Asatru Pronunciation

[sdba2271]

This may seem like a silly question, especially from someone who isn't a complete newbie. What is the proper pronunciation of the word Asatru? I've heard about 3 or 4 different ways.

I've heard the ace-uh-tru style more than anything else, then ow-sa-tru after.

[God's Helm]

Kinda sorry this thread isn't getting any attention. There are several (almost all) words in Asatru that I have a hard time figuring out how I "think" they are suppose to be pronounced. I try to approach it from a German stand point and am not sure I'm even close. Not to mention when tou run into some of the more interesting letters.

Can't answer the question though. I've read that it was pronounced both ways.

[Fjorn]

Sorry, can't help. I don't use Asatru as the name implies belief in only one set of the God families. Use Odinism, easy to say.

[Katia]

Ah-sa-tru.
:)

[Tyr's Hand]

I always thought it was ow-sa-tru only because the word is Icelandic, and in Icelandic the letter Á is pronounced ow, like now . As long as everyone knows what your talking about, that's the main thing :)

[God's Helm]

Sorry, can't help. I don't use Asatru as the name implies belief in only one set of the God families. Use Odinism, easy to say.

Now I have heard it argued both ways. That Asatru is based/named for the Aesir and I have heard that it is based/named on the Ase (sp?) or the word meaning god(s). If it were for the Aesir that would change my view on teh use of the word.

As for Odinism... well that seems to put Odin as the center point. It is my understanding that many Northern European folk didn't hold him as "king of the gods". (I think some German tribe were among them.)

I've always been drawn to Frey. But the more I hear (what little I can find) on Uller makes me want to know more about him.

Flat out I'd say that I'm an Odalist and leave much of that to that.

[Der Einzelgänger]

I prefer to label myself with the Germanic version, Irminist. But I go with Katia's pronunciation Ah-sa-tru. But I agree, so long as I know what you're talking about in a conversation the pronunciation doesn't really matter much to me. So long as it's not too butchered of course.

[Scramaseax]

Sorry, can't help. I don't use Asatru as the name implies belief in only one set of the God families. Use Odinism, easy to say.
If Asatru implies belief in only the Aesir, then Odinism would imply belief in only Odin.

[Scramaseax]

Now I have heard it argued both ways. That Asatru is based/named for the Aesir and I have heard that it is based/named on the Ase (sp?) or the word meaning god(s).

Ásatrú = Ása (genitive of Ás) + trú (troth, trust, true, belief, faith).

http://www.newanglia.org/gods.html
The word Ós (plural form Ése) is derived from the ancient Proto-Indo-European word *ansu which has been defined as meaning either "god", "ancestral spirit" and possibly "post" (see the works of the late Dr. Edgar Polome for more info). There are other words related to *ansu in Proto-Indo-European that mean "life, air or breath" and so it would appear that the *ansu were originally the gods of the the sky who bestow the animating "Breath of Life" to mankind. The Nordic Eddas reflect this idea when the gods give their spiritual gifts to the lifeless shapes of the first man and woman - Ǽsc and Elm. (ON-Æsir)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aesir
The word áss is believed to be derived from Proto-Indo-European *ansu- 'breath, god' related to Sanskrit asura and Avestan ahura with the same meaning; though in Sanskrit asura came to mean 'demon'. The cognate Old English form to áss is os 'god, deity' (as in the still-current surname Osgood). The word áss also means "beam" or "post" in Old Norse, but there has been no demonstration of etymological connection between the two words....no demonstration of etymological connection between the two words :rolleyes:

[Fjorn]

Scramaseax, God's Helm,

I understand where you are both coming from. Ask Stephen A. McNallen what Asatru means, he'll tell what I do as he has stated in many of his writings - as he was one of the first to use this terminology in modern times he would be a good starting point to ask.

Now, as I stated I use the term Odinism. I see that you can view it as only applying to Odin but this is far from the truth.

I had actually written some time ago an article on this very subject. It is an article based on Heimgests answer in an "Interview with a Gothi".

This article can be found here: Odinism, By Any Other Name... (http://geocities.com/odinistlibrary/OLArticles/Articles/Odinismbyanyothername.htm)

[æinvargR]

OW(1)-sah(2)-tru
1 ow as in now
2 ah as in arnold

Not sure how the ú was pronounced, like oo in wool or ue in true.

[Prussian Eagle]

Since we are talking about pronunciation, how is "ei" in a word pronounced? Is it like the modern german way, or is it different?

[Sigurd]

I would say as EY in "Hey"...

[æinvargR]

Yep like 'ey' not 'eye'.

[Hveðrungur Kveldúlfsson]

Ásatrú = Ow-Saw-Troo if you want to properly pronounce it in Icelandic, the language the word spawned from.

As for arguing over terms like Ásatrú or Odinism, why waste your energy? Our ancestors had no name for our folkway, even when Christianity was introduced, I highly doubt they called the folkway "Ásatrú", it was probably more along the lines of "the old way" or something of that context. I perfer Ásatrú or Odinism although I tend to use Ásatrú more than Odinism but whatever. Apples and oranges.