Hey Witches, Pagans, and Heathens, the recent events in the states are emboldening and encouraging the worst kinds of people right now. We all know we have a nazi problem, and this is clearly only going to get worse.

Make sure you make clear to your circles, to your friends and family, that those cretins don't represent the spiritual community we're part of. Especially you, Norse Heathens. It's not fair, but it is unfortunately a fact that there is an existing problem with white supremacists appropriating Nordic deities, runes, and more. There's even a neo-nazi group in Hamilton that uses the word "folk," and we know what that means. (If you don’t, refer to the list at the bottom of this post. It’s okay not to know about these things, but it’s time to learn.)

These people will creep into your groups. They won't introduce themselves as nazis, but they'll bring up being folkish. They'll call themselves Odinists. They'll shove "Edred Thorsson" books at you. They'll hate the idea of Odin or Thor being anything other than hyper-masculine to the point of absurdity. And the more you tolerate one, the more your group becomes a nazi group. No Frith With Fascists. Reject hatred. This is the time to show your strength and support others in your community. Don’t let things go to keep the peace. That’s how these people slink into your group and radicalize it.

Now, you might be newer to the community, or have just been fortunate enough to not experience these things firsthand. So, here’s some things to look out for, both Heathen and not. If we leave something out, please contribute your perspective in the comments!

Norse Pagan & Heathen Red Flags & Hate Groups

Odinism / Wotanism

Your hackles might have been raised at this one earlier, as a lot of newer Heathens will use the word as simply someone who follows Odin. The term ‘Odinist’ has, both historically and in modern times, been used by white-supremacist groups, including in Nazi Germany. It’s sort of like the term “nationalism” in that it sounds like it should be a good thing; it’s not bad to be patriotic, right? But this term is actually deeply connected to violent hate groups and always has been. Wotanism is also even more deeply connected to these groups as it ties specifically to the German version of Odin.

If you meet someone using this term, consider asking how long they’ve been practicing, or what it means to them. If they seem to not know, go ahead and inform them; their reaction will be telling. If they seem duly horrified or embarrassed, that tends to be a green flag. But if they seem indifferent, say things like this don’t matter, say you’re over-reacting, etc? Cut them out or call them out, as your safety permits. 

Folkism

Those using the terms ‘folkish’ or ‘Völkisch’ are using a romanticized Viking mythos that was established in the mid-19th century and doesn’t reflect actual historical or archeological findings. Folkism was established by Austrian nationalists that were alarmed by the changing social fabric of the time (sound familiar?) and promoted ideas about how those of specifically Germanic descent were superior. These beliefs mixed occultism and racial superiority into a toxic belief system that fed into Adolf Hitler’s National Socialist party. This came back into vogue in the United States in the late 60s/70s because of Stephen McNallen and Else Christensen. The former created the forerunner to the Asatru Folk Assembly called the Asatru Free Assembly and the latter created an Odinist Fellowship. These movements have continued since that point over 60 years ago.

There is more to learn about this, and a deeply troubling history here. Please feel free to learn more at the neo-Völkisch page on the Southern Poverty Law Centre’s Website. https://www.splcenter.org/resources/extremist-files/neo-volkisch/

It should be noted that since “folkish” is jargon that is not immediately understandable to those who have not been introduced to it before, often times, these people will simply use the word “folk.” This does mean that “folk” can be something of a red flag, even though it has very popular innocent uses, such as “folk art,” “folk music,” “folk magic,” “folk belief,” “folk medicine,” etc. Simply referring to people as “folk,” “folks,” “folx” is also popular in the queer community and among rural people. However, if you see it used with a hint of divisiveness, such as “our folk,” “the right folk,” or even “the folk” (implying “folk” is a specific group), or using folk as a group identifier (such as “Odin’s Folk”), then that is a yellow flag, and you should probably take a look at the larger context to see if any other flags pop up.

Membership in or Support of AFA

The Asatru Folk Assembly or AFA is a known ethnocentric group that believes in radical conspiracy theories like “the great replacement” theory, which asserts that white people are going to be controlled and suppressed by non-white groups. They are also anti-feminist and gender essentialist. Gender essentialism, to explain what that is quickly, is believing that your genetalia at birth decides who you should be as a person. A penis means you’re a man, which means you’re strong and can’t show emotions. (They never seem to think that anger is an emotion.) A vagina means you’re a woman, which means you’re weak and MUST provide children and should do every chore in the household that can be invented. (Strong men might, on occasion, mow the lawn.) This view is deeply entrenched in their version of trite Viking Warrior mythos, right alongside hate-mongering and white nationalism.

There is more to learn about this organization and its deeply troubling history. Please feel free to learn more at the Asatru Folk Assembly page on the Southern Poverty Law Centre’s Website. https://www.splcenter.org/resources/extremist-files/asatru-folk-assembly/

Does this mean the word “asatru” is racist? No. “As” means “god” or, specifically, one of the Æsir gods, and “trú” means being true to them, choosing to believe in them. It is a word that many use to describe believing in the Norse gods. (“Heathen,” by contrast, is an umbrella term for all Germanic mythos which includes the Norse gods.) The Asatrú religion in Iceland is an official religion, and there are those using the word in North America for its intended meaning. However, it has unfortunately become something of a “yellow flag” by association, and someone calling themself Asatrù could have affiliations with the AFA or an adjacent group; or, equally, they might not. It’s not a red flag; it just means you might want to dig a little deeper to double-check.

Loyalty to Problematic Authors & Influencers

Reading and recommending authors and influencers who have hateful views or are tied to hate groups can be a yellow or red flag depending on context. Because these authors are so pervasive in the genre of Norse Pagan / Heathen books, and much of the hateful information is disguised in sweet words that seem to make sense on first read. The true red flag is when, if made aware of these issues, they think there isn’t a problem with those issues. And of course, it's much easier to keep yourself from falling down supremacist rabbit holes if you avoid these authors and influencers yourself.

To become more aware of such authors, influencers, leaders, & groups, there are several warning lists floating around the internet. We’ve found this list provided by r/Heathenry that includes links to documented issues, and does not only include bigotry as an issue but also misinformation and predatory behaviour.

People to Avoid in Heathenry

Please keep in mind that this list is not comprehensive. It does not include every hateful author. It is not even our list. It is a starting point for doing more research, and it may even contain people who have only put up yellow flags so far. Search up authors before you buy. Read or listen to every source carefully. And be especially suspicious of anyone purporting that this is “THE author/influence that you HAVE to listen to.”

Obviously, reading works by these people doesn’t make you a bad person. Some of these works may even be dear to you. But it’s important to recognize that these people put out these works as ways to lure those who don’t know better into their way of thinking. And that’s why even if one of these works was fundamental to you, it is deeply problematic to continue recommending them. Continuing to do so means choosing loyalty to a path of hate － whether you’ve actually chosen to take that path or not － over making sure members of your community are safe. After all, even if you don’t choose to follow that path yourself, you don’t know how the person you recommend the writer to will respond.

Witchcraft & General Spirituality

Also Loyalty to Problematic Authors & Influencers

There’s still specific authors to look out for even if you’ve got nothing to do with Norse Paganism or Heathenry. As previously mentioned, liking these people is not necessarily a red flag as sometimes people just don’t notice the bad. It’s all in how they handle it once made aware of what their favorite author or influencer has done or stands for. There might be slightly less actual nazis, but white supremacy and imperialism, gender essentialism and misogyny, and xenophobia abound.

Here’s another spreadsheet where every name has a reference for why their name is listed: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1eGIEX6RTn8xeVNW4ZHyLCpxB3IP6EpXRhMszPFyHMGA/ This is far from a comprehensive list, but it’s one with good sourcing and clear information. Again, this is not our list; we have shared it for its helpfulness, but some people on this list have only had yellow flags so far. We share this to provide a starting point for further research. Remember to search authors before you buy, read/listen with a critical eye/ear, and be suspicious of any resource being aggressively pushed on you as the one and only good resource.

Your Spiritual Practice MUST Be Aligned with Your Genetic Heritage

No, this is not talking about closed practices. A closed practice is a tradition which necessitates initiation before one can become part of the tradition. That is to say that no matter how many books you read about this practice, you still don’t get to do it (and probably aren’t even receiving accurate information) until you’ve been initiated into an existing group. Some of these closed practices are newer practices that were designed as such, such as Traditional Gardnerian Wicca or Alexandrian Wicca. Some are cultural traditions with a history of being predated on for profit (such as Vodún, Hoodoo, or various Indigenous practices), which, in some cases, might require an ethnic or cultural link to that group. Because they are culturally based, they are sometimes also referred to as “closed cultures.” Ethnic and cultural links, however, do not themselves function as initiation. In closed spiritual practices, one must still go through an initiatory process even if they are a member of the culture that practice stems from.

Norse, Heathen, Celtic, and Greco-Roman practices are not closed cultures or closed practices. That is because these practices died out in their original context and have been resurrected from folklore and historical evidence. There is no one with the right to gatekeep these practices anymore, especially in that these cultures and their general religious practices were never closed prior to dying out. Some practices such as seidr or temple oracles were initiatory in their original context. However, since any modern version is a resurrection based on what little evidence still survives and is available to everyone, these can no longer be considered closed.

Similarly, while Traditional Wicca may have originated in Britain and was heavily influenced by Celtic folklore and European mythologies, it was created by an individual. It does not culturally belong to Britain as most Brits are not Wiccan and there was never a time that Britain was culturally Wiccan. So, while it is a closed practice, it is not a closed culture and there is no reason to limit it to members of a specific culture.

And yet, some do. There are people who insist one must be European to practice anything originating from Europe, and that all other ethnicities must stick only to their cultural practices. Nearly always, these people are actually discussing race instead of culture. By “European,” they mean “white.” They have no problem with an Italian practicing Celtic Druidry or a Dane calling upon Athena. Furthermore, in this era of easy genetic testing, they often use genetics as interchangeable with heritage and culture… but only where it benefits them. Any non-European genetics in their DNA is permission to pilfer from that culture, while People of Colour having European genetics have doubts cast on it and told that it’s not the same.

It’s completely racially motivated. It is influenced by nationalist ideals of singular identity and narrowly defined culture and practices. And it’s not true of any modern spiritual tradition. If you feel drawn to practice an open tradition or get initiated into a closed tradition totally different from anything anyone in your lineage has ever done, there is absolutely no reason why you can’t continue participating in these practices.

But isn’t that cultural appropriation? Nope! Cultural appropriation is a complex issue, but basically, it’s not appropriating if it’s openly shared or you’re initiated into the culture. If an Italian practices Celtic druidry, that’s fine. If a white child is adopted by a First Nations family and immersed in that culture, it is their culture too. It’s not completely that simple, as there is an important element of respect and holding space, but that’s the core rule of thumb.

"If you take candy from a baby, that’s bad. If a baby gives you candy, that’s adorable."

While discussion of cultural appropriation was originally spread to help avoid racism and harmful practices, it unfortunately has been appropriated (see what I did there) as a term by those with a nationalist agenda. They want to use it to make you feel like all forms of cultural exchange are immoral and harmful in order to keep their “nation” “pure.” It is now important these days to question accusations of cultural appropriation to figure out if a practice is truly hurtful. If it is hard to figure out, it is better to listen to people of that culture or practice and see what their general opinion seems to be.

All Witches Must Do These Things

This a little bit feeds off the prior point, but in this particular case, the person making this claim isn’t appealing to heritage or culture or genetics. They are strictly narrowing the definition of witch to keep you in line with their ideal. Examples of this might be:

• All witches believe in the Rule of Three.
• All witches worship the God and Goddess.
• All witches are Wiccan.
• All witches participate in sabbats.
• No real witch would dress like that.
• No real witch would care about her aesthetics.
• No real witch would curse or hex.
• All witches are women.

Whether or not you believe these claims, I’ve found through personal experience that they can be the tip of a more insidious iceberg. Even though some of these comments seem innocent, the overall message is one of strictly limited identity. If you tell the speaker, “Oh, but I have an atheist hex-slinging friend who’s a witch,” they will often say, “No, they aren’t. They’re a [something else].” or simply “No, they’re lying to you/being lied to.”

While the speaker might not think of themself as a nationalist, it follows the same ideals of strictly defined identity usually under an authoritarian structure. They may think of themselves as kind and “full of light” and “abhor any negativity,” but it’s fairly common for them to be viciously exclusionary, otherising, and suspicious of anyone remotely outside their norm.

This may be more of a yellow flag than a red flag. Depending on who’s saying it, there may still be time to open their minds, but be careful they don’t drag you into the mire of hate with them. Too many times, I’ve given the benefit of the doubt to people saying these things only for them to show their true selves after years of excuses.

In Conclusion

You might read this and feel discouraged. It may seem like there’s ugly awful people in every corner of a spirituality that made you feel good, and there’s maybe even something you learned you were reading or thinking that has gross undertones.

But you know what? The world is better than that! We’re better than that! YOU’RE better than that!

This problem isn’t unique to witchcraft; there’s ugly sides and secrets to almost any hobby, spirituality, lifestyle or interest you can think of. Even the people that like watching paint dry probably have some weirdos. This is the kind of list almost any group of people should make － who to watch out for, what words to listen out for, what means you or someone in a vulnerable community might not be safe.

If you read this list and saw yourself and didn’t like it, just remember that “Every step is a first step if it's a step in the right direction.” (I Shall Wear Midnight by Terry Pratchett) Seeing something in your practice or in your witchy knowledge that isn’t sitting right and deciding you want to fix that? That’s a first step to take, and it’s one that no one else can or will make for you. What next? Shadow Work it out, Baby. This is your shadow, and you need to detangle yourself from the uglier part of humanity and cleanse your spirituality. 

"Human being first, witch second; hard to remember, easy to do." - Nanny Ogg, I Shall Wear Midnight by Terry Pratchett