Ásatrú and Hindu: From Prophecy to Dialogue

Abstract

Written from a Heathen perspective, this chapter presents first steps toward interfaith dialogue between Ásatrú and Hindu traditions – steps inspired by a comparative reading of prophetic material from the Old Norse poem Völuspá (“Prophecy of the Seeress”) and the Sanskrit Mahābhārata (“Great Epic of the Bhārata Dynasty”). The term Heathen is commonly used as a self-identifier by practitioners of Ásatrú, a new religious movement that revives, reconstructs, and reimagines Norse polytheism as a living religion in a modern context. Seigfried’s discussion of his “holy envy” of the rich and detailed literary and philosophical traditions of Hinduism leads to a close reading of the two texts, examination of analogues in other religions, reflection on a scholarly turn to non-Abrahamic traditions, and discussion of some implications for interfaith action.