This is a problematic book, and while there is much of merit in its contents, it is ultimately a rather flawed text. In his preface, Rudgley describes his work as ‘the biography of a god’ – namely Odin. Which it isn’t. He also introduces Jung’s idea that Odin exists as an archetype in the collective unconscious, with the power to influence the fate of nations – a theory he chases throughout the book, often rather tenuously.
The first section of ‘Pagan Resurrection’ deals with the distant past (which I found unconvincing), Jung (necessarily), Odin (defining him as a god of frenzy, which I had problems with) and myths. The second section offers a fascinating study of the relationship between German explorations of Heathen heritage, Aryanism and the rise of the Nazis, profiling a number of key figures. I found this fascinating and well worth reading. However, Rudgely (and Jung’s) suggestion that the archetype of Odin is somehow responsible for this troubled me. The third section of the book offers an equally intriguing insight into white supremacy in America. Here the links to actual Odin worship are tenuous at best, although Rudgely does explore the role of modern fiction and mythmaking in fascist thinking. Finally, Rudgely makes a brief and fairly superficial foray into the world of modern, neo-pagan and non-fascist Heathenry, a topic I do not feel he did justice to.
As an examination of texts and myth-making, this is an interesting book. As a biography of Odin I think it’s an absolute failure, associating the deity with serial killers and white supremacists amongst others and not exploring the myths. As a modern history there are a lot of gaps – not only does Rudgely pay insufficient attention to non-fascist Odinists, he also seems oblivious to the wider pagan context – he refers once to druids and witches, but uses the term ‘Pagan’ to mean Heathens as though this is the only form modern Paganism takes. The title of the book is a prime example of this. Furthermore, he views Odin as a psychological archetype, with no reference to the polytheistic beliefs of many Heathens.
Had Rudgely concentrated on the history of modern Heathenry and Odinism, without trying to justify Jung’s predictions or include irrelevant ideas about American criminals, this could have been a very good book. Sadly it isn’t. While I don’t regret reading it – there are some gems of information if you are willing to sift through – I wouldn’t go so far as to recommend it.
