COPENHAGEN, Denmark — Home to the Vikings of yore, Denmark said Wednesday it will let a group that worships Thor, Odin and other Norse gods conduct legally recognized marriages.
"To me, it would be wrong if the indigenous religion of this country wasn’t recognized," Tove Fergo, the minister for Ecclesiastic Affairs and a Lutheran priest, told The Associated Press.
Under Danish law, the state Evangelical Lutheran Church has sole authority to recognize other religious communities.
The 240-member Forn Sidr, which worships Odin, Thor, Freya and the other members of the Norse pantheon, sought recognition in 1999, said Tissel Jacobsen, the group’s president.
Last year, an Ecclesiastic Affairs panel of scholars recommended that Forn Sidr, whose name means "Old Custom" in old Norse, be approved, but only if their rituals were clearly detailed in its bylaws.
"At a general assembly, we added and described our four annual heathen rituals — spring and fall equinoxes, and the summer and winter solstices, and our marriage ceremony," Jacobsen said. "We then returned our application and the panel approved it."
Fergo said she would give her final approval "in a few days."
About 1,000 people worship the ancient gods in Denmark, Jacobsen said.
Officially recognized religious communities can marry people and exempt their members from the 1 percent income tax that is imposed on members of the state church.
People born in Denmark are automatically made members of the state church but can choose to leave it if they want. Members of other recognized religious communities, such Catholics, Muslims and Jews, are also exempt from the tax.
Copyright ©2003 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Talk to us
> Give us your news tips.
> Send us a letter to the editor.
> More Herald contact information.
