Followers of the Norse pagan faith Ásatrú are now well on their way to the building of a new hof–a temple and social centre–in East Iceland, Austurfrétt reports.
Funding begins
At a gathering of followers held last August, it was confirmed that a special bank account would soon be created that would collect funds for the construction of a hof. By Icelandic law, any legally recognised religious organisation in the country is entitled to a plot of land on which to build a house of worship, but the funding for construction is typically handled by the congregation and its supporters.
Baldur Pálsson, who is the chief clergyman (goði) for the Ásatrú Society in East Iceland, told reporters that the aim is to build this hof in Fljótsdalshéraði, the district where Egilsstaðir, East Iceland’s most populous town, is located.
A growing faith
Ásatrúarfélagið is a neo-pagan faith based on the beliefs and practices of the pre-Christian Norse peoples. This includes the symbolic worship of deities from the Norse pantheon (e.g. Freyja, Þór, and so on) and celebrating the old seasonal holidays. It was founded in 1972 and became legally recognised in 1973.
According to Statistics Iceland, there are 5,435 registered members in Ásatrúarfélagið, making it the largest non-Christian faith in Iceland.
