Frequently Asked Questions

Heathen Women United is an international advocacy, educational, and community organization formed in early 2017 by women within the modern Heathen and Asatru community. We work to make Heathenry safer, fairer, and better informed, and we bring Heathen women together across nineteen countries.

Neither. We are a fellowship. Our members belong to many different kindreds and traditions, or to none. We do not ordain clergy, define doctrine, or replace anyone's own community.

Membership is open to adult women who practice Heathenry or are seriously exploring it, of any ancestry, nationality, or background. Trans women are women and are welcome. Nonbinary people who feel at home in a women's fellowship may also join as full members. See Membership.

Yes. People of any gender who share our aims can stand with us as Friends of the Hearth. Our lectures, Lore Circles, First Steps course, and frithkeeper training are open to everyone. Many of the kindreds that keep the Frith Standard are led by men.

No. Membership and all of our programs are free. We are run entirely by volunteers, we charge no dues, and we do not ask for donations. Our few costs are met by the volunteers themselves.

Not at all. Most of our members practice in mixed kindreds and intend to go on doing so. We formed in order to make those communities better for everyone in them. A hall where half the people go unheard is a poorer hall for all.

No. Our members honor the whole company of the gods, as well as the ancestors and the spirits of the land. Many are devoted to Odin, Thor, Freyr, or Tyr. We give particular attention to the goddesses and the female powers because they are so often overlooked, not because we honor them alone.

We do not support any political party or candidate. We do take clear positions on matters that touch our religion directly: that Heathenry is open to all, that women are of equal worth within it, and that it must not be used as a cover for hatred. You can read them in our position statements.

Hearth circles are open to members. Once you have joined, we will introduce you to the nearest circle that meets in person, or to an online circle in your language. See Hearth Circles.

Very nearly. Heathenry is the broad term for the modern religion that revives the pre-Christian traditions of the Germanic peoples. Asatru usually refers to practice based on the Norse sources in particular. Many people use the two words interchangeably. See What Is Heathenry?

No. Heathenry is open to anyone who is sincerely drawn to it. The claim that it belongs to one ancestry has no basis in the old religion, and we reject it. See our Statement on Inclusion.

No. They are separate religions with different gods, rites, and festivals. Heathens do not cast circles or keep the eightfold wheel of the year, and most do not consider themselves witches. Some Heathens practice forms of magic such as seidr, but it is not required.

Higher than is often assumed, and lower than is sometimes claimed. Free Norse women could own property, divorce, manage great households, and hold religious authority as seeresses and priestesses. They could not vote, hold public office, or speak at the assembly, and many women were enslaved. See Women in the Viking Age.

In legend, certainly. In history, a few women were buried as warriors and some probably fought, but it was rare. We set out the evidence in Shield-Maidens: Legend and Evidence.

No. A small minority misuse our symbols and our history, and they receive a great deal of attention. The large majority of Heathens reject them, and so do we, without reservation. See our Statement Against Extremism.

Read a little, make a simple offering, and remember your ancestors. You do not need a group or anyone's permission. Our guide New to Heathenry will take you through the first steps.