Ansutrewwo

*Red Valknut*

## Religious Modifiers

Changing Rival Cost -50%

Leader Cost -50%

## Religion Mechanics

Religious Authority

Orthodox Icons

## Gods

DonarNational Unrest -1

Shock Damage +5%

TeiwazMorale of Armies +10%

Land Maintenance Modifier -10%

FrouwaYearly prestige +0.50

Idea Cost -5%

NerthusProduction Efficiency +10%

Construction Cost -5%

WodanazMorale of Navies +10%

Morale of Armies +10%

**Ansutrewwo** (germanic\_religion), also called colloquially as **Odinism/Wodanism**, **Germanism** or more generally as **Paganism** due to being one of the last historical pagan spirituality remaining in Europe by Late Antiquity, is the unorganized traditional religion of the Germanic and Norse people. During its late, more organized and categorized versions compiled by christian monks, it was said that they worshipped a pantheon of gods of two types, the Aesirs (generally favoring noble enterprises and battle) and Vannirs (more oriented toward fertility and fortune).

Religious Authority can be gained by random events that happen to every country that has Religious Authority as a mechanic.

# Etymology

The Germanic and Norse populations left no formal name to their practices and beliefs. As stated above, the authors belonging to other more organized faith in later ages called them nothing less than the general term "pagan" (which in its former latin context, meant nothing more than "rustic" or "uncivilized"). The name chosen for this religion in this mod, comes from three runes of germanic origin, ᚨ (pronounced *Ansuz*), meaning "God/Gods", ᚦ (pronounced *Thurs*), meaning "Giants" (*Jotun*), the chtonic enemies of the germanic and nordic pantheon, and ᚱ (pronounced *Raido*, or *Rewo* in its most archaic form), meaning "Raid" in its most common form, but archaically meaning "Journey" or "Tale"; hence they form together ᚨᚦᚱ, "The Tales of the Gods and the Giants".

# Background

The Germanic and Nordic Pantheon is distinctly Indo-European in origin but with its own differences on the tradition. Wodanaz, Wotan or Odin, Father of All and God of War and Wisdom, resides at the Top of the World(Tree) in Asgard (the Heavenly/Godly Realm), and is the source of all divinity, nobility and life in all of the Nine Worlds below Him (constituting late Nordic interpretation of the universe). His close kin form the group known as the Aesirs, which comprise His sons Thor (also called Donar), the God of Thunder, Lightning, Storms and Protection (the archaic interpretation of Dyeus Pater the Sky-Father of Indo-European origin), Loki (not worshipped and certainly not of Aesir stock, considering most tales feature him born of the Jotuns; yet clearly considered as part of Odin's family, along with being associated with cunning, sorcery and trickery) and Baldr ("The princely"; a protector of nobles and righteousness), amongst others.

The Aesirs first waged war against the Father of all Giants, Ymir or Tuisto (a primordial entity born out of, and spreading, chaos) and his kin, defeating them by killing Ymir, refashioning the Nine Realms of Yggdrasil with his various body parts, and consigning his sons to the lowest and darkest of the Nine Realms short of Helheim, the home of the unworthy Dead : Muspellheim ("the Realm of Fire"), home to Surtr and his sons the Fire Giants, and Jotunheim ("Realm of the Giants"), home of Thrymr and the rest of Ymir's brood : the Trolls, the Mountain Giants and the Ice Giants.

Then the Aesirs waged a short war against the Vannirs, which ended with a truce that required Vannirs and Aesirs to mingle and marry. United, both people began to oversee the rest of the universe and prepare for Ragnarok, the final battle between the forces of Evil, led by the Giants, and the forces of Good, led by the Aesir-Vannir coalition, that would end the world and birth a new perfect one from its ashes.

Historically, Germanic and Norse paganism would be the second most persistant form of native european religion facing against Christianity, with Baltic Paganism necessitating a Crusade to effectively uproot them from Eastern Europe. Germanism was a warlike spirituality; Wodan necessitated the worthiest of departed warriors, the Einherjars, to form the bulk of his armies during Ragnarok to defeat Evil; therefore, the highest glory of Germanic spirituality was to die in battle honorably; and so the Germans and the Norse waged war against their neighbors constantly, going far and wide to find new enemies to raid and battle with and forge new *Sagas*, great tales, to share with their communities.

Germanic paganism would not disappear by the sword unlike the Baltic beliefs but because of simple religious osmosis; as their neighbors embraced Christianity more and more and enjoyed privileges with fellow Christians while they themselves experienced more and more prejudices (the most noteworthy of which was that Christians could not marry non-Christians), it was simply less and less advantageous to preserve their traditional beliefs. Germany ended its christianization by the turn of the first millenium after Christ; Nordic Scandinavia, by the 1300s.