Neopaganism in Germany and Austria

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Neopaganism (Neuheidentum) in German-speaking Europe is not as widespread as in the United States or in the UK, but since its beginnings in the 1970s has likewise diversified into a wide array of traditions, particularly during the New Age boom of the 1980s. Schmid (2006) distinguishes four main currents:

Within Germanic Neopaganism in Germany in particular, debate on Neopaganism and Neo-Nazism is very prominent and controversial. The large majority of German Neopagans vehemently renounce all right extremist associations, especially since a 1996 case of a Sauerland Neo-Nazi who had confessed to four murders which he claimed were inspired by the command of Odin.[1] The Rabenclan and Nornirs Ætt groups have been particularly prominent in this respect in the 1990s, with their anti-racist "Ariosophy project" actively denouncing right extremists within the German Neopagan movement. Other groups, like the Germanische Glaubens-Gemeinschaft do not take a clear position with regard to neo-völkisch or New Right schools of thoughts. The Eldaring avoids taking any political stance and rejects the "folkish" vs. "universalist" division as inapplicable. The Verein für germanisches Heidentum (VfGH), formerly "Odinic Rite Deutschland" has been associated with the folkish Odinic Rite in Britain from 1995, but later severed organisational ties and was renamed to its present name in 2006. The "folkish" concept of Metagenetics advocated in US Asatru by Stephen McNallen was introduced into German discourse by Volker "Stilkam" Wagner of Odinic Rite Deutschland, a position harshly attacked by the Rabenclan as völkisch or New Right ideology. Some fringe groups like the Artgemeinschaft and the Deutsche Heidnische Front are essentially Neo-Nazi groups clad in pagan terminology.

The German Wicca movement is dominated by the US feminist currents of Dianic Wicca and the Reclaiming community advocating radical environmentalism (REMID).

R. Gründer in Junker (2007) analyzing the role of Neopagan groups in Germany concludes that German Neopaganism has been used as a projection-screen for the attribution of anti-Christian, anti-scientific (anti-rationalist) and right extremist ideologies mainly by churches and the media.

Celtic Neopaganism and Neo-Druidism is particularly popular in Austria, by virtue of Austria being the location of the Proto-Celtic Hallstatt culture. The Keltendorf in Diex, Kärnten combines archaeological reconstruction with "European geomancy". The Europäisch Keltische Gemeinschaft has been active since 1998.

The Pagan Federation has chapters in Austria and Germany. There is no organized Neopagan group in Switzerland, the Eldaring catering also to Swiss and Austrian members. A loose network centered around interest in Alpine paganism has been active in Switzerland under the name Alte Sitte (the German translation of Forn Sed) since 2006.

[edit] References

  1. ^ Thomas Lemke, convicted to a life sentence by an Essen court in 1997. [1]

[edit] See also

[edit] External links

Asatru / Germanic
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