Not since the Vikings sailed the seas has there been an active temple dedicated to Thor and Odin. But a 3,000-strong religious group in Iceland is building one and it will be ready next year.
A group of worshippers in Iceland is building the first temple dedicated to Norse gods in a millennium.
Stringer / Reuters
Iceland was thought to have converted to Christianity around 1000AD, meaning that the old Norse gods were left for sagas and story books and became part of Iceland's national history.
The last temple to be built in honour of the gods was thought to be in Uppsala, Sweden, around 1070.
But now the Ásatrú Association (from the Icelandic Ásatrúarfélagið, meaning "runic"), which was founded in 1972, is building the first temple in honour of Odin and Thor since the Dark Ages.
Work will start at the end of February and is scheduled to finish in summer 2016 and will cost an estimated 130 million Icelandic krona (about £650,000) although a second phase of construction is expected to last another 10 years, the group said.
The plans, seen here in a screenshot from a video at mbl.is show a simple but elegant design for a 350-square metre temple that will have space for 250 people.
Its origin is in mythical texts but the organisation is a real, working religious body – the new temple will house its offices as well as hold ceremonies, including weddings and funerals.
Stringer / Reuters
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