathen would get much out of it. I would classify this book as an appetizer only, but a tasty tidbit non-the-less.

Reviewed by W. Lyon Martin - Author/illustrator of "An Ordinary Girl, A Magical Child."