Overview
What Is Heathenry?
A plain introduction to Heathenry, also called Asatru or Norse paganism: its sources, gods and goddesses, values, rites, and the place of women within it.
Read more: What Is Heathenry?International / Volunteer-led / Formed in 2017
Women's voices at the heart of Heathenry
Heathen Women United is an international fellowship of women in modern Heathenry and Asatru. Since early 2017 we have worked to make our religion safer, fairer, and better informed, through advocacy, education, and the plain daily work of community.
Who we are
A fellowship formed by women, for the good of the whole hall
Heathenry is the modern revival of the pre-Christian religion of the Germanic and Norse peoples. Women have been at its center from the beginning: as seeresses whose counsel kings sought, as keepers of household rites, and today as teachers, organizers, and priestesses in kindreds around the world.
We formed in February 2017 because that work was too often unseen, and because too many women were leaving. Heathen Women United exists so that every woman who is called to the old gods finds frith, worth, and welcome when she arrives.
- 2017Formed by eleven women in six countries
- 19Countries where members live and practice
- 34Hearth circles meeting online and in person
- 58Kindreds and events that have adopted the Frith Standard
What we do
Advocacy, education, and community
Three strands of work, spun together. None of them holds without the other two.
Advocacy
We speak for the standing and safety of women in Heathen spaces. Our model code of conduct, the Frith Standard, and our position statements give kindreds and event organizers clear ground to stand on.
Education
We teach from the sources and say plainly what is attested, what is inferred, and what is modern. Lectures, reading circles, and our journal, The Distaff, are free to everyone.
Community
We gather. Hearth circles with members in nineteen countries, a mentoring program for newcomers, and an annual assembly at Disting mean that no woman has to walk this path alone.
Begin here
Learn about Heathenry and the women who shaped it
Whether you are new to the old ways, returning to them, or researching them, these pages are written to be accurate first and welcoming always.
Heathenry
Goddesses of the North
A guide to the Norse and Germanic goddesses, from Frigg, Freyja, Idunn, and Skadi to Nerthus, Nehalennia, Eostre, and the Matronae, with their sources.
Read more: Goddesses of the North
Heathenry
Disir, Norns, and Valkyries
The Disir, the Norns, the Valkyries, and the fylgja explained from the sources: the female powers of ancestry, fate, and death in Norse and Germanic belief.
Read more: Disir, Norns, and Valkyries
History
Seeresses of the Germanic World
The named seeresses of the early Germanic peoples, including Veleda, Albruna, Ganna, and Waluburg, and how their office continued in the volva of the Norse sagas.
Read more: Seeresses of the Germanic World
History
Women in the Viking Age
How women lived in the Viking Age: marriage, divorce, and property under Norse law, the work of the household, travel and settlement, poetry, and religious roles.
Read more: Women in the Viking Age
Heathenry
Rites and Holy Tides
How Heathens worship: blot and symbel explained, household rites and rites of passage, and the holy tides of the year from Winter Nights and Yule to Midsummer.
Read more: Rites and Holy TidesThe Hearth Pledge
The Hearth Pledge
Worth is shown in deeds, never assigned by sex, ancestry, or station.
The first commitment of the Hearth Pledge, 2017
- To keep an open hearth. Heathenry belongs to everyone who is called to it, of every ancestry, nationality, sexuality, and gender.
- To give credit. We will see that the work of women in our communities is named, thanked, and remembered.
- To seek out the quiet ones. We will make room at the fire for those who have not yet been asked what they think.
The Distaff
From our journal
Essays on lore, history, and Heathen life, written by members and reviewed for honesty about the sources.
September 3, 2026 / Ingrid Fjellvang
The Seeress Speaks: Reading the Voluspa as a Woman's Voice
The greatest poem of Norse mythology is spoken from first line to last by a woman. What happens when we pay attention to her, and not only to what she says?
Read the article: The Seeress Speaks: Reading the Voluspa as a Woman's VoiceJune 8, 2026 / Katrin Vogelsang
Freyja Is Not Only a Love Goddess
She is routinely reduced to love and beauty. The sources show a chooser of the slain, a mistress of magic, and a power whom giants covet and no one commands.
Read the article: Freyja Is Not Only a Love Goddess
April 20, 2026 / Tamsin Wray
The Myth of the Obedient Viking Wife
Some now claim that Norse tradition calls for submissive wives and fixed roles. The sagas and the law codes describe something very different.
Read the article: The Myth of the Obedient Viking WifeThe Heathen year
Holy tides
- Mid-OctoberWinter NightsNextThe turning toward winter, when the Disir and the ancestors are honored.
- Late DecemberMothers' Night and YuleNextTwelve nights at midwinter, opening with the night of the mothers.
- FebruaryDistingNextThe assembly of the Disir, and the season of our own founding.
- March or AprilEostreNextSpring and the returning light, named for a goddess of the English.
- AprilSummer FindingNextThe first day of summer in the old northern reckoning.
- JuneMidsummerNextThe longest light, kept with fires, flowers, and gatherings outdoors.
- AugustHarvestNextFirst bread from the new grain, shared with the land and the household.
From the Council
News
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Disting 2027 Announced: Ten Winters
Our tenth annual assembly will open on February 19, 2027, ten years to the day after Heathen Women United was formed.
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Winter Nights: Council Nominations Are Open
Five seats on the Council of Nine will be elected at Disting 2027. Nominations are open from Winter Nights until Yule.
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Autumn Lore Circles Begin: Reading the Voluspa
The autumn term of our reading groups begins this month with ten weeks on the Voluspa, the Prophecy of the Seeress.
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The Frith Standard, Third Edition, Is Open for Comment
A draft third edition of our model code of conduct has been sent to all members. Comments are open until December 20.
There is room at the fire
Membership is free and open to women everywhere, whatever your ancestry, whatever your experience, whether you practice in a kindred or alone. Friends of every gender are welcome to stand with us.