FILTERING OUT MODERN POLITICS AND OTHER NON-HEATHEN RELIGIOUS INFLUENCES

To project modern ideologies—whether political or religious—onto the world of our ancestors and our faith is not merely a historical error; it is a desecration of their living memory. Their truths were forged in fire, not filtered through modern lenses.

At Odin’s Warrior Tribe, we do not reshape the past to fit the present. Our goal is to carry forward the unbroken flame of our ancestors with reverence and resolve yet we are also pragmatic and understand all things evolve.

Here is an example. Despite modern myths and memes, Viking society was not socialist, not even close.

While Norse communities relied on cooperation and kinship (as every functioning society must), they were built on personal honor, warrior hierarchy, and fiercely protected private ownership—not redistribution or collective equality.

Hierarchy and Class Were Central

Viking society was anything but classless. Its structure was based on rank, honor, and earned reputation:

• Jarls – nobles, warlords, kings, and powerful landowners

• Karls – free men and women: farmers, craftsmen, warriors

• Thralls – slaves, often prisoners of war or born into servitude

Rus Vikings Trading

There was no ideological pursuit of equality. Status was earned by bloodline, bravery, success in battle, hard work, successful trading, or raiding for wealth, and inherited wealth. It was expected to be defended with steel and resolve.

For a detailed understanding of Viking class and social order, one must go beyond internet summaries and distortions and dive into the sources that carried our ancestors’ worldview:

Read the Hávamál for its guidance on wisdom, behavior, and status.

Read the Poetic and Prose Eddas, where gods and mortals alike are judged by honor and courage.

Read the Icelandic Sagas, where characters live and die by their name and deeds.

And especially read Rígsþula, the account of how Rig established the classes of thrall, Karl, and jarl. It is not equality that binds the Norse cosmos—but distinction, duty, sacrifice, and legacy.

Read Saxo Grammaticus as well.

Private Property Was Sacred

Land, ships, livestock, weapons, tools—even ornate silver armbands—all were privately owned. Theft wasn’t merely illegal; it was a deep violation of personal honor. Ownership was an extension of one’s worth and independence. Communal ownership as a political ideal had no place in this worldview.

Reciprocity Was Personal, Not Ideological

Gift-giving and mutual obligation were core to Norse life—but they were not mechanisms for wealth redistribution. Gifts bound people with loyalty and mutual respect. Generosity elevated your drengskapr (honor and virtue), and receiving a gift came with an expectation of future support. This was about forging bonds, not equalizing outcomes. Our program for active and veteran military and law enforcement and first responders offering events and activities is a form of gift giving – not charity though that is the modern legal and technical name often used for it, but for us it is a gift.

“Better not to ask than to over-pledge.

As a gift that demands a gift"

Better not to send than to slay too many.”

“The first charm I know is unknown to rulers.

Or any of human kind;

Help it is named,

for help it can give In hours of sorrow and anguish.”

Law Was About Compensation, Not Welfare

Norse law emphasized personal responsibility and restitution. Legal systems like Grágás (Iceland) and Gulathing (Norway) were focused on honor, family reputation, and enforcing oaths. If wronged, one sought wergild—compensation in silver—not state intervention. When Egil was compensated by a King with silver for his role in battle and for the loss of his brother it was seen as fair reward – not a handout.

“He (Egil) sat before King Æthelstan with helmet on and sword across his knees, his head bowed and his expression forbidding. Sensing that the formidable Icelander was both grieving and potentially volatile, King Æthelstan acted wisely to console him. First, the king took a large gold arm-ring from his own arm and offered it to Egil across the fire (presenting it on the tip of his sword). Egil accepted this ring in the same ceremonial manner, sliding it onto his arm – and as the saga notes, “his brows went back to their place,” meaning his dark scowl began to lift. This initial gift of honor pacified Egil enough that he drank from his cup and even recited a short praise verse for the king’s generosity. After the meal, Æthelstan presented the main gift. He had his men bring in two heavy chests – so large that it took two men to carry each – and these he handed over to Egil. The chests were filled with silver coins and treasure. The king addressed Egil, explaining the reason for this reward: “These, O Egil, I give thee to take to thy father in Iceland, in satisfaction for his son Thorolf, slain in my service; and to thee, in satisfaction for thy brother.” In other words, Æthelstan was paying compensation (wergild) for the loss of Egil’s brother, who had died fighting for him. This gesture was akin to the customary Norse blood-price for a fallen kinsman, here paid by a grateful king. Æthelstan further added that if Egil chose to stay longer in England, he would grant him “such honour and dignities as thou mayest thyself name,” offering land or high position as additional reward.”

Egil’s Saga

 Modern disability for wounded veterans is similar to that situation of Egil it is compensation/restitution for their sacrifice. Something for nothing is not. There were no public aid systems for our ancestors in those ancient times. One lived and died by kin, clan, and one’s own strength. Later laws dictated that anyone who begged for too long would be denied aid.

Kings Ruled Through Might, Not Ideology. Leadership was not based on theories of equality or justice. Kings and chieftains rose through victory, generosity, force of will, and the loyalty they inspired. Some were followed for their hamingja and luck. Their authority rested on their ability to lead, protect, and reward. There was no notion of utopia, and certainly no top-down political ideology shaping society.

Modern Heathens must tread carefully. We live in a fractious world saturated with political and religious ideologies—left and right, Christian and secular, collectivist, and nationalist. Many of these systems will attempt to reshape the Norse faith in their own image, by twisting its symbols and values to serve agendas that are alien to our ancestors’ worldview and even how it might have evolved and could evolve.

"A minstrel sings of famous deeds", in English Literature for Boys and Girls, c. 1910 by J.R. Skelton

This for example is NOT the Norse faith view: “Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God.” — Luke 6:20

Neither is this:

“If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven.” — Matthew 19:21

Nor:

“Give to everyone who asks you, and if anyone takes what belongs to you, do not demand it back.” — Luke 6:30

Such passive acceptance would be seen as shameful in a Norse worldview. In the Hávamál, wisdom and discernment are prized in gift-giving—not blind charity. And property taken without honor would be a grave insult demanding retribution, not forgiven.

We respect other faiths that seek no harm to our faith, yet we must be vigilant. Many of them seek and press for converts – we wait for those who choose.

This is not to say that Norse belief would not have evolved on its own, of course it would, as all living traditions do. But there is a stark difference between organic cultural evolution and ideological distortion from outside forces as our faith disappeared except in sources and a few folk customs. The former arises from community, story, and experience; the latter is imposed by outsiders—or worse, by those who seek to retrofit Heathenry into their own modern frameworks, often unknowingly severing it from its roots.

We are modern men and women walking the hard path of our ancestors—with eyes open, swords sharp, and hearts bound to truth.

So, let’s set the record straight: the Vikings, and the Germanic Tribal heathens before them were tribal, hierarchical, fiercely independent, and honor-bound warriors. They were loyal to kin, Gods, and clan—not to ideologies, not to political slogans, and certainly not to any modern idea of socialism.

The Invitation of the Varangians - Rurik and his brothers Sineus and Truvor arrive at Ladoga by Viktor Vasnetsov. Painted around 1909. Painting in Moscow.

Above all Honor and reputation are what mattered!

“Many who are first will be last, and many who are last will be first.” — Matthew 19:30

Contrast that with these famous passages from the Havamal attributed to Odin himself:

“Cattle die, kindred die,

Every man is mortal:

But the good name never dies.

Of one who has done well.”

“Cattle die, kindred die,

Every man is mortal:

But I know one thing that never dies,

The glory of the great dead.”

Havamal

To project modern ideologies—left, right, or religion onto their world is not only historically false... it is a desecration of the living memory of our people.

Odin’s Warrior Tribe carries on the values of the ancestors today:

Honor. Loyalty. Strength. Truth – these are part of our Tribal Code.

And we guard those values from distortion—because they are sacred.

Illustrations: