In Iceland an Asatru temple will be built in March in Öskjuhlíd Hill that overlooks the capital of Reykjavik for the first time in 1,000 years. The temple will be circular and will be 350 square meters ( 3,767 square feet) and will house 250 people. The temple will be dug 4 meters (13 feet) down int the hill, built with a dome on top to let in the sunlight. The sacred numbers of 9 and 432,000 are used in the design. Completion oft he temple is expected to be complete in the summer of 2016.
Says Hilmar Orn Hilmarsson, high priest of Asatru Association "The sun changes with the seasons so in a way we are having the sun paint the space for us".
The temple sight was donated by the city of Reykjavik to the Asatru Association but the buildings costs, is estimated at ISK 130 million ( USD 975,000 EUR 860,000), will be raised by the Association.
In Iceland Asatru Association has tripled in membership in the last decade to 2,400 members out of a population of 333,000, according to data from Statics of Iceland.
When the temple is complete Icelandic worshipers (and I assume those that visit Iceland) will be able to publicly worship at a shrine to Odin, Frigg and Thor. The temple will host weddings, and funerals,. The group will also confer names to children and initiate teenagers, similar to other religious communities.
SOURCES:
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/feb/02/iceland-temple-norse-gods-1000-years?CMP=share_btn_fb
http://icelandreview.com/news/2015/01/30/asatru-temple-be-built-reykjavik
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