Contemporary Pagan · branch

Heathenry (Ásatrú)

Reconstructed Norse and Germanic polytheism: gods who are persons with limits, honour and reciprocity as the moral core, and offerings that are meals rather than sacraments. Divided internally over whether belonging is ancestral or open, which the E3 dispersion records.

What makes it unusual

The axes on which this tradition sits furthest from the middle of the matrix — which is to say, the positions that actually distinguish it.

A3 Pluralitymany powers and spiritsFurther toward "many powers and spirits" than most traditions in the matrix.
D3 The bodyleaning to be celebratedFurther toward "to be celebrated" than most traditions in the matrix.
E4 Standing of natureanimate and itself sacredFurther toward "animate and itself sacred" than most traditions in the matrix.
A2 Personhooda personal being one can addressFurther toward "a personal being one can address" than most traditions in the matrix.

All seventeen positions

Each cell carries a centre, a dispersion — how much internal variation the tradition genuinely tolerates — and the source the position rests on. Disagree with one? Say so; corrections are public and recorded.

The same seventeen values as a single shape, read clockwise from A1 at the top. The outline is where the tradition sits; the wider band around it is the variation it genuinely tolerates, so a tight outline is a tight tradition.

position
tolerated variation

A · The divine

Axis	Position	Value	±σ
A1 Divine realitynothing beyond the natural → a divine reality certainly exists	a divine reality certainly existsPoetic and Prose Eddas with contemporary Asatru organisational statements	0.88	0.12
A2 Personhoodimpersonal principle or order → a personal being one can address	a personal being one can addressPoetic and Prose Eddas with contemporary Asatru organisational statements	0.85	0.10
A3 Pluralitystrictly one → many powers and spirits	many powers and spiritsPoetic and Prose Eddas with contemporary Asatru organisational statements	0.95	0.04
A4 Locuswholly beyond the world → fully present within it	leaning fully present within itPoetic and Prose Eddas with contemporary Asatru organisational statements	0.82	0.12

B · Knowledge and authority

Axis	Position	Value	±σ
B1 Source of truthrevealed and fixed → reason and direct experience	between revealed and fixed and reason and direct experiencePoetic and Prose Eddas with contemporary Asatru organisational statements	0.55	0.18
B2 Reading of sacred textliteral and binding → metaphorical, or no text at all	leaning metaphorical, or no text at allPoetic and Prose Eddas with contemporary Asatru organisational statements	0.72	0.14
B3 Institutional authorityclergy and tradition decide → individual conscience decides	leaning individual conscience decidesPoetic and Prose Eddas with contemporary Asatru organisational statements	0.68	0.16

C · Self and destiny

Axis	Position	Value	±σ
C1 Survival of the selfends at death → continues in some form	leaning continues in some formPoetic and Prose Eddas with contemporary Asatru organisational statements	0.72	0.18
C2 Shape of timeone life, then judgment → cyclical return	between one life, then judgment and cyclical returnPoetic and Prose Eddas with contemporary Asatru organisational statements	0.40	0.22
C3 The human conditionfallen and in need of rescue → ignorant but fundamentally sound	ignorant but fundamentally soundPoetic and Prose Eddas with contemporary Asatru organisational statements	0.85	0.10

D · Practice

Axis	Position	Value	±σ
D1 Mechanism of the ultimate goodgiven as grace → achieved by effort or insight	leaning achieved by effort or insightPoetic and Prose Eddas with contemporary Asatru organisational statements	0.78	0.12
D2 Centrality of ritualessential and prescribed → optional or absent	leaning essential and prescribedPoetic and Prose Eddas with contemporary Asatru organisational statements	0.25	0.14
D3 The bodyto be disciplined → to be celebrated	leaning to be celebratedPoetic and Prose Eddas with contemporary Asatru organisational statements	0.78	0.12

E · World and others

Axis	Position	Value	±σ
E1 Exclusivityone true path → many valid paths	leaning many valid pathsPoetic and Prose Eddas with contemporary Asatru organisational statements	0.72	0.14
E2 Origin of the cosmosan intentional act → beginningless or natural	leaning an intentional actPoetic and Prose Eddas with contemporary Asatru organisational statements	0.30	0.20
E3 Locus of belonginga people, inherited → an individual choice	between a people, inherited and an individual choicePoetic and Prose Eddas with contemporary Asatru organisational statements	0.48	0.20
E4 Standing of naturecreation, given for use → animate and itself sacred	animate and itself sacredPoetic and Prose Eddas with contemporary Asatru organisational statements	0.88	0.08

Compared with

Where do you sit?

The questionnaire places your own answers on these same seventeen axes and reports how close you are to this tradition and to 64 others. Take it — eight to fourteen questions, nothing transmitted.