Fyrnsidu teaches that the soul has several parts, which are vitalized by æðm while a person lives. At the moment of death, the soul is separated from the body, and generally the greater part of the individual’s personal store of æðmis returned to the universe in undifferentiated form. What remains of the soul, the higher self, will make it’s journey to whichever otherworldly domain it best belongs, generally the realm of the dead, (Hel), or in some case to one of the heavenly halls of the Gods. It should be noted here that Hel, sometimes mistakenly associated with the western, monotheistic “Hell”, is not necessarily a place of torment. The word “Hell” is in fact borrowed from the Germanic tongues by the followers of the One God of the Book, who misapplied it to their own eternal places of punishment. Heathenry has no place for eternal damnation, as there is no evidence to suggest that any man, however base and evil, is wholly unredeemable. Fyrnsidu teaches that imperfect or un-evolved souls reside in Hel until they may be born again, to further their journey toward ascension to Heaven, the plane of the Gods. Some heathens also believe that some souls are able to remain near the living after death, remaining to watch over their kin and loved ones. Other spirits remain in the land of the living for less noble reasons. The lore of spirit wights is the subject of another lesson, suffice to say the fate of the heathen soul upon the death of the body varies from individual to individual.
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