Asatru is one of several modern religious movements that seek to revive the pre-Christian beliefs and practices of northern Europeans.  One of the more difficult concepts for newcomers to the faith and for outsiders is the notion of fate.  Norse mythology, folklore and sagas seem at first to be rather dour and fatalistic, with very little room for personal agency.  This is reflected in popular cultural references such as in The 13th Warrior where Herger says to Ibn Fadlan, "The All-Father wove the skein of your life a long time ago. Go and hide in a hole if you wish, but you won't live one instant longer. Your fate is fixed. Fear profits a man nothing."  Not only does this quotation ascribe to Odin (the All-Father) an attribute which he doesn't have in traditional Norse mythology, it also reflects a fundamental misunderstanding of how time and, consequently fate, was conceptualized by ancient Germanic people.

Time is depicted in Nordic mythology as a well, often referred to as the Well of Wyrd, at the base of the world tree, Yggdrasil.  This well is tended by three female supernatural beings, called Norns, whose names are Urð, Verðandi and Skuld.  It is tempting to think of these as representing past, present and future.  However, doing so often leads to the false conclusion that the future is in some way predetermined, certain and fixed.  A more accurate picture emerges when one examines the Norns' names.  Urð and Verðandi are different tenses of the same verb, verða, which means "to become."  Urð, then, means "that which has become" while Verðandi means "that which is becoming."  So far, it may seem as though ascribing past and present to these Norns is appropriate.  However, Skuld derives from a different word meaning "should" and this is where the past, present and future understanding ultimately breaks down.  

Skuld does not represent what will happen in a definite fashion.  Rather, she represents what should happen based on the trajectories that result from those things that have already become (Urð) interacting with those things that are in the process of becoming (Verðandi).  All that is in the process of becoming can be thought of as water falling from the world tree.  Many events are of little lasting consequence and fall outside the Well of Wyrd.  Other events, however, do have lasting repercussions.  These fall into the well and settle to the bottom in layers.  These form the substance known as ørlǫg, or primal layers, and it is these primal layers that form the foundations of fate.  As these layers build up, some outcomes become more likely than others.  If they build up enough, some outcomes may become almost inevitable.  The degree of control an individual has over these outcomes depends on the depths of the layers and how many different events have contributed to them.  A person, for instance, is not destined to die of lung cancer from the moment he or she is born.  Rather, a life of poor health choices or living in an environmental context that exposes the individual to carcinogens increases the likelihood of developing lung cancer.  Whether one dies as a result is a consequence of things like when the disease is detected, what treatments are available to the individual and how well he or she follows those treatments.  The "skein of one's life" then is decidedly not determined at birth but rather is woven as a person lives his or her life within the context of individual choices and historical contingency.  Some events, such as natural disasters or war, really are outside the control of any particular individual.  Many others, however, lie well within our control.  Regardless of which sort of circumstances a person finds himself or herself in, the trick of living an honorable life in Asatru is to steer a course across life's troubled waters as well as one can.