Taken from http://www.religioustolerance.org/asatru.htm Asatru is a religion based on the ancient religion of the Norse. The word itself is derived from the word Asa, the Icelandic possessive for "Aesir," and Tru, which means "belief" or "religion." Asatru believes in several of the norse gods, according to the article. Some of the gods include, but are not limited to: Thor, god of lightning, Odin, chief of gods, Freya, Goddess of love, as well as most of the Norse Gods of old. It also includes the belief that those who die in battle who be carried to Valhalla, the place of the Gods. For those who do not die, they either go to Hiflhel (A Place of torment" or Hel, (A place of calmness.)

Asatru (Icelandic "Aesir faith") is a new religious movement which is attempting to revive the pre-Christian (Viking Age) Nordic religion as described in the Eddas. It was established in the 1960s and early 1970s in Iceland, by the Islenska Asatruarfelagio which was founded by Sveinbjorn Beinteinsson. Asatru was recognized as an official religion by the governments of Iceland (in 1973), Denmark (in 2003) and Norway. The United States government does not officially endorse or recognize any religious group, however numerous Asatru groups have been granted nonprofit religious status going back to the 1970s. While the term Asatru originally referred specifically to the Icelandic adherents of the religion, Germanic neopagan and reconstructionist groups widely identify themselves as Asatru, particularly in the USA. In this wider sense, the term Asatru is used synonymously with Germanic Neopaganism or Germanic Paganism, along with the terms Forn Sed, Odinism, Heithni or Heathenry and others. Asatru originated as a second (or third) revival of Germanic paganism in the 1960s and early 1970s. The Islenska Asatruarfelagio was founded on summer solstice, 1972, and was recognized as an official religion by the Icelandic government in 1973, largely due to the efforts of Sveinbjorn Beinteinsson. At about this time, in the United States, Steve McNallen, a former U.S. Army officer, began publishing a newsletter titled "The Runestone". He also formed an organization called the Asatru Free Assembly, later renamed the Asatru Folk Assembly which is still extant. Else Christensen's Odinism, which sometimes identified with the term Asatru, originated around the same period. An offshoot of McNallen's group is the Asatru Alliance, headed by Valgard Murray, publisher of the "Vor Tru" newsletter. The Asatru Alliance held its 25th annual "Althing" gathering in 2005. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asatru Asatru places the highest value of human freedom and individuality. This is true in both secular and religious matters, and is so strong that while we honor our gods and goddesses, we will never grovel before them. The Shining Gods and Goddesses (the Aesir and the Vanir of Scandinavian tradition) are models and inspirations: self-aware personifications of the forces of nature and of life. They are our friends, but never will they be our masters, and we will never be their slaves. We do not bow our heads before them, we do not bend the knee or surrender our judgment or our sovereignty. At it core, Asatru believes in human action. No waiting for the afterlife to be happy: you must seize your happiness in the here and now! By heroic action you can take your life in your own hands. You are indeed the "Captain of Your Fate" and the "Master of Your Soul". http://members.iquest.net/~chaviland/whyasa.htm