Stephen Anthony McNallen (born October 15, 1948) is an American proponent of Heathenry, a modern Pagan new religious movement, and a white nationalist activist. He founded the Asatru Folk Assembly (AFA), which he led from 1994 until 2016, having previously been the founder of the Viking Brotherhood and the Asatrú Free Assembly.
Born in Breckenridge, Texas, McNallen developed an interest in pre-Christian Scandinavia while in college. In 1969–70 he founded the Viking Brotherhood, through which he printed a newsletter, The Runestone, to promote a form of Heathenry that he called "Asatru". After spending four years in the United States Army, he transformed the Viking Brotherhood into the Asatrú Free Assembly (AFA), through which he promoted Heathenry within the American Pagan community. He espoused the belief, which he named "metagenetics", that religions are connected to genetic inheritance, thus arguing that Heathenry was only suitable for those of Northern European ancestry. A growing membership generated internal conflict within the AFA, resulting in McNallen's decision to expel those with neo-Nazi and racial extremist views from the organisation. Under increasing personal strain, in 1987 he disbanded the Assembly.
Moving to Northern California, McNallen began a career as a school teacher; during the summer vacations he travelled the world as a military journalist, writing articles for Soldier of Fortune magazine. Concerned by what he saw as the growth of liberal, universalist ideas in Heathenry, he returned to active involvement in the Heathen movement in the mid-1990s, establishing the Asatrú Folk Assembly, which was headquartered in Grass Valley, California. In 1997 he was involved in the establishment of the International Asatru/Odinist Alliance alongside Valgard Murray's Ásatrú Alliance and the British Odinic Rite. He brought greater attention to his group after they became involved in the debate surrounding the Kennewick Man, arguing that it constituted evidence for a European presence in prehistoric America. In the 21st century he became more politically active, becoming involved in both environmentalist campaigns and white nationalist groups linked to the alt-right movement.
McNallen is a controversial figure in the Heathen and wider Pagan community. His espousal of right-wing ethnonationalist ideas and his insistence that Heathenry should be reserved for those of Northern European ancestry has resulted in accusations of racism from both Pagans and the mainstream media. Conversely, many on the extreme right of the Heathen movement have accused him of being a race traitor for his opposition to neo-Nazism and refusal to endorse white supremacism.
Stephen Anthony McNallen (born October 15, 1948) is an American proponent of Heathenry, a modern Pagan new religious movement, and a white nationalist...
supremacist worldview in the late 20th and early 21st centuries". StephenMcNallen, an American neo-pagan leader and the founder of the Asatru Folk Assembly...
Norman Lowell Kevin MacDonald Jeremy MacKenzie James Mason StephenMcNallen Merlin Miller Stephen Miller Stefan Molyneux Paul Nehlen Paul "GypsyCrusader"...
of Kyiv'". Reuters. March 2, 2022. Retrieved March 3, 2022. Reporters, Stephen T. Watson Maki Becker and Dan Herbeck News Staff (May 14, 2022). "Gunman...
Las Vegas shooting, some of the incel community celebrated the shooter Stephen Paddock, who they felt was a hero who was targeting "normies". After the...
University of California, Davis; forensic anthropologist Doug Owsley; StephenMcNallen of the Asatru Folk Assembly; Samuel George Morton; the Ainu people...
statements after a longer version of her address was reviewed. In April 2016, Stephen Piggott wrote in a Southern Poverty Law Center blog that the "outlet has...
Norman Lowell Kevin MacDonald Jeremy MacKenzie James Mason StephenMcNallen Merlin Miller Stephen Miller Stefan Molyneux Paul Nehlen Paul "GypsyCrusader"...
Norman Lowell Kevin MacDonald Jeremy MacKenzie James Mason StephenMcNallen Merlin Miller Stephen Miller Stefan Molyneux Paul Nehlen Paul "GypsyCrusader"...
Norman Lowell Kevin MacDonald Jeremy MacKenzie James Mason StephenMcNallen Merlin Miller Stephen Miller Stefan Molyneux Paul Nehlen Paul "GypsyCrusader"...
Norman Lowell Kevin MacDonald Jeremy MacKenzie James Mason StephenMcNallen Merlin Miller Stephen Miller Stefan Molyneux Paul Nehlen Paul "GypsyCrusader"...
Arizona State Senator Wendy Rogers, and Lieutenant Governor of Idaho Janice McGeachin. On December 21, 2019, in the wake of the "Groyper Wars", leaders of...
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(Press release). August 31, 2016. Archived from the original on July 10, 2019. McCarthy, Sean L. (June 19, 2008). "C-Spot Season 2 on Crackle". The Comic's...
according to Damon Linker in The New York Times. Political scientist Matt McManus writes that "BAP is not really a conservative or even a reactionary....
Norman Lowell Kevin MacDonald Jeremy MacKenzie James Mason StephenMcNallen Merlin Miller Stephen Miller Stefan Molyneux Paul Nehlen Paul "GypsyCrusader"...
Norman Lowell Kevin MacDonald Jeremy MacKenzie James Mason StephenMcNallen Merlin Miller Stephen Miller Stefan Molyneux Paul Nehlen Paul "GypsyCrusader"...
hack "Moon Man", a similarly appropriated by white supremacists version of McDonald's advertising mascot "Mac Tonight" Parody religion Religion and the...
'deplorables' remark". USA TODAY. Retrieved February 1, 2017. Collinson, Stephen (September 13, 2016). "Why 'deplorables' spat is here to stay". CNN. Retrieved...
Archived from the original on 28 April 2020. Retrieved 25 February 2021. McLaughlin, Martyn (3 June 2023). "Police Scotland launches investigation into...
Norman Lowell Kevin MacDonald Jeremy MacKenzie James Mason StephenMcNallen Merlin Miller Stephen Miller Stefan Molyneux Paul Nehlen Paul "GypsyCrusader"...
identifying them as potential targets. He also praised mass killers like Timothy McVeigh, Anders Behring Breivik, and Seung-Hui Cho. In January 2024, the Jacksonville...
Norman Lowell Kevin MacDonald Jeremy MacKenzie James Mason StephenMcNallen Merlin Miller Stephen Miller Stefan Molyneux Paul Nehlen Paul "GypsyCrusader"...
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