Pagan Temple to Nordic Gods Being Constructed in Iceland

Reykjavík, Iceland, the site of the historic 1986 summit between Ronald Reagan and Mikhail Gorbachev, will soon be getting its own pagan temple.

“A collective of followers called Ásatrúarfélagið has started construction on the shrine to Thor, Odin, and Frigg, that will overlook the capital city of Reykjavík—for the first time since the Viking religion was superseded by Christianity,” reports the Daily Beast.

Indeed, as PBS notes, neo-paganism is now Iceland’s second largest religion behind Christianity. The country also ranks as one of the most atheistic in the world.

The new pagan worship facility is expected to be completed next year, will be roughly 3,800 square feet, will feature a half-buried dome shape, and will serve the Asatru Association’s 2,400 members.

“In Iceland we don’t really have this situation with the evangelical churches on the rise,” University of Iceland Theology and Ethics Professor Sólveig Anna Bóasdóttir told The Guardian. “Rather, it would be these alternatives that are quite moderate, like the Ásatrúarfélagið, that hold the appeal. People respect them.”