The Troth
The Troth was founded by Edred Thorsson and James Chisholm on December 20, 1987, as The Ring of Troth.
The Troth is an international Heathen organization based in the United States and is a non-profit corporation registered in the state of Texas. Additionally, The Troth is recognized by the state of New York as a 501(c)(3) Charity.
The Troth is open to all who seek to know and to worship the Gods, honor the ancestors, and live by values of the Germanic Heathen traditions, regardless of tradition, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, ability, gender, or family structure.
The Troth stands against any use of Germanic religion or religious symbols to advance causes of racism, sexism, transphobia, homophobia, ableism or white supremacy.
Heathenry, Asatru and Norse Paganism
Heathenry, Asatru and Norse Paganism are names for a religion rooted in history and relevant in the modern age. Revived after a nearly one-thousand year long sleep, our faith represents an outlook and a way of life whose time has come again.
Why is it called "Heathenry?"
Historically, our religion has called Heathenry, and we still use that name now, too. Some Heathens may use other names that more specifically describe a type of Heathenry. Some call their faith Asatru ("Gods-Faith", in Icelandic) or Norse Paganism. We have a lot of different approaches to our faith but in general we share a few common principles
- We respect the Earth on which we live.
- We revere our ancestors.
- We worship the Gods and Goddesses as they were known and called in Northern Europe before the Christian conversion.
Different Heathens practice in different ways, and we celebrate that.
The Troth is an organization that embraces these differences, providing a place for all Heathens with hearts fixed on the goodness of the Gods to know each other and share what we have in common.
We embrace a curious, descriptive approach to our faith rather than a purely prescriptive approach. We are more interested in listening to how different people do things than telling people what to do.
Are you going to hate me for not being a Heathen?
Heathenry may not be for everyone, but anyone can be a Heathen, an Asatruar or a Norse Pagan. There is nothing wrong with exploring our faith and finding it's not right for you. We do not condemn people who do not share our faith. Many of us come from mixed-faith families and all that condemnation would cause a lot of issues!
What does it mean to be Heathen?
- To be Heathen is to love our Gods and Goddesses as a source of goodness, life, wisdom and abundance.
- To be Heathen is to seek to be a friend to all and approach others with compassion and curiosity.
- To be Heathen is to strive for justice, peace and plenty for all humankind.
- To be Heathen is to preserve abundance in our hearts, calmness in our minds and peace in our souls.
- To be Heathen is to know right and wrong, and always seek the good.
- To be Heathen is to stand up, even if we must stand alone, against evil.
What about mystical or esoteric traditions within Heathenry?
The mystical and esoteric comes easily to some people, and doesn't work at all for others, with many variations in between. We don't exclude people who have mystical, magical or hard-to-understand experiences. One of the beauties of being a polytheist tradition is that more than just allowing for the worship of multiple Deities, we allow for multiple ways of experiencing the Divine.
We appreciate those of you who mix herbs, sing spells or who enter trances. We also appreciate those of you who just don't do any of that stuff and have no desire to explore your faith that way.
All of you can find a place here.