ÁSATRÚAR HEATHENS IN HAWAI`I

Abstract

Ásatrú Heathenry is a steadily growing New Religious Movement (NRM) in the United States. This Neo-pagan Faith is a reconstructed return to the pre-Christian practices of the Viking Age. Few scholars have studied the religion, and no one has previously studied it in the military population within the geographical margins of Hawai`i. This study argues that the geographical isolation of the 50th State impacts the social structure of the local Ásatrú Heathen community. Moreover, this study contends that Ásatrú conversion bears distinctive motives resembling those of military enlistees and that Ásatrú’s ethical paradigms mirror the ethos favored by military service-people. With this strong military connection, the Ásatrú Heathens in Hawai`i also present a unique voice offering insight into the growth of the religion. In this research study, hermeneutical, ethnographic, and etymological methodologies are employed to better represent the varied practices found in the Ásatrú Heathens practitioner’s reconstruction of this ancient tradition. These practices are especially important to the Ásatrú in Hawai`i, who are forced to recreate the religion within the confines of their small military family units.