There is no denying that the United Kingdom based Heathen group Asatru UK (AUK) has been remarkably active in the past few years. After transitioning from being an online community to a bonafide in-person organization, AUK has managed to coordinate the publication of several books as well as set up festivals and other live events. However, according to AUK chair Jack Hudson, much more is to come in the near future.
Following the celebration of the Althyng festival last summer, AUK was formally instituted as an official non-profit organization in the United Kingdom, which lead the group’s leadership to research avenues for growth and outreach. While AUK has, from the very beginning, mostly made money through the sale of books and merchandise, it was decided to start ramping up the organization’s patron-program. By promoting it more actively and extending its reward system, AUK was thus able to grow from 100 members in the end of 2022 to 151 at the time of writing this article.
“When we reached 100 members we realized that the income that came from the patron program would be enough to support our portable vé [a type of Heathen shrine] project and make new god-posts every year,” states Hudson. “But then when we saw the numbers surge after the Althyng, we started really looking into what we could do next. Our accounting team worked hard on this and concluded that, if we reached 225 paying members, we could actually start looking to buy some land.”
Asatru UK committee and other community members in 2019 (courtesy)
While AUK has so far managed to hold events on various rented properties in the United Kingdom, Hudson stresses the advantages of owning a plot of land: “When we started, we only held three yearly events, but went down to two during COVID. However, there will be four of them in 2023, and we hope to increase that number. If we had our own property, we would be able to save a lot of money we currently have to spend on rent, and reinvest the funds we keep into the community. It also gives us more privacy and credibility as a group.”
AUK, he adds, is particularly aiming to hold a number of events specially geared towards families, as well as patron-only meet-ups.
Another opportunity to grow the community arose when AUK became a registered non-profit. As a non-profit organization, it is now possible for Asatru UK to apply for grants and start fundraising for specific projects.
“Being a non-profit is a step in the right direction,” he says. “What we really want is to get tax-exempted charity status, but this is quite hard. AUK collaborates closely with the Pagan Federation UK, which has existed for over fifty years and has still not managed to get there either.” The Pagan Federation, however, is currently in the process of registering and, according to Hudson, may receive the coveted status in the near future. “This would be very important, not only for the Pagan Federation but for other Pagan and Heathen groups like us in the UK. Once they get there, they will be able to assist us in our own process. We hope to make it in the next five or six years.”
AUK has named their plans to buy land as “the Nerthus initiative.”
Hudson gives more details of the organization’s thought process and long terms plans. “For the time being, most things are up in the air, but we hope that we reach our goal to have 225 paying members by the end of 2025.”
Regarding where in the UK he thinks the property might be purchased, he states that, for practical reasons, it would most likely be somewhere in the center of Britain, but that they cannot be certain of anything yet. “Depending on the evolution of the real estate market, it might be that we will end up purchasing some pretty run-down land. But again, restoring it, looking after it could be seen in and of itself as an act of worship towards Jord, the earth Goddess.”
But in this moment, Hudson, and the other AUK officers and committee members are busy working on a more immediate project: The Thunorsmoot. Named after the Anglo-Saxon name for Þórr, the Thunorsmoot will have the challenging task of succeeding last year’s Althyng, which ended up becoming the best-attended event in the history of modern British Heathenry.
“We ended up being up to 265 people at the festival, and we got a lot of positive feedback from the public afterwards,” says Hudson.
While the AUK Leadership originally wanted to organize a smaller event this year, the positive returns persuaded them to stick to the festival form for 2023 as well. However, due to licensing and the size of the venue, no more than 300 people will be able to attend the festival at once. “Including staff and vendors, we already have 100 people booked, and the festival is still four months away, so we might end up selling out before the event even starts,” says Hudson.
An aerial view of the site where the Thunorsmoot will take place in August 2023 (courtesy)
While the program for the Thunorsmoot is still being developed, Hudson stated that the organization was committed to not only serve, but to employ the Heathen milieu first and foremost: “We really want to put forward the community, that’s why we chose to only book Pagans and Heathens.” Seidrblot and Solfyr, who played the festival last year, will be making a come back. Hudson also announced that some members of the organization team were currently in the process of establishing a distinct Heathen catering business that would service the Thunorsmoot as well as other festivals throughout the summer season.
As opposed to last year’s event, which, at the last minute, had to be relocated to northern Yorkshire, this year’s moot will take place in the Midlands of England, near a small town called Mapperley, in the vicinity of Nottingham. The venue, Hudson states, is the best AUK ever had, even sporting two barns that will be used for talks and workshops, as well as shielding oneself when rain will inevitably come. An outdoor vé will also be set up, where the Þórr god-pole which is currently being carved will be consecrated.
“We hope the Thunorsmoot will be a success and bring in a lot of new people in to strengthen the community,” adds Hudson.
The visual selected for the Thor godpole to be consecrated at the Thunorsmoot. Design by the Saxon Storyteller (courtesy)
When asked about other projects in the works, Hudson comes back to the topic of merchandizing. Hudson talked about planning to turn some of AUK’s previously published books into audiobooks. On the topic of physical media, he mentioned a newly-released book as well: A Travellers Guide to Kindreds, a work dedicated to organizing Heathen communities, edited by AUK director of publication Hamish Cronin. Hudson also mentioned plans on collaborating with some local Heathen mead-brewers to produce a special AUK mead, as well as a for-now secret project that, he states, “might be both very useful to many Heathens, and be a big hit.”
After almost two hours, as our conversation came to an end, I wanted to come back to the Nerthus Initiative briefly. During our talk, it was obvious that Hudson was expecting great things to come from it. “I have been dreaming, and I am probably not the only one, about building a Heathen temple since I was a teenager,” he said. “When it happens, it will truly be an asset for the community, and it will help us foster growth. I am sure we will succeed because everything we say we re gonna do, we are obliged to go through by the will of the community.”
“But then,” I ask, “have you planned the next phase? What will you be doing if Asatru UK gets even bigger, and gets up to 1000, or 10,000 members?”
“Then we buy more land and build more temples.”
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