Asatru Folk Assembly
An American-founded Heathen religious organization associated with a folkish interpretation of modern Ásatrú.
Last updated August 26, 2026
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Overview
The Asatru Folk Assembly (AFA) is a Heathen religious organization founded in the United States in 1994 by Stephen A. McNallen. Its religious practice draws on the pre-Christian religions of Germanic and Scandinavian Europe, especially the Old Norse gods, myths, rituals, and seasonal observances. The organization presents itself as a community for people seeking to reconstruct or revive these traditions and has operated through local chapters, kindreds, temples, publications, online media, and gatherings. The AFA emerged from McNallen’s earlier organizational work. He founded the Viking Brotherhood in Texas around 1969–1970 and transformed it into the Ásatrú Free Assembly in California in 1976. That earlier assembly helped establish organizational and ritual patterns later used by American Heathen groups, including communal ceremonies known as blóts, local kindreds, newsletters, educational material, and gatherings called Althings. Internal ideological conflict, organizational strain, and financial difficulties led McNallen to dissolve the first assembly in 1987. A successor body, the Asatru Alliance, was established by other Heathen activists. McNallen revived the organization in 1994 as the Ásatrú Folk Assembly. The revived group was explicitly associated with a folkish understanding of Heathenry. In this context, “folkish” refers to the belief that Germanic religious traditions are connected to ancestry and are most appropriately practiced by people of Germanic or Northern European descent. McNallen developed and promoted the concept of “metagenetics,” which claimed that religious or spiritual affinities could be transmitted through racial heredity. Academic observers have described this idea as pseudoscientific, while civil-rights organizations and many other Heathen groups have characterized the AFA’s racial position as racist or white supremacist. The AFA has consistently rejected the universalist position taken by organizations such as The Troth, which welcomes practitioners regardless of race or ethnic ancestry. This disagreement has shaped the AFA’s identity and its place within modern Paganism. Critics have included the Southern Poverty Law Center, the Anti-Defamation League, and other Heathen organizations. The organization has also had historical associations and contacts with figures and movements on the far right, although McNallen stated that he opposed Nazi political organization and attempted at points to exclude overt Nazi symbols and sympathies from AFA events. The organization attracted wider public attention through its involvement in the Kennewick Man controversy. In 1996, the AFA joined legal efforts opposing the transfer of the prehistoric remains to Native American communities under the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act. The group argued that the remains were not Native American and should be available for scientific examination. The AFA withdrew from the case in 2000, citing a lack of funds. Later genetic research found a close relationship between Kennewick Man and the Colville people, although the controversy had already increased public awareness of the AFA. In 1999, the AFA acquired land in Northern California for Heathen gatherings and ritual activity. During the 2000s and 2010s, it expanded its online presence through a website, blog, podcast, online radio, and social-media channels. It also promoted folkish and ethnoculturalist writers, including authors associated with the European Nouvelle Droite. Stephen McNallen stepped down as the organization’s leader in 2016 and was succeeded by Matt Flavel. As of April 2025, the organization claimed approximately 730 members and reported five active temples. The AFA remains an active but controversial religious organization whose public identity is strongly defined by its racialized interpretation of Heathenry.
History
The origins of the Asatru Folk Assembly lie in the religious and organizational activities of Stephen A. McNallen. After encountering modern Pagan and occult literature as a university student, McNallen developed an interest in the pre-Christian religions of Scandinavia. Around 1969 or 1970 he created the Viking Brotherhood in Texas. The group promoted what it viewed as Viking ideals, including courage, independence, honor, and freedom, while also advocating the revival of Norse religion. It obtained religious tax-exempt status in the early 1970s and published The Runestone, a newsletter that became an important vehicle for McNallen’s ideas. In 1976, after moving to California, McNallen reorganized the Viking Brotherhood as the Ásatrú Free Assembly. The group is often described by scholars as the first national Heathen organization in the United States. It developed structures that influenced later American Heathenry, including local guilds and kindreds, ritual ceremonies called blóts, educational booklets, public lectures, and national Althings. The organization’s activities combined religious reconstruction with a broader cultural idealization of the Viking past. During the late 1970s and 1980s, McNallen increasingly emphasized the idea that religious affinity was inherited. He called this theory metagenetics and linked it to Jungian ideas about archetypes and collective consciousness. In his formulation, Ásatrú expressed the spiritual identity of a Northern European or Germanic population. This placed the organization at odds with universalist Heathens who believed that anyone could worship the Norse gods. The AFA also experienced ideological divisions among members, including disputes involving neo-Nazi participation and other forms of racial extremism. McNallen opposed Nazi uniforms and insignia at AFA events and argued that Heathenism should not become an adjunct of centralized totalitarian politics. Organizational difficulties compounded the ideological disputes. The AFA’s affiliated groups enjoyed substantial autonomy, while McNallen and close associates carried much of the administrative burden. Financial problems and internal tensions prevented the organization from organizing its scheduled seventh Althing. In 1987 McNallen closed The Runestone and dissolved the Ásatrú Free Assembly. Michael “Valgard” Murray subsequently helped establish the Asatru Alliance, which became another major folkish organization in American Heathenry. McNallen returned to organized Heathen activity in the early 1990s through the Calasa Kindred and renewed his opposition to the universalist direction represented by The Troth. In 1994 he founded the Asatru Folk Assembly. The new organization was based initially in Grass Valley, California, and revived The Runestone in yearbook form. It also experimented with outreach through the Ásatrú Community Church, which held public services in Nevada County, although that project did not become a major success. The AFA maintained international relationships with other folkish Heathen organizations. In 1997 McNallen, Murray, and Jeff Holley of the British Odinic Rite helped create the International Asatru/Odinist Alliance, an umbrella initiative that brought together related groups from several countries. The alliance later ended, but its formation reflected the AFA’s effort to establish an international network for folkish Heathenry. The organization’s most prominent public controversy concerned Kennewick Man, prehistoric human remains discovered in Washington State. Native American communities sought repatriation, while McNallen argued that the remains were Caucasian and should be examined rather than transferred under the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act. In 1996 the AFA filed a federal lawsuit challenging the proposed disposition. The court ruled that the remains did not fall within the statutory definition of Native American at that stage of the litigation. The AFA withdrew in 2000 because of financial constraints. Later scientific work found a close genetic relationship between Kennewick Man and the Colville tribe, a finding that challenged the racial interpretation advanced by McNallen. In 1999 the AFA purchased land in Northern California for ritual gatherings and the development of a Heathen community space. During the early twenty-first century it broadened its use of digital media, operating a website and publishing online written, audio, and video material. It also promoted authors associated with ethnonationalist and Nouvelle Droite currents. Internal leadership disputes continued, including the expulsion of Midwest Folkbuilder Mark Stinson in the late 2000s. McNallen left the AFA’s leadership in 2016, when Matt Flavel succeeded him. The organization continued to operate temples, local communities, publications, and online channels. Its racial and ancestral definition of Heathen belonging has remained the central source of criticism. The Southern Poverty Law Center, Anti-Defamation League, The Troth, and other observers have described the AFA as racist, white supremacist, or a hate group. The AFA identifies itself instead as a religious organization defending what it considers the ancestral and cultural character of Germanic religion. As of April 2025, it reported approximately 730 members and five active temples.
- 2025
Membership and temples reported
[1]The AFA reported approximately 730 members and five active temples as of April 2025.
- 2016
Leadership transferred to Matt Flavel
[1]Stephen McNallen stepped down and Matt Flavel became the organization’s leader.
- 1999
Northern California land acquired
[1]The AFA purchased land in the Sierra region for Heathen meetings, ritual practice, and community use.
- 1997
International Asatru/Odinist Alliance created
[1]McNallen helped establish an international umbrella alliance of folkish Heathen organizations.
- 1996
Kennewick Man lawsuit filed
[1]The AFA challenged the proposed repatriation of Kennewick Man’s remains to Native American communities.
- 1994
Asatru Folk Assembly founded
[1]McNallen established the organization’s current form in response to the growth of universalist Heathenry.
- 1987
First assembly dissolved
[1]Financial pressure and internal organizational strain led McNallen to close The Runestone and dissolve the Ásatrú Free Assembly.
- 1976
Ásatrú Free Assembly formed
[1]McNallen reorganized the Viking Brotherhood as the Ásatrú Free Assembly after relocating to California.
- 1972
Religious tax-exempt status obtained
[1]The Viking Brotherhood obtained tax-exempt religious status in the United States.
- 1969
Viking Brotherhood established
[1]Stephen A. McNallen formed the Viking Brotherhood in Texas to promote Norse religion and ideals associated with the Viking past.
Products and positioning
A folkish Heathen organization focused on Germanic religious traditions, ancestry, communal ritual, and ethnocultural continuity. Its positioning contrasts with universalist Heathen groups that explicitly welcome practitioners of all racial and ethnic backgrounds.
Publication · 1971
The Runestone
A publication associated with Stephen McNallen and the AFA tradition. It began as a newsletter for the Viking Brotherhood and later served as a channel for religious essays, organizational news, cultural commentary, and advocacy of folkish Heathen ideas. After the original assembly was dissolved, the AFA revived it in yearbook form.
Religious community · 1994
AFA temples and kindreds
The organization’s local and temple-based communities provide settings for worship, seasonal observances, blóts, educational activities, and social interaction among adherents. Historically, the AFA also used autonomous kindreds and specialized guilds to organize members around local, ritual, or cultural activities.
Digital religious media
Online media
The AFA has used digital channels including a website, blog, podcast, online radio, Facebook, and YouTube to distribute religious material, organizational announcements, commentary, and educational content. These channels extended the organization’s reach beyond its physical temples and local gatherings.
Controversies
2010
White supremacist and hate-group allegations
The Southern Poverty Law Center, Anti-Defamation League, and other Heathen organizations have described the AFA as racist, white supremacist, or a hate group. The AFA presents itself as a religious organization rather than a political hate group.
1996
Kennewick Man controversy
The organization’s lawsuit opposing repatriation of Kennewick Man’s remains generated controversy because it relied on claims that the remains were Caucasian and reflected broader arguments about European ancestry in North America.
1990
Racial exclusion and metagenetics controversy
The AFA’s folkish doctrine and McNallen’s metagenetics theory have been criticized as racist and pseudoscientific because they connect religious legitimacy to racial ancestry.
Marketing campaigns
- 1999Tribalism and community-building
United States
The AFA encouraged Heathens to form extended-family-style networks and acquired land in Northern California for communal religious use.
Outcome. The land became a base for gatherings and ritual activity.
- 1994Folkish Heathenry advocacy
United States · International
The AFA promoted the idea that Germanic religious traditions are ancestrally connected to people of Northern European or Germanic descent.
Outcome. The campaign became the organization’s defining position and prompted sustained opposition from universalist Heathen groups and civil-rights organizations.
- 1970Norse religion revival and Viking ideals
United States
Through the Viking Brotherhood and later the Ásatrú Free Assembly, McNallen promoted the revival of Norse religion and values he associated with courage, independence, honor, and freedom.
Outcome. The effort contributed to the development of organized American Heathenry and established structures later used by the AFA.
Brand decisions
2016
Leadership successionStrategyBackground
After more than two decades associated with the organization’s leadership, Stephen McNallen stepped down.
Action taken
Matt Flavel succeeded McNallen as leader.
Aftermath
The AFA continued operating its temples, communities, publications, and online channels under new leadership.
1996
Challenge repatriation of Kennewick ManOtherBackground
Native American communities sought the return of prehistoric human remains under federal repatriation law, while the AFA argued that the remains were not Native American.
Action taken
The AFA filed a federal lawsuit seeking to prevent transfer of the remains and to preserve access for scientific study.
Aftermath
The AFA withdrew from the case in 2000 because of financial constraints. Later genetic findings linked Kennewick Man closely to the Colville tribe.
1994
Re-establish the organization as a folkish assemblyStrategyBackground
McNallen opposed the increasingly universalist direction of parts of the Heathen movement, particularly organizations that welcomed practitioners regardless of race or ancestry.
Action taken
He founded the Asatru Folk Assembly and positioned it around an ancestry-based interpretation of Germanic religion.
Aftermath
The decision gave the AFA a distinct identity but also made racial exclusion the central focus of criticism directed at the organization.
- The Troth — The Troth represented the universalist position that Heathen practice should be open to people of all racial and ethnic backgrounds.
Recent events
- 2025
AFA membership and temple count reported[1]
Other
The organization reported approximately 730 members and five active temples as of April 2025.
- 2016
Stephen McNallen steps down as leader[1]
Leadership change
McNallen left the organization’s top leadership position and was succeeded by Matt Flavel.
- 2000
AFA withdraws from Kennewick Man litigation[1]
Lawsuit · Other
The AFA ended its participation in the legal case, stating that it could no longer fund continued involvement.
- 1996
AFA files suit in Kennewick Man dispute[1]
Lawsuit · Other
The organization challenged the proposed transfer of Kennewick Man’s remains to Native American communities under federal repatriation law.
- 1994
Asatru Folk Assembly founded[1]
Other
Stephen A. McNallen re-established his folkish Heathen organization under the name Ásatrú Folk Assembly after the dissolution of the earlier Ásatrú Free Assembly.
Sources2 sources
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