The God of Thunder is making a triumphant return to Iceland. After 1,000 years without a temple of worship to the Norse gods, Iceland is resurrecting its pagan roots.
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Thor, Odin and Frigg, that will overlook the capital city of Reykjavík—for the first time since the Viking religion was superseded by Christianity.
It’s also the first major Norse temple built in Northern Europe in almost a millennium. The long-lost Temple at Uppsala, in Sweden, was built in 1070 by the Vikings and described as being laden with gold, and covered in the sacrificial bodies of men and animals, while the three gods reigned supreme in their thrones: Thor, who ruled the air with his lightning bold, Odin, the shape-shifting warrior god, and Frigg, wife of Odin and purveyor of beauty and love.