Ásatrú is an expression of the native, pre-Christian religion of Europe. More specifically, it is the religion by which the Ethnic European Folk have traditionally related to the Divine and to the world around them.
 

From Iceland to Russia, from the frozen north of Scandinavia to the Mediterranean, the Ethnic European Folk wandered and settled over a span of thousands of years. Today, their descendants are spread around the world. We may refer to ourselves as Americans or English, Germans or Canadians, but behind these labels lurks an older, more essential identity. Our forefathers were Angles and Saxons, Lombards and Heruli, Goths and Vikings – and, as sons and daughters of these peoples, we are united by ties of blood and culture undimmed by the centuries.
 

Ásatrú is our native religion. It gave our ancestors comfort in the millennia past, and it can give us strength and inspiration today. The word “Ásatrú” comes to us from Old Norse, the tongue of ancient Scandinavia, where it means “those loyal to the Æsir.” Since the ancient Scandinavian version of our religion is the best documented, it has given us much of Asatru’s terminology and imagery. The soul of Ásatrú, however, is not confined to the Scandinavian model but encapsulates the belief of all the Ethnic European Folk. Indeed, Ásatrú reflects the deeper religiosity common to virtually all the nations of Europe.

The Asatru Folk Assembly was formed by Stephen McNallen in 1995 as a successor to the Asatru Free Assembly, which dominated the Ásatrú scene in the United States from its inception in the 1970s until its dissolution in 1986. Since its inception, the AFA has been the premier force in the development and practice of Ásatrú. The AFA is committed, today and every day, to building strong and lasting communities and families, embracing traditional values, and venerating our holy Æsir.

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In the late 1960s, Stephen McNallen embraced the Æsir and founded the modern religion of Ásatrú. In short order, Alsherjargoði McNallen started the Viking Brotherhood which quickly evolved into the Asatru Free Assembly. The Asatru Free Assembly began publishing the Runestone magazine as well as starting the first Ásatrú gatherings called Allthings.

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Ásatrú grew and developed throughout the 1970s and ’80s. In 1986 the Asatru Free Assembly was disbanded. In the late 1980s and early ’90s, the original values and aims of Ásatrú were growingly subverted by the decay of the Wolf Age. Alsherjargothi McNallen knew he must once again take up the banner and save what his vision and initiative had put into motion. The Asatru Folk Assembly was founded from that day forward to be a solid spiritual force for our Ethnic European Folk and our Ethnic European Faith.

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Since our founding, we have watched our Folk grow and thrive. In the early 2000s, the first Goðar were legally ordained as priests of our holy Gods. In 2015, Óðinshof was founded as the first Ásatrú Hof in the Western Hemisphere. In 2020, we founded both Þórshof and Baldrshof. In 2022, Njörðshof was founded and followed in December by the establishment of Sigrheim.

As time has progresses the AFA continues to grow and develop as the church of the Æsir in Midgard, a church that will stand the test of time serving our Æsir and Folk eternally. Great things are on the horizon and the blessings of the Æsir are rolling in.