About

Circle Ansuz is a think tank of self identified anarchist Heathens. We seek to infuse present anarchist theories and practices with the wisdom of our pre-Christian Heathen ancestors. We hope this will help fill the cultural/aesthetic void that plagues much of the Left. As a collective we want to reclaim our heritage for positive, non-racist, non-hedonist revolutionary ends. There is no dogma in our folkways and as such, there is a diversity of Heathen practice amongst the collective members. In our actions and deeds we will establish a framework for a decolonized, post-imperial mindset to better break with the established ideas of a monotheistic, capitalist culture. Also Circle Ansuz will try to create space for cultural expression in radical, anti-imperialist terms, and prevent the isolation of our folkways from the world and broader culture. As a whole we fall into what could be called ‘left’ or ‘libertarian’ strands of anarchism. Some of the thinkers who have influenced us are Emma Goldman, Prince Pyotr Alexeyevich Kropotkin, Pierre-Joseph Proudhon, Alexander Berkman, Subcomandante Marcos, Errico Malatesta, Daniel Guérin, Peter Gelderloos, Kuwasi Balagoon, Mikhail Bakunin, Noam Chomsky, Colin Ward, David Rolfe Graeber, Daniel Quinn, Arne Næss, Rudolf Rocker, Utah Phillips, Staughton Lynd, Nestor Ivanovych Makhno, David Hilliard, and Karl Marx.

The main purpose of our collective is to further develop the theory and practice of what we call ‘Germanic anarchism,’ an anarchism reflective of our freedom loving Germanic Heathen ancestors. Our use of the term ‘Germanic’ is not nationalist, it is not synonymous with “German”, and has NOTHING to do with race. ‘Germanic’ is the academic label of a language sub-branch first and foremost. It also describes the type of cultural items we focus on. Modern Germanic peoples are varied but they all once shared a common cultural background. Descendants of these ‘Germanics’ are the modern Scandinavians (Norwegians, Swedish, Danish, Icelanders, and Faroese), Germans, Austrians, Alemannic Swiss, Liechtensteiners, Luxembourgers, the Dutch, Flemings, Afrikaners, Frisians, the English and others who still speak languages derived from the ancestral Germanic dialects.  Anyone of any background can have an interest in the cultures that spawned the Germanic languages, without literally believing in their spirituality or having a genetic link to them. Just as Celtic anarchism is strongly influenced by Celtic heritage, Germanic anarchism derives much of its inspiration from what is Germanic. We are dedicated to fighting capitalism, nationalism, fascism, racism and patriarchy (among other things) and struggling for direct democracy, queer-liberation, radical environmentalism, deep ecology, re-indigenism and community self-determination. If you have any questions about us, feel free to email the collective: CircleAnsuz@riseup.net.

About the Circle Ansuz symbol:  This is a version of the most recognized anarchist symbol: the circle Ⓐ. The Latin letter “A” has been replaced it with the runic letter “Ansuz” (from the Elder Futhark) to express the Germanic roots of our anarchism. The letter Ansuz represents our connection to the gods of old, it means “one of the Æsir.” Runes were the oldest form of writing used by our Heathen ancestors. It was used for inscriptions on artifacts such as jewelry, amulets, tools, weapons and runestones. This is our symbol of resistance.