Hierarchical Devotion

Each step of our inner-circle, from self to family, family to clan, clan to tribe, tribe to nation, nation to world and beyond acts as a springboard towards the appreciation of life, diversity, and society.

As Odinists/Asatruar we reject the notion of a brotherhood of man, and see devotion to life as a hierarchal system as natural as the food chain.

No matter what anyone may say, our families are the most important connection we have to our existence and are therefore the highest expression of convergence for us. 

We come together, not as a universal fellowship, but as families, as clans or kindreds, and as folk.
This acts as a springboard towards the next step of the hierarchy, meaning that through our appreciation for who we are, where we come from, and our blood relations we can truly learn how to appreciate others and where they come from.

We need a strong family foundation in order to be able to develop healthy relationships when we get older, which is supported by a vast amount of psychological and sociological research, and the same idea continues down the line to our communities, our people, etc.
The Gods exemplify this ideal in that they are a part of a family, and as such understand and know how important this is. We cannot learn true family values from a lone deity completely disconnected to us all.

The Aesir are a family, as are the Vanir, with Moms and Dads, Sons and Daughters, Aunts and Uncles, etc. Because of this, they have a hierarchy as well. The Aesir/Vanir war is the best example of this, for the conflict caused a split along family lines, and even married couples separated in favor of blood relatives.

This is obviously an example of our folkish and tribal faith that calls us to stand by our own.

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