Members of Ásatrúarfélagið gathered yesterday in Jónsskógur woodland, near Hallormsstaður in East Iceland, to conduct a ceremony to thank Mother Nature for the timber used to build part of the pagan temple that is now being constructed in Öskuhlíð, Reykjavík. The building is the first central pagan temple to be built in the Nordic countries since the Viking age.
Read more:10 interesting facts about the old pagan Ásatrú
Common larch, a species of larch native to the mountains of central Europe that was introduced to Iceland some 100 years ago, will be used for the building’s 400-square-metre-large (4305 sq ft) dome. The temple is the largest building to have been constructed using Icelandic timber, reports the National Broadcasting Service.
Read more:Pagan temple in Öskjuhlíð, Reykjavík, to be completed in 2017
As a natural religion the Ásatrú stresses the interconnection of all things and especially a respect for nature. Members are environmentally aware and know that nature must be cared for and nurtured. Therefore, members also prayed for the health and growth of new trees that were planted to replace those felled.
Watch a clip from the ceremony here.
Members of Ásatrúarfélagið gathered yesterday in Jónsskógur woodland, near Hallormsstaður in East Iceland, to conduct a ceremony to thank Mother Nature for the timber used to build part of the pagan temple that is now being constructed in Öskuhlíð, Reykjavík. The building is the first central pagan temple to be built in the Nordic countries since the Viking age.
Read more:10 interesting facts about the old pagan Ásatrú
Common larch, a species of larch native to the mountains of central Europe that was introduced to Iceland some 100 years ago, will be used for the building’s 400-square-metre-large (4305 sq ft) dome. The temple is the largest building to have been constructed using Icelandic timber, reports the National Broadcasting Service.
Read more:Pagan temple in Öskjuhlíð, Reykjavík, to be completed in 2017
As a natural religion the Ásatrú stresses the interconnection of all things and especially a respect for nature. Members are environmentally aware and know that nature must be cared for and nurtured. Therefore, members also prayed for the health and growth of new trees that were planted to replace those felled.
Watch a clip from the ceremony here.
