Thor-Worshipping Cult in the Shadows of the Christchurch Shootings

A 'Thor-worshipping' cult, a flaky group of like-minded people fixated on protecting the 'Ethnic European Folk' is in the shadows of the Christchurch terror attack. The gunman shares this particular group's ideology.

Cameron Mottus, an IT consultant is running this group and in February, organized a meet-up to bring forth the martial arts of the Vikings, to the city. Mottus describes himself as a devotee of pre-Christian Germanic gods such as Odin and Thor. He also has interest in ancient pagan magic. Mottus is a leading light in the Asatru Folk Assembly, a far-right group obsessed with the 'survival and welfare of the Ethnic European Folk as a cultural and biological group. In 2018, he established the group's first branch in Christchurch and called it the Fensalir Kindred, a reference to the Norse goddess of marriage.

This particular folk religion has been linked to deadly white supremacist rally in Charlottesville in the United States in August of 2017. Reports said a 20-year-old had driven his car into a crowd. The incident left one dead and scores injured. The same year, Facebook banned one of their pages and the Southern Poverty Law Centre classified the organization as a 'hate group'.

The Christchurch gunman had messaged, 'If I don't survive the attack, goodbye, god bless and I will see you all in Valhalla!' on a social media network. Valhalla, in Norse mythology is a hall of the dead, created by Odin for his most worthy warriors. Moreover, a photograph on the cover of the gunman's hate manifesto displayed the Odin's Cross, a symbol that is also associated with neo-Nazi groups.

Now New Zealand authorities are keenly monitoring this group.