Real/Given Name: Anthony Arndt (also go by “Tony†or, in Eastern Germanic or Slavic countries, “Antonâ€)
Heathen Name: None.
Current residence in Miðgarð: Moscow, Russia (though I’m from Minnesota)
Patron Deity (if any): Odin, long as I can remember, even before I ever heard of Asatru.
Religious Background: raised ELCA (Norwegian) Lutheran in rural Minnesota. It didn’t take. Started reading the myths and sagas in the early 80s and finally came home to Asatru in 1998 (by way of general Neopaganism and Celtic Reconstructionism in the late 80s and early 90s).
Religious Community: Heathen. I’m a founder of Hrafnsgardr Kindred of Minnesota but I’m on the other side of the world for now. Also member of Minnesota Heathens, The Troth, NPKA, and will be joining the AFA (once I can figure out how to set up a bank account and pay my dues).
Position on Asatru Fault Lines: Somewhere on a windy bridge in the gap. Not enough Heathens right now to put much stake any anything that separates us.
Divination and magic: Now that I’m not spending all my time organizing the local community (there isn’t one) I’m back studying the runes. I plan to take this opportunity to study a range of practices. Runes, galdr, charms, seidr, black books, utiseta, etc.
Education: AA in Liberal Arts, about 9 classes short of a BA in Studio Arts and a BA in Scandinavian Studies.
I'm a wanderer. More so under the influence of my wife. As time passes, the further a field the folks I know are.
In descending order of precision: Pagan, Heathen, Asatru, Odinist. When I was living in Minnesota I was an organizer for Heathenry locally, statewide, nationally, and internationally where I could be. Now my wife and I are off in Moscow, Russia teaching English. My wife is something of a Celtic Reconstructionist Faery Mystic and artist along the lines of W. B. Yeats. She does Asatru things with me, I do faery, Druid, and CM things with her. It's a happy balance.
We're both from Minnesota and have spent a good part of our lives in Minneapolis.
I am looking at being a contact person in Eastern Europe for The Troth, getting more involved in the Asatru Folk Assembly, and hopefully the Pagan Federation. I also want to spend more time doing the writing that I've been putting off for the last five years.
I am also militantly opposed to any form of theocracy which is why the cowardly supporters of the American Taliban, a.k.a. the Republican party, can kiss my ass. True, not all Republicans support the Religious Reich but the "moderates" publicly support them even when they disagree with the Anti-American, Anti-Liberty GOP Leadership.
I tend towards Libertarianism but I'm too cynical for that so I usually end up sliding more towards a Nordic style of democratic socialsim. I don't see how providing better education, better health care, and better social services for less money is a bad thing. There is a saying, "Religion is what keeps the poor people from killing the rich." (Most often attributed to Napoleon). So what happens when your religion doesn't do that? There must be some optimism in me yet.If you're Asatru consider this map. Could be an interesting way to meet folks when out wandering.
