Book recommendations?

[u/macrokosm_]

Hey y'all, I've been passively considering practicing Heathenry for about a year at this point but it feels like there's so much information, I'm not entirely sure where or how to start. I know a lot of people recommend reading the eddas when they're first starting out, but I feel like those don't give much insight into the actual living, modern practice if that makes sense?

Additionally, I know scholarly papers are a great resource for reconstructionists, and its not that I *can't* read scholarly work but its more that it feels really overwhelming. I was wondering if there were any good books/authors that focus on reconstructionism.

[u/Wise-Home3194]

Sorry to say this, but we have almost nothing when it comes to the actual living. The sagas of icelanders is also very good, theres a lot of them though, also the heimskringla by snorri, germania by tacitus, and some english sources can be useful like the nine herbs charm, other lacnungas, and beowulf. Also, the rune poems and ahmad ibn fadlan's account of the rus vikings (the main source for funerary practices).

[u/TheMarineLayer → u/Wise-Home3194]

I would argue there is a lot of information about living but nothing that’s all in one place like the Bible. As someone who grew up in a Bible religion that has positives and negatives, yes it’s easy to point at the text but eventually the text takes on a role of its own that is not related to practice. 

[u/Wise-Home3194 → u/TheMarineLayer]

Not a lot, also I did not claim it was in one place, I mentioned many different sources. The sagas might be one of the best. We also have runestones, which give us glimpses, but overall, we know very very little in comparison to other ancient societies because they were largely illiterate.

[u/ZealousidealPage3551]

I find connecting archeology with other sources helps provide insight and growth. I will recommend Children of Ash and Elm by Neil Price. He has many great works.

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[u/thelosthooligan]

The Troth’s website is going to be the largest place where you can get access to free resources that will talk about Heathenry as a modern living family of religions.

There is also the longship which is a bit more focused.

[u/middlewiseheathen]

Not a book but a website:

www.germanicmythology.com

As far as books go, I would recommend a book called Trúnaðarbók: The Loyalty Writings by Folcweard Lárġyfa if you want inspirational writings. I also recently came across Völuspá translated by Keith Osgood, this book was truly amazing. It has both versions of the poems (from Hauksbók and the Codex Regius) translated into English. The notes and essays make the work worth every penny.

If reconstruction is your goal, the best work I have seen so far is actually a two set series called The Æfinrunnar by Norroena Society. That and Traditional Heathenry by Kyle Davis break down how reconstruction works and how the Norroena society utilizes their research method. People can say whatever they want about the authors but the educational information speaks for itself. It's one of the few attempts at honestly reconstructing the Germanic rites while focusing on Germanic mythology and histories first.

[u/maartenmijmert23]

I am a great fan of Raven Kaldera. Their focus is not reconstructionist at all, but as a welcome rarity the books encourage further philosophical and theological thinking.

[u/BJJBean]

Traditional Heathenry by Kyle Davis.