Odinism is the indigenous religious faith of the Scandinavian, British and other peoples of Northern Europe it is an amalgam of attitudes, ideas and behavior, both a personal faith and a communal way of life. In its beginnings Odinism is probably as old as our race. Historically it may be divided into three periods: Before the coming of Christianity Its gradual merging with Christianity and the ensuing Period of Dual Faith, and Its efforts in the present century to free itself of Christian influences and to reassert its ancient independence.

How have the tenets of Odinism been preserved? Is there an Odinist holy book? The ancient oral traditions of Odinism were during the Middle Ages embodied in writings, the Odinist books of wisdom, the principle of which are the Eddas. The poetic Elder Edda presents the Odinist cosmogony, the mythological lays and the heroic lays, including the story of Sigurd and Brynhild which were in later times molded into the Lay of the Nibelungs. The Younger Edda is a prose synopsis of the Odinist faith.