Dýratrú

Dýratrú, literally “animal faith” in Icelandic, is a label used to describe belief systems in which animals and other non-human entities are regarded as possessing spiritual essence and agency. In scholarly usage, dýratrú is often equated with animism—the idea that all things in the natural world are inhabited by spirits and that humans relate to them through reciprocity. The term emphasizes the central role that animals can play as guardians, ancestors, totems, or deities within a given tradition.

From its etymology (dyr = animal, tru = belief/faith), the concept covers diverse practices across cultures and is not a single organized religion. Many societies have ritual practices honoring animal spirits, such as offerings, dream work, or shamanic journeys in which animals act as guides or power sources. The specifics vary widely between regions and historical periods.

In the Nordic and Icelandic contexts, scholars sometimes use dýratrú to discuss prehistoric and traditional beliefs that feature strong animistic and mythic elements alongside later polytheistic systems. In other parts of the world, comparable animistic traditions have their own names and frameworks, but are often described under the umbrella of dýratrú in Icelandic scholarship when discussing animal-centered spirituality.

Today, some modern practitioners in Iceland and elsewhere adopt dýratrú as a term to describe ecological reverence and a generally animist worldview, while others distinguish it from more formal neopagan or reconstructed religions such as Ásatrú. The term remains a broad descriptor rather than a fixed doctrine.