Gleemonex said:
Pyaemia, there wasn´t ever any organized religion about it, so there weren´t really any "teachings" other than what you'll read in the Eddas.
Ásatrú was a very idiosyncratic belief. It differed from place to place, and even from profession to profession, etc.
Tyra, feel like describing any of those rituals.. or maybe just the main theme or basic thought behind them or something like that.
It's just out of curiosity, so don´t trouble yourself it it's too much bother 
Oh.. and one other thing Tyra.. do you happen to know anything about singing in the Viking age? or just general music in the Viking age. and for that i´d need definite source material, because i need it for a paper i´m doing.
Sure I can describe it! Take your pick, though, 'cause we have lots of them: handfasting (which, as you probably know, is our wedding sort of ceremony), namegiving ceremionies (like a Christian babtism) or just plain old blots like the one we just celebrated this weekend. Mind you, when I celebrate "officially" as in with a group, I celebrate with the Irminsul Aettir, and then it becomes my specific clergy's take one the old ceremonies. Our gythia (priestess) follows the old ceremonies as closely as she can (she is VERY knowledgeble about Norse history, ways of life, warfare and a virtual bottomless pit of info about the religious aspects of the Norse society then and the Asatru as it stands today), but it is none the less a reconstructive religion. For example, we drink the mead out of horns, but we don't sacrifice goats. Where I grew up, in Sweden, the local felag did, along with chickens and cows. Anyhow, I'd be happy to describe any of the ceremonies that I have attended as long as you tell me which one.... If you are really curious about this stuff that I am into, go to
www.irminsul.org, or my gothi Thorfin has e-mail that I can give you if you want it. He's awesome and loves AA and even came to meet with my bro before the last gig!
I only know a very little bit about the music and dancing, but I know just the guy for you. He's also part of the Irminsul and helps out with singing and all that during our gatherings. He is from Iceland, and I think he's there now, but I'll try to hook you up, 'cause he'd be of huge value for someone who's studying this sort of thing. With him, you can also get all sorts of info on that thing we were talking about before, about where the religion originated and how come there is East Indian influence on it and how it traveled north. It'll take me a few days to get to him, though, I am sure....
