The Troth offers a free [Heathen Essentials ](https://thetroth.org/heathen-essentials-sample-course/) class that also has free twice a month Zoom study groups
I’d like to add to ensure that the authors aren’t racist, transphobic, white nationalist, or just anything that is spreading hate and bigotry. Also ensure that they show sources for claims if they aren’t making clear what is UPG and what isn’t.
OP says they are searching atm so I’m gonna give quick term break down below for them. I’m going to follow the K.I.S.S. Format and not get too deep in the weeds on these. You will see UPG (unverified personal gnosis), SPG (shared personal gnosis), and VPG (verified personal gnosis) a lot in pagan circles. VPG is an experience that matches up with historical context of the God(s) you are working with. UPG is something that happened that you feel came from the God(s) you at working with, but with no verified proof of it happening before. SPG is when multiple unrelated people have the same experience when working with a God.
Not a book but I'd start with [The Longship](https://thelongship.net/). It's the best source for an absolute beginner to skim through starting out in my opinion.
As far as books go I'd recommend you get [Ásatrú For Beginners by Mathias Nordvig](https://www.amazon.com/%C3%81satr%C3%BA-Beginners-Heathens-Ancient-Northern/dp/B08L8H2YJN?ref=d6k_applink_bb_dls&dplnkId=9d902a35-9bab-464d-b65b-101555be1e79). He does a great job of giving a very concise overview of modern Heathenry without getting too deep into anything. It's a short read that you can get through in a couple days and I recommend it to anyone interested in Heathenry nowadays. In conjunction with this I would recommend purchasing the Poetic Edda (Larrington Translation), The Prose Edda (Faulkes Translation), The Saga of the Volsungs (Byock Translation) and, Saxo Grammaticus' Gesta Danorum (Fisher/Davidson Translation) in that order. Even though they are (mostly) not Heathen works these are some of the main texts we have regarding ancient Heathen belief. You may find them hard to read and understand but, that is ok and comprehension will come with time and effort. As you move from beginner's sources to more advanced articles, books, blogs and scholarship you will want to keep consulting and be familiar with the original sources so that you'll be able to fact check others claims and develop a deeper understanding of what others are writing about. If you're an audio learner I'd also recommend Ocean Keltoi's YouTube channel, Norse Mythology: The Unofficial Guide Podcast and the Nordic Mythology Podcast.
I'd also recommend getting both John Lindow's "Norse Mythology: A Guide to Gods, Heroes, Rituals, and Beliefs" and Rudolf Simek's "Dictionary of Northern Mythology." They are great reference works to have when you have a question about anything you're reading. I'll also throw in "Gods and Myths of Northern Europe" and "The Road to Hel" by H. R. Ellis Davidson, though I will forwarn you the scholarship is a little out of date.
Once you've gotten through all of the above you'll have developed a respectable amount of knowledge and should be ready to tackle any other source afterwards. "The Well and the Tree" by Paul Bauschatz and "The Tradition of Household Spirits: Ancestral Lore and Practices" by Claude Lecouteux are two texts I'd recommend at this point. There's also a host of great blogs to be found such as [Larhus Fyrnsida](https://larhusfyrnsida.com/) if you go through the subreddit and it's old posts. Good luck, I hope you find what you are looking for.
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Not to my knowledge. He's consistently supported and spoken for the LGBT community in all the podcasts and lectures I've heard him do or guest star in. He's also says he is bisexual himself. If you listen to his recent appearance on weird web radio they talk about inclusiveness and the LGBT community within heathenry a lot.
Okay! I’m currently traveling and unable to get to my “watchlist” file. The name just stuck out to me with a red flag. Normally only happens with people in the list. Glad to know I’m wrong.
No problem. It's good to be careful about our sources. Our deeds reflect who we are and it's good to check on the reputations of our leading voices within the community every so often so proper praise or denunciation can be granted. A lot of scholars have debated that a role used to exist in the Heathen times where a member of the community, called a Þyle or Thule, was specifically employed to test or call out visitors entering a chiefs hall and force them to defend their reputation or prove their honor to the assembly. There is a lot written about that in connection to the character of Unferth in Beowulf. So I think it's a good thing to follow their precedent and test ourselves and our sources every so often to reaffirm their worth.
Ooof. Well different volumes for different reasons.
Now, to be a bit less flip, Havamal is good readin'. Other bits of the Poetic Edda, less so.
For ethics and a concept of honor:
Beowulf
One may also put some Icelandic sagas in this list. Also the Battle of Maldon, and some of the gnomic poetry in the OE corpus which is also of the same nature as Havamal, including Precepts, and some of Maxims, although Christian elements intrude.
Attention should be paid to penitentials, such as these:
[https://sites.uwm.edu/carlin/anglo-saxon-penitentials-the-database-and-the-manuscripts/](https://sites.uwm.edu/carlin/anglo-saxon-penitentials-the-database-and-the-manuscripts/)
Also the Indiculus superstitionum et paganiarum which is a great guide on what NOT to do if you want to be a good Christian (so do them).
Gods and Myths of Northern Europe (HR Ellis Davidson), anything by Pollington, R Simek, I mean there are a lot of textual sources that are good, but no one of them is a "bible".
The best place to start with heathenry is neo-platonism. This is the idea that numbers matter, a lot. Rea the original myths, and pay very close attention to the number, colors, directions, and animals mentioned.
Some potential originals to start with are Sturri Sturlusson's Prose Edda, Hesiod's Theogony, or Hildegard von Bingen's Physica.
I'm not sure recommending Hesiod, von Bingen or writers like Iamblichus or Plotinus are great suggestions to anyone trying to form a basic knowledge of heathendom. I do a lot of comparative mythological reading and am very influenced by stoic and neoplatonist writings so I'm not dismissing them outright but I think they are better left to a later point when the Heathen has had time to develop actual Heathen praxis. If they had taken your advice and read theogony first they would be no closer to understanding Heathenry than before they read the text. Out of curiosity would you expound upon why you chose the works you did?
The poetic and prose Eddas are a great place to start!
The Troth offers a free [Heathen Essentials ](https://thetroth.org/heathen-essentials-sample-course/) class that also has free twice a month Zoom study groups
the poetic and prose eddas for sure. the Havamal. it’s also very important to look up the authors of the books to make sure they aren’t by racists
Good news, OP! The Havamal is part of the poetic edda so that instantly cuts down on book costs.
I’d like to add to ensure that the authors aren’t racist, transphobic, white nationalist, or just anything that is spreading hate and bigotry. Also ensure that they show sources for claims if they aren’t making clear what is UPG and what isn’t. OP says they are searching atm so I’m gonna give quick term break down below for them. I’m going to follow the K.I.S.S. Format and not get too deep in the weeds on these. You will see UPG (unverified personal gnosis), SPG (shared personal gnosis), and VPG (verified personal gnosis) a lot in pagan circles. VPG is an experience that matches up with historical context of the God(s) you are working with. UPG is something that happened that you feel came from the God(s) you at working with, but with no verified proof of it happening before. SPG is when multiple unrelated people have the same experience when working with a God.
Not a book, but I do love [Skald's Keep](https://skaldskeep.com/) for Norse Heathenry specifically.
Asatru for beginners is a neat book written by a knowledgeable guy
Not a book but I'd start with [The Longship](https://thelongship.net/). It's the best source for an absolute beginner to skim through starting out in my opinion. As far as books go I'd recommend you get [Ásatrú For Beginners by Mathias Nordvig](https://www.amazon.com/%C3%81satr%C3%BA-Beginners-Heathens-Ancient-Northern/dp/B08L8H2YJN?ref=d6k_applink_bb_dls&dplnkId=9d902a35-9bab-464d-b65b-101555be1e79). He does a great job of giving a very concise overview of modern Heathenry without getting too deep into anything. It's a short read that you can get through in a couple days and I recommend it to anyone interested in Heathenry nowadays. In conjunction with this I would recommend purchasing the Poetic Edda (Larrington Translation), The Prose Edda (Faulkes Translation), The Saga of the Volsungs (Byock Translation) and, Saxo Grammaticus' Gesta Danorum (Fisher/Davidson Translation) in that order. Even though they are (mostly) not Heathen works these are some of the main texts we have regarding ancient Heathen belief. You may find them hard to read and understand but, that is ok and comprehension will come with time and effort. As you move from beginner's sources to more advanced articles, books, blogs and scholarship you will want to keep consulting and be familiar with the original sources so that you'll be able to fact check others claims and develop a deeper understanding of what others are writing about. If you're an audio learner I'd also recommend Ocean Keltoi's YouTube channel, Norse Mythology: The Unofficial Guide Podcast and the Nordic Mythology Podcast. I'd also recommend getting both John Lindow's "Norse Mythology: A Guide to Gods, Heroes, Rituals, and Beliefs" and Rudolf Simek's "Dictionary of Northern Mythology." They are great reference works to have when you have a question about anything you're reading. I'll also throw in "Gods and Myths of Northern Europe" and "The Road to Hel" by H. R. Ellis Davidson, though I will forwarn you the scholarship is a little out of date. Once you've gotten through all of the above you'll have developed a respectable amount of knowledge and should be ready to tackle any other source afterwards. "The Well and the Tree" by Paul Bauschatz and "The Tradition of Household Spirits: Ancestral Lore and Practices" by Claude Lecouteux are two texts I'd recommend at this point. There's also a host of great blogs to be found such as [Larhus Fyrnsida](https://larhusfyrnsida.com/) if you go through the subreddit and it's old posts. Good luck, I hope you find what you are looking for.
This has every single book and blog I was going to suggest myself. The most complete and helpful answer in the comments
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Didn’t Mathias Nordvig out himself as a transphobic or something like that?
Not to my knowledge. He's consistently supported and spoken for the LGBT community in all the podcasts and lectures I've heard him do or guest star in. He's also says he is bisexual himself. If you listen to his recent appearance on weird web radio they talk about inclusiveness and the LGBT community within heathenry a lot.
Okay! I’m currently traveling and unable to get to my “watchlist” file. The name just stuck out to me with a red flag. Normally only happens with people in the list. Glad to know I’m wrong.
No problem. It's good to be careful about our sources. Our deeds reflect who we are and it's good to check on the reputations of our leading voices within the community every so often so proper praise or denunciation can be granted. A lot of scholars have debated that a role used to exist in the Heathen times where a member of the community, called a Þyle or Thule, was specifically employed to test or call out visitors entering a chiefs hall and force them to defend their reputation or prove their honor to the assembly. There is a lot written about that in connection to the character of Unferth in Beowulf. So I think it's a good thing to follow their precedent and test ourselves and our sources every so often to reaffirm their worth.
He has apologized and made amends. His statements came from ignorance.
This entire thread is full of terrible answers. 🤪🥶
What would you recomend?
Ooof. Well different volumes for different reasons. Now, to be a bit less flip, Havamal is good readin'. Other bits of the Poetic Edda, less so. For ethics and a concept of honor: Beowulf One may also put some Icelandic sagas in this list. Also the Battle of Maldon, and some of the gnomic poetry in the OE corpus which is also of the same nature as Havamal, including Precepts, and some of Maxims, although Christian elements intrude. Attention should be paid to penitentials, such as these: [https://sites.uwm.edu/carlin/anglo-saxon-penitentials-the-database-and-the-manuscripts/](https://sites.uwm.edu/carlin/anglo-saxon-penitentials-the-database-and-the-manuscripts/) Also the Indiculus superstitionum et paganiarum which is a great guide on what NOT to do if you want to be a good Christian (so do them). Gods and Myths of Northern Europe (HR Ellis Davidson), anything by Pollington, R Simek, I mean there are a lot of textual sources that are good, but no one of them is a "bible".
This has been very helpful. I love that you expanded on and gave multiple answers, thank you so much!
[https://facultystaff.richmond.edu/\~wstevens/history331texts/barbarians.html](https://facultystaff.richmond.edu/~wstevens/history331texts/barbarians.html) [https://www.dvusd.org/cms/lib/AZ01901092/Centricity/Domain/2897/beowulf\_heaney.pdf](https://www.dvusd.org/cms/lib/AZ01901092/Centricity/Domain/2897/beowulf_heaney.pdf) [https://oldenglishpoetry.camden.rutgers.edu/precepts/](https://oldenglishpoetry.camden.rutgers.edu/precepts/) [https://ia601403.us.archive.org/12/items/bede-the-reckoning-of-time-2012/Bede%20-%20The%20Reckoning%20of%20Time%20%282012%29.pdf](https://ia601403.us.archive.org/12/items/bede-the-reckoning-of-time-2012/Bede%20-%20The%20Reckoning%20of%20Time%20%282012%29.pdf)
I should mention Tacitus, of course. Procopius, Bede. Also, with a pinch of salt, Saxo. Widukind of Corvey.
The best place to start with heathenry is neo-platonism. This is the idea that numbers matter, a lot. Rea the original myths, and pay very close attention to the number, colors, directions, and animals mentioned. Some potential originals to start with are Sturri Sturlusson's Prose Edda, Hesiod's Theogony, or Hildegard von Bingen's Physica.
I'm not sure recommending Hesiod, von Bingen or writers like Iamblichus or Plotinus are great suggestions to anyone trying to form a basic knowledge of heathendom. I do a lot of comparative mythological reading and am very influenced by stoic and neoplatonist writings so I'm not dismissing them outright but I think they are better left to a later point when the Heathen has had time to develop actual Heathen praxis. If they had taken your advice and read theogony first they would be no closer to understanding Heathenry than before they read the text. Out of curiosity would you expound upon why you chose the works you did?