Before anything else
If you have found your way here because the old gods have been on your mind, welcome. You are not too late, too far away, or the wrong kind of person.
There is no conversion rite in Heathenry and no authority that admits or refuses you. People become Heathen by beginning to live as one: giving gifts to the gods, honoring their dead, keeping their word. You can start today, quietly, in your own home.
What you do not need
- Northern European ancestry. Heathenry is open to everyone.
- A kindred. Most Heathens practice alone or with their household.
- Certainty. You may explore for as long as you like.
- Special clothes, tools, or jewelry.
- To practice magic. Many Heathens never do.
- To give up your friends, your family, or your good sense.
1. Read the stories
Begin with the myths themselves, in a modern translation. The Prose Edda is the easiest way in: its first part tells the Norse myths in order, from the making of the world to its ending. Follow it with a few poems from the Poetic Edda, starting with Havamal and Voluspa. Our reading guide will take you further.
2. Make an offering
Do not wait until you have read everything. Heathenry is learned by doing. Pour a cup of something good, go outside or stand at a window, and say in your own words to whichever of the powers you feel drawn to: this is for you, with thanks. Then pour it on the earth. That is a blot. Everything else is elaboration.
3. Remember your dead
Set aside a small place in your home for those who came before you. A photograph and a candle are enough. Speak to them now and then. If your family history is painful, honor the ones who were kind, or those who taught and sheltered you, whether or not you shared their blood. The Disir are those who wish you well.
4. Greet the place where you live
Learn what grows around you and what the seasons do. Leave a small gift, clean water or a little bread, at a tree or stone that seems to you to have some presence. The land spirits of your own place are your nearest neighbors, wherever in the world that is.
5. Keep one holy tide
Choose the next festival of the year and keep it, however simply. Cook a meal. Set an extra place. Say what you are thankful for. See Rites and Holy Tides for the calendar.
6. Learn the values
Read our page on beliefs and values, and then test them in your own life. Keep a promise you would rather break. Welcome someone properly. Return a favor. Heathenry shows itself in conduct long before it shows in anything else.
7. Look for people, carefully
When you are ready for company, take your time. A good group will be glad to answer questions, will not hurry you, and will tell you plainly that people of every background are welcome.
Groups to avoid
A small number of groups use Heathenry as a cover for racism and other forms of hatred, and they are often the easiest to find online. Before you join anything, read our short guide to recognizing groups to avoid. If a group asks about your ancestry, leave.
If you are a woman, you are warmly invited to join Heathen Women United. Membership is free, and you will be introduced to a hearth circle where newcomers are expected and welcome. Our free First Steps course is open to everyone.
8. Go at your own pace
There is no examination at the end. Some people read for years before they pour their first offering, and some pour first and read afterward. Both are fine. The gods have waited a thousand years. They are not in a hurry, and you need not be either.