The Evolution of Norse Paganism

Before the Viking Age shaped what we now call Norse Paganism, there were countless generations of belief systems that came before it—stretching back through the Proto-Germanic tribes and even further to the Proto-Indo-European peoples of the ancient steppe. These were not isolated traditions but part of a long evolution, where gods were known by different names, rituals were carried out in forests and stone circles, and myths were passed orally for millennia before ever being written down.

This journey through time is not simple; it often raises more questions than answers. Why do we find the Elder Futhark runes in our practice when the Vikings used the Younger Futhark? Why do Indo-European, Proto-Germanic, and Norse myths seem so entangled, as if overlapping across centuries?

The deeper truth is that the gods have always been with us. Their names may shift, their stories may adapt, and the cultures that honoured them may rise and fall—but the essence of the divine has never disappeared. What matters most is not rigid historical accuracy, but the living connection we foster with our gods and ancestors today.