page_title: Heathenry (new religious movement)
section_title: Morality and ethics
hierarchical_section_title: Heathenry (new religious movement) / Beliefs / Morality and ethics
caption_attribution_description: English: Forn Sed Sweden (former Swedish Asatru Assembly) holding a blót during their annual thing (meeting) at the 4th June 2011 in Humlamaden near Veberöd in Lund Municipality, Scania, Sweden. The thing and the blót was held under a birch (Betula pendula), a tree connected to the goddess Frigg. To the left is the "rådsgydja" (i.e. approx. "Priestess of the Council") Birka Skogsberg and to the right the "rådsgode" (i.e. approx. "Priest of the Council") Martin Domeij while officiating the blót. Both the gyðja and the goði is dressed in ceremonial clothes with red clothing over white clothing. At the tree is cultic images standing depicting the Norse deities Forseti, Freyja, Freyr, Frigg, and Thor. From the tree trunk a birch trumpet is hanging. On the ground is a drinking horn, an oath ring, and a ceremonial hammer. Svenska: Samfundet Forn Sed Sverige (f.d. Sveriges Asatrosamfund) håller blot i samband med samfundets årsting (årsmöte) 4 juni 2011 i Humlamaden, Veberöds socken, Lunds kommun, Skåne, Sverige. Årstingsförhandlingar och blot hölls under en björk (Betula pendula), ett träd förknippat med gudinnan Frigg. På bilden ses rådsgydja Birka Skogsberg och rådsgode Martin Domeij leda blotet. Både gydjan och goden är klädda i ceremoniella dräkter med röd överklädnad över en vit underklädnad. Vid trädstammen står gudastöttor föreställande Forsete, Freja, Frej, Frigg och Tor. På marken ligger även dryckeshorn, edsring och ceremonihammare. På trädstammen hänger en näverlur. Huset i bakgrunden är Humlamadens scoutstuga.
context_page_description: Heathenry, also termed Heathenism, contemporary Germanic Paganism, or Germanic Neopaganism, is a modern Pagan religion. Scholars of religious studies classify it as a new religious movement. Developed in Europe during the early 20th century, its practitioners model it on the pre-Christian belief systems adhered to by the Germanic peoples of the Iron Age and Early Middle Ages. In an attempt to reconstruct these past belief systems, Heathenry uses surviving historical, archaeological, and folkloric evidence as a basis, although approaches to this material vary considerably.
  Heathenry does not have a unified theology but is typically polytheistic, centering on a pantheon of deities from pre-Christian Germanic Europe. It adopts cosmological views from these past societies, including an animistic view of the cosmos in which the natural world is imbued with spirits. The religion's deities and spirits are honored in sacrificial rites known as blóts in which food and libations are offered to them. These are often accompanied by symbel, the act of ceremonially toasting the gods with an alcoholic beverage.
context_section_description: In Heathenry, moral and ethical views are based on the perceived ethics of Iron Age and Early Medieval Northwestern Europe, in particular the actions of heroic figures who appear in Old Norse sagas. Evoking a life-affirming ethos, Heathen ethics focus on the ideals of honor, courage, integrity, hospitality, and hard work, and strongly emphasize loyalty to family. It is common for practitioners to be expected to keep their word, particularly sworn oaths. There is thus a strong individualist ethos focused around personal responsibility, and a common motto within the Heathen community is that "We are our deeds". Most Heathens reject the concept of sin and believe that guilt is a destructive rather than useful concept.
  Some Heathen communities have formalized such values into an ethical code, the Nine Noble Virtues (NNV), which is based largely on the Hávamál from the Poetic Edda. This was first developed by the founders of the UK-based Odinic Rite in the 1970s, although it has spread internationally, with 77% of respondents to a 2015 survey of Heathens reporting its use in some form. There are different forms of the NNV, with the number nine having symbolic associations in Norse mythology. Opinion is divided on the NNV; some practitioners deem them too dogmatic, while others eschew them for not having authentic roots in historical Germanic culture, negatively viewing them as an attempt to imitate the Judeo-Christian Ten Commandments. Their use is particularly unpopular in Nordic countries, and has been observed declining in the United States.
  Within the Heathen community of the United States, gender roles are based upon perceived ideals and norms found in Early Medieval Northwestern Europe, in particular as they are presented in Old Norse sources. Among male American Heathens there is a trend toward hypermasculinized behaviour, while a gendered division of labor—in which men are viewed as providers and women seen as being responsible for home and children—is also widespread among Heathens in the U.S. Due to its focus on traditional attitudes to sex and gender—values perceived as socially conservative in Western nations—it has been argued that American Heathenry's ethical system is far closer to traditional Christian morals than the ethical systems espoused in many other Western Pagan religions such as Wicca. A 2015 survey of the Heathen community nevertheless found that a greater percentage of Heathens were opposed to traditional gender rules than in favor of them, with this being particularly the case in Northern Europe.
  The sociologist Jennifer Snook noted that as with all religions, Heathenry is "intimately connected" to politics, with practitioners' political and religious beliefs influencing one another. As a result of the religion's emphasis on honoring the land and its wights, many Heathens take an interest in ecological issues, with many considering their faith to be a nature religion. Heathen groups have participated in tree planting, raising money to purchase woodland, and campaigning against the construction of a railway between London and the Channel Tunnel in Southeastern England. Many Germanic Neopagans are also concerned with the preservation of heritage sites, and some practitioners have expressed concern regarding archaeological excavation of prehistoric and Early Medieval burials, believing that it is disrespectful to the individuals interred, whom Heathens widely see as their ancestors.
  Ethical debates within the community also arise when some practitioners believe that the religious practices of certain co-religionists conflict with the religion's "conservative ideas of proper decorum". For instance, while many Heathens eschew worship of the Norse god Loki, deeming him a baleful wight, his gender-bending nature has made him attractive to many LGBT Heathens. Those who adopt the former perspective have thus criticized Lokeans as effeminate and sexually deviant. Views on homosexuality and LGBT rights remain a source of tension within the community. Some right-wing Heathen groups view homosexuality as being 
caption: A 2011 Heathen blót in Humlamaden near Veberöd in Lund, Sweden
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