Our Troth: Heathen History

by Ben Waggoner (Contributor)

Our Troth is the single most comprehensive book ever published on the religious traditions of the pre-Christian religions of the Germanic-speaking peoples, revitalized as a living tradition for today. The third edition has been completely revised and updated from the book's original edition in 1993, drawing on the latest scholarship and on developments within the Heathen community. The first volume traces the history of ancient and modern Heathenry, from its most distant roots in the Stone Age, through the cultures of the Bronze Age, Iron Age, Migration Period, and Viking Age, to its flowering today.

Genres: Paganism

386 pages, Paperback

Published June 7, 2020

About the author

I've been studying Old Norse (close to modern Icelandic) in my copious spare time since about 2006. Now I translate, study, annotate, and periodically publish Old Norse sagas (longish prose narratives that come in a great many "genres"). Why? It's fun if you like that sort of thing, and someone has to do it. . . My focus has been on the fornaldarsögur or "sagas of olden time" -- legendary narratives set in Scandinavia, some of which transmit very old legendary material.

For the record, I am *not* the Ben Waggoner who's written books on video file compression. I'm sure he's a great guy, but he's not me.

Reviews

[William K Erickson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just keeps getting better and better...

My first copy of "Our Troth" was a batch of 60 ASCII text files on my computer, acquired during a bleak time when the original first edition was out of print. When the second edition 2-volume version came out in 2006/2007, I acquired the huge books for my library and was surprised at the additional contents that had been added to the original.

Being forewarned that the 3rd Edition would be even bigger, and now spread out over *3* separate books, I decided to go with PDF's for my tablet (technology marches on!), since lugging the 3 huge books on vacation would likely put me over the check-in weight limit at the airport. And I must say that editor Ben Waggoner has done a great job expanding these essential volumes of Heathen History, Lore, and Traditions even further. Together, these books are truly encyclopedic in their depth and scope. Heathenry is often called "The Religion with Homework", and if you're gonna take your studies seriously, you *have* to get these books!

[Crystal Ratcliffe · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book about a week after I completed reading the second edition. It is full of critical information and gives all the resources for the information. It is an easier read than the second edition and is current up to 2020.

This book is a concise collection of the current known information on Norse heathenry, history as we know it now, and how to practice Norse religion.

I am looking forward to the next two volumes

[Jack Nelson · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the best books I’ve ever read in my life. Ben Waggoner is witty and clear with what he writes. Everything is sourced and easy to locate with index. If he has an opinion he makes sure it’s known as an opinion and not a fact. It’s so hard to put down, I brought it everywhere I went! Would recommend to everyone!