Thor

Thruðheim Kindred (pronounced throoth-hime) is an Ásatrú organization serving all of East Tennessee. Our geographical coverage extends from Chattanooga north to Oneida and from Cookeville east to the Tri-Cities area, with Knoxville in the middle. We are an independent kindred not affiliated with any other group. Our practice is family oriented and apolitical.

Ásatrú is an Icelandic term consisting of two parts: Ása referring to the gods and goddesses, and trú meaning true. Thus Ásatrú literally means true to the gods. The faith is sometimes referred to as Norse or Germanic Heathenry and may be regarded as an Earth religion much like Shinto and Native American spirituality. It represents the indigenous pre-Christian beliefs of the Northern Europeans. This included the peoples of present-day Scandinavia, England, Germany, The Netherlands, and Belgium, among others. Ásatrúar may be found today all over the world but principally in Scandinavia, Western Europe, North America and Australia/New Zealand.

Thruðheim Kindred had its beginnings in late 1997 when meetings were held with Cliff, Jeff, and Bernhard. At that time the closest kindred was in Nashville, although an earlier one had existed in the 1970s in Knoxville called the Kindred of Thor's Mountain. After much organization and planning, the formational blót of Thruðheim Kindred was held on July 18, 1998. Thruðheim is the home of Thor in Norse mythology who is the patron god of the kindred.

Although the membership of Thruðheim Kindred does not subscribe to the "one size fits all" or universalist approach to religion, it does not restrict membership on the basis of color, race, gender, or sexual orientation. If you live in East Tennessee and seek fellowship in Ásatrú, please contact us at:

info@thrudheim.org

In frith and troth,
Thruðheim Kindred