Resources for Beginners
The very best resource for learning about Fyrnsidu (Anglo-Saxon Heathenry) is the website Fyrnsidu.Faith. It is aimed at people new to the path to give them all the information needed to get started practicing right away. The website also contains a directory of current Fyrnsidu groups, websites, blogs, and podcasts. I highly encourage everyone to check it out!
Other than Fynrnsidu.Faith, the best resources available on heathenry are Lārhus Fyrnsida and The Longship. The first one, Lārhus Fyrnsida, is specifically for Anglo-Saxon heathenry, while the second one is for heathenry in general.
Glossary
- Anglo-Saxons
- A group of Germanic tribes consisting of the Angles, Saxons, and Jutes. They migrated to England in the fifth century, pushing the Celtic Brits west into Wales.
- Fyrnsidu
- An Old English term that means ancient customs. It is one of the names that many Anglo-Saxon Heathens refer to their religion as. A follower of Fyrnsidu is called a Fyrnsidere, and the plural is Fyrnsideras. The adjective form is fyrnsidic or fyrnsidisc.
- Heathenry
- A modern day revival of the pre-Christian religions of the Germanic peoples, including the Norse, Anglo-Saxons, and various Germanic tribes from Continental Europe. It is a subset of modern day Paganism.
- Old English
- The language of the Anglo-Saxon tribes. It was a Germanic language that evolved into Middle English by mixing with the French language of their Norman conquerors in the eleventh century.
- Orlæg
- (Old English) The portions of our wyrd that are comprised of things that are completely outside of our control, such as the actions of our ancestors and our parents before our birth and into our early childhood. See Wyrd- the Heathen Concept of Fate.
- Wyrd
- (Old English) Our “fate”, but not in the modern sense. Instead of being decreed by a deity, our wyrd is created by our actions and can be changed by changing what we do. See Wyrd- the Heathen Concept of Fate.