Iceland will soon have its first temple to Norse gods in 1,000 years

(Image credit: Twitter.com/BBCMonitoring)

On a hill overlooking Reykjavik, construction will start later this month on the first temple to Norse gods built in Iceland since the Viking age.

A modern version of Norse paganism is becoming more popular in Iceland, The Guardian reports, and membership in the Ásatrúarfélagið, an association that promotes faith in the Norse gods, is up to 2,400. "I don't believe anyone believes in a one-eyed man who is riding about on a horse with eight feet," said Hilmar Örn Hilmarsson, high priest of Ásatrúarfélagið. "We see the stories as poetic metaphors and a manifestation of the forces of nature and human psychology."

The temple will host weddings, funerals, and initiations, and members will also celebrate the ancient sacrificial ritual of Blot, minus the actual slaughter of animals.

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Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.