FACTS ABOUT THE ODIN BROTHERHOOD
1. The Odin Brotherhood is a polytheistic religion devoted to Odin, Thor, Sif, and the other deities of the Norse tradition. Monotheism, described as "the belief in one totalitarian god," is considered "preposterous and absurd."
2. The Odin Brotherhood claims an unbroken historical lineage from 1421. Although it "bears the teeth marks of Christianity," it has survived persecution.
3. To be initiated into the Brotherhood (the group is organized as a "secret society"), individuals must cut themselves three times with a dagger and "devote, hallow, and sanctify" their blood to "the gods who live."
4. The Brotherhood denounces "faith" as "a poison that paralyzes the mind." Members are taught to "seek knowledge."
5. The Brotherhood glorifies strength. They assert that it is “only by becoming stronger that a man can realize his divinity."
6. The Brotherhood teaches absolute self-reliance. Members would "rather steal than accept charity."
7. Sin is denied and "contrition" is denounced as a "totem of decadence." Odinists see repentance as a mark of weakness because they claim "only the terrorized repent."
8. The Odin Brotherhood has no temples or churches. The gods, they believe, can be honored anywhere as long as all "strangers" are excluded, all words are "whispered," and "all abominations are avoided." (By abominations, they mean
"promiscuity and assassination.")
9. The central rite of the Brotherhood is called the "Glimpse-Of-Extraordinary-Beauty." The celebrants conducting this rite believe they are "enveloped and penetrated by the thoughts of a god."
10. The Brotherhood believes in life after death ("nothing dies forever"). They believe there are three "Other-Worlds," including the fabled "Valhalla" or "White-Kingdom."
11. The Odin Brotherhood believes that the Christian hell does not exist. Hell, they claim, is one of the "spurious horrors" contrived by extinct theologians."
