English Old Norse Dictionary

Book: English Old Norse Dictionary by Ross Arthur

You could, of course, print it and then consult it just as you would consult any other Dictionary It might be more useful to you, however, to keep it as an electronic Reference tool For one thing, you'll find that it serves also as an Old Norse to English Dictionary.

If you are now viewing this document within your Browser, I’d advise you to save it and examine it later. If it’s now saved on your computer, try using Acrobat’s Find feature, with the “Match Case” option turned off. I’ve created a special font to make it simpler to search for Old Norse

- To search for a vowel with an accent, just type that vowel and then a slash /
- To search for a hooked o (o,) just type o and then a comma
- To search for ae type a and then e.
- To search for oe type o and then e.
- To search for T type th.
- To search for D type dh.

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Aleister Crowley - Songs For Italy
Anonymous - Witchcraft Dictionary
Ross Arthur - English Old Norse Dictionary

The Suppression Of Wyrd

Why is it that references to the Wyrd are so few in number? Why is it that the concept of Wyrd has all but been forgotten for well over one thousand years? In fact, we are very lucky to have an, references left at all.

The answer to this searching question is that Wyrd was deliberately suppressed by the Christ-people. Why? Because the Wyrd, as the Supreme Cosmic Mind or Intelligence, would not fit in with the idea of a Judaic 'God' who professes domination over all 'his' creation. Nor would it fit the idea of his 'son', Jesus, as the Messiah or Saviour of mankind. So the Wyrd, as the actual intelligence behind creation, had to be suppressed.

In written works of the Old English period the thought of Wyrd as woven by three Goddesses was consciously played down by writers and copyists. In 'Beowulf', where the word 'Wyrd' occurs nine times, the poet has imagined 'God' as the Weaver, thus giving a veneer of Christianity to a purely pagan idea. Two centuries later the Christian writers no longer regarded 'God' as being subject to Wyrd, for Wyrd becomes subject to 'God', or regarded as one of his attributes.

"What we call Wyrd is really the work of God about which He is busy every day." - Alfred the Great.

Then followed the virtual suppression of Wyrd altogether, though not quite! For the Wyrd Sisters surfaced again in Chaucer's 'Legend of Good Women' - "The Wyrdys that we clepyn destine", and again around 1450 in 'The Court of Love' - "I eons the three of fatelle dentine that be our Werdes,"

Again the Wyrd Sisters raised their heads in 1605 as the Weird Sisters of Shakespeare's 'Macbeth'. Most interestingly they are portrayed as battle-maidens. (Though perhaps not surprisingly in view of the name 'Shakespeare' - spear-shaker!)

"First witch: When shall we three meet again?
In thunder, lightning and in rain?
Second witch: When the hurly-burly's done,
When the battle's lost and won."

Here we are reminded of 'Beowulf': "The Lord gave the people of the Waders webs to speed them in battle." It would appear that Shakespeare's source for the Weird Sisters was 'Holinshead's Chronicles', from which clearly the three sisters are associated with the time-continuum of Past, Present, Future: The first of them spoke and said: "All hails Makbeth, thane of Glamis!" (For he had lately entered into that dignities and office by the death of his father Sinell.) The second of them said: "Hails Makbeth, thane of Cawdor!" But the third said: "All hails Makbeth, that hereafter shall be King of Scotland!"

Interestingly, a woodcut from the first edition of the 'Chronicles' shows the sisters by a tree - obviously Yggdrasil! Despite the deliberate and systematic suppression of the Wyrd the concept arose from the Folk-soul at certain times. Of course the Cosmic Mind could never be fully suppressed and only fools would think that they could do so. The truth surfaces in the end! The Wyrd was at the beginning and is eternal, and the Sisters of Wyrd still weave the Web of Wyrd for Gods and Men and all things in the Nine Worlds.

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The Worship Of God Balder

One of the most important festivals was held at the summer solstice, or midsummer’s eve, in honor of Balder the good, for it was considered the anniversary of his death and of his descent into the lower world. On that day, the longest in the year, all the people congregated out of doors, made great bonfires, and watched the sun, which in extreme Northern latitudes merely touches the horizon ere it rises upon a new day. From midsummer, the days gradually grow shorter, and the sun’s rays less warm, until the winter solstice, which was called the “Mother night,” as it was the longest in the year. Midsummer’s eve, once celebrated in honor of Balder, was usurped by the alien Christian subjugators and was from then on called St. John’s day, that saint used to entirely supplant Balder the Good.

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The Oldest English Epic Beowulf Finnsburg Waldere Deor Widsith

Book: The Oldest English Epic Beowulf Finnsburg Waldere Deor Widsith by Francis Gummere

eowulf is often referred to as the first important work of literature in English, even though it was written in Old English, an ancient form of the language that slowly evolved into the English now spoken. Compared to modern English, Old English is heavily Germanic, with little influence from Latin or French. As English history developed, after the French Normans conquered the Anglo-Saxons in 1066, Old English was gradually broadened by offerings from those languages. Thus modern English is derived from a number of sources. As a result, its vocabulary is rich with synonyms. The word kingly, for instance, descends from the Anglo-Saxon word cyning, meaning “king,” while the synonym royal comes from a French word and the synonymregal from a Latin word.

Only a single manuscript of Beowulf survived the Anglo-Saxon era. For many centuries, the manuscript was all but forgotten, and, in the 1700s, it was nearly destroyed in a fire. It was not until the nineteenth century that widespread interest in the document emerged among scholars and translators of Old English. For the first hundred years of Beowulf’s prominence, interest in the poem was primarily historical—the text was viewed as a source of information about the Anglo-Saxon era. It was not until 1936, when the Oxford scholar J. R. R. Tolkien (who later wrote The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, works heavily influenced by Beowulf) published a groundbreaking paper entitled “Beowulf: The Monsters and the Critics” that the manuscript gained recognition as a serious work of art.

Beowulf is now widely taught and is often presented as the first important work of English literature, creating the impression that Beowulf is in some way the source of the English canon. But because it was not widely read until the 1800s and not widely regarded as an important artwork until the 1900s, Beowulf has had little direct impact on the development of English poetry. In fact, Chaucer, Shakespeare, Marlowe, Pope, Shelley, Keats, and most other important English writers before the 1930s had little or no knowledge of the epic. It was not until the mid-to-late twentieth century that Beowulf began to influence writers, and, since then, it has had a marked impact on the work of many important novelists and poets, including W. H. Auden, Geoffrey Hill, Ted Hughes, and Seamus Heaney, the 1995 recipient of the Nobel Prize in Literature, whose recent translation of the epic is the edition used for this SparkNote.

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As The Asatru Kindred Grows

Sooner or later, there will be the need for the kindred leader to share the responsibility and workload of managing the Kindred with others. Early on one finds that the many tasks necessary to produce a successful Kindred gathering are just too much for one person to handle. You should not be shy about asking for help from the members of the Kindred. In fact, many are looking for ways that they can help all you need do is ask. I know some kindreds who are very fortunate to have members quite willing to act as chairmen of the various committees necessary for successful Kindred management and functions.

Another important step for the Kindred as it grows, is to decide to incorporate in their state as a non-profit church, and eventually apply to the IRS for 501 (c) non-profit status. This will require for the membership of the Kindred to elect three officers to serve on the Board of Directors of the corporation. The requirements for incorporation vary from one state to the next, but basically the steps are: elect a president, vice-president, and secretary/treasurer and draw up a Constitution for the church/Kindred, and a set of By Laws. Other states may require credentials from the "National Church" granting so-and-so Kindred official recognition. This of course can be handled by the office of the Secretary/Treasurer of the Asatru Alliance. A simple request to the Secretary is all that is necessary to grant credentials.

Some states require that the Constitution, By Laws, and Articles of Incorporation be published in the legal ad section of a newspaper. Of course this takes money. When the Arizona Kindred incorporated ten years ago in Arizona, it cost us about $650.00 for all the fees, which included publishing our incorporation papers in the local newspaper three times. Then there are the incorporation fees themselves, which can run anywhere from $75.00 to $150.00 for non-profits, and some may have to seek legal help as well. So, it is obvious that this will take a major commitment from the Kindred, but those Kindred leaders out there who recognize the great importance of legitimizing Asatru know that it is worth the effort.

Once this is accomplished, and when your Kindred is serious about obtaining money and property, then it is time to file with the IRS for your non-profit status. You will find when you first go down to your local bank and want to open a checking account for the Kindred, that the bank will require you to supply them with what they call an EIN number. This is an Employer's Identification Number. It is the equivalent of a Social Security number, except for an organization. This of course allows the IRS to keep complete tabs on all people and organizations that use banking services. It is very important for the IRS to keep their super computers busy compiling data bases on everyone and everything.

Now, there is a gray area in the way that the IRS looks at non-profit churches. If your Kindred is only taking in and paying out a couple of thousand dollars a year, they do not pay much attention to you and leave you completely alone. It is when you reach the level where you are taking in over $5,000 per year that you must look for the 501 (C) status. Of course your Kindred may cruise along forever and not take in very much money, but what if you decided to acquire property, build a Hof or activity center? What if someone passes over the Bifrost Bridge and leaves the Kindred a nice sum in their Will? Or maybe a rich philanthropist comes along and likes what you are doing and donates $100,000 to the Kindred, then what are you going to do? Well, if you are not incorporated and have not received your EIN number, you can not accept the donation without having to pay taxes on it. And the person making the donation can't use it as a tax deduction. So, chances are, that they may go elsewhere to relieve themselves of their money or property. If your Kindred has completed the first two steps of incorporation and obtaining an EIN number, you could probably accept a large donation, but would be required by the IRS to immediately request for 501 (c) recognition.

So what is required of the Kindred to obtain 501 (c) status? First of all, the IRS requires for you to pay them $500 for the filing fee. You then have to meet their criteria of just what a church is. You also have to provide them with some type of Financial Report of just what kind of money the Kindred holds, where it came from, and where it went, so they can again see if it fits their criteria as a church. It's really not as hard to do all of this as it may sound. Other Kindreds have already completed all three steps, and they would be glad to advise anyone who is seeking information on how to proceed.

I must stress at this time, that the structure of the Asatru Alliance is nothing more than a confederation of independent Kindreds. The Alliance is not an organization. We do not have a Board of Directors, a membership list, or do we charge dues. So the Alliance itself is not incorporated. The true strength of the Alliance lies in the number of Kindreds that it has who have accomplished the three steps of legitimacy outlined above. Of course we stress this point in our By Laws where we urge Kindreds to incorporate.(Editorial note since the writing of this article the Asatru Alliance has become a 501(c) 3 corporation).

Asatru is poised on the threshold of tremendous growth. The infrastructure for the future must be in place first. I urge all Kindreds to proceed with the three steps as soon as they are able.

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Anglo Saxon Heathendom And Icelandic Asatru

Book: Anglo Saxon Heathendom And Icelandic Asatru by Eric Wodening

The ancient Germanic peoples essentially followed the same religion. Nearly all of them appear to have worshipped the major gods known to us from Norse mythology - Odinn, PorR, FreyR, and so on. They also believed in many of the same "spirits" or wights--elves dwarves, thurses, and so on. They held various festivals, rituals, and customs in common. This is not to say that there were not differences among the tribes in their religious customs and beliefs. There was always some variation in religious practices and beliefs among the Germanic peoples.

Perhaps the best demonstration of both the similarities and the differences which sometimes existed in the religious beliefs of the Germanic peoples would be to examine the respective beliefs of the Anglo-Saxon and Icelandic heathen.

It must be noted right away that the ancient Germanic peoples lacked a name for their religion or its branches. An ancient Anglo-Saxon heathen if asked about his religion would probably have referred to it simply as min beodisc gelefa, "my tribe's belief." The Icelanders may have responded along similar lines, although today this ancient and modern branch of the Germanic heathen religion is called "Asatru." For simplicity's sake, we will use "Anglo-Saxon heathendom" and "Asatru" for the faiths of the ancient Anglo-Saxons and Icelanders respectively..

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Magic Runes

Book: Magic Runes by Samael Aun Weor

I have been trying to share with you the importance of bringing the Runes and the gods/goddesses of the North into the 21st Century. No longer should we run around in the woods with our axes and swords, drinking mead (unless we want to for FUN), asking the gods/goddesses to help us. Asking the runes to help us. If we had the power to invoke Odin, Thor or TYR into our blot or our rituals. What would we do with them?

Runes and Odin and the gods/goddesses of the North belong in the 21st Century, in the Age of Aquarius, the Age of the Internet and Quantum Physics. No longer can we pray to them to do it for us. We must ask the gods and the runes how to do it and give us the energies to do it with. It is erroneous to keep the Runes shackled to the Viking Age. All the literature we have about the magic of runes is shadowed in parables, paradoxes and enigmas. The Laws of Quantum Physics broke through the mystery of the magic of runes symbols. Runes were never meant for divination. Runes were never meant to be used as an alphabet.

Runes are Universal Creative Energies. Magical rune symbols are just that. Magical rune symbols that connect us to the runic energy of the Quantum Ocean (Mind of God).

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Kenaz Rune

Kenaz signifies a torch. It represents the light leading us in the darkness, helping us to rise from the dark depths of our spirit by knowing our selves. Seeing that fire is the element here, all aspects of this Rune are connected to physical and spiritual traits of fire. It can be the fire of creation, but also creative sexual energy. This Rune can also symbolize inspiration and understanding, that is every flash of light which can lead to enlightenment or understanding of something previously unknown to us; it can also signify the forming of a good idea in a creative sense. The inspiration Kenaz brings can be not only the creative kind but also the kind of inspiration that brings new motivation for life. Whenever your life becomes a routine Kenaz brings a breath of fresh air. The fire of artistic inspiration is strictly controlled, and the human passion must be the same; if it isn't, the relationship can become hell. Fire is connected to purification. One of the possible interpretations of this Rune is the association with cremation and it corresponding with Kano, the holy vehicle in the cult of Nerthus, Nordic Goddess of the Earth.

Divination:

Positive meaning: vision, creativity, inspiration, enthusiasm, passion.

Negative meaning: blind passion, destruction, loss of vision or inspiration

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Teachings Of The Odin Brotherhood

Book: Teachings Of The Odin Brotherhood by Anonymous

Some years after the publication of Mirabello's book, the Anonymous and privately printed Teachings of the Odin Brotherhood began to circulate. Copies of the latter are rare.

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Germanic And Celtic Religious Lore And Practices

I referred to virtually identical warrior paradises in the scene which opened this article, but the overlap between Celtic and Germanic lore goes far beyond this.

Bogs throughout Northern Europe received sacrifices from Celt and German alike. Weapons and armor captured in battle, food and beakers, miscellaneous items - all were deposited in lakes and marshes in the same way, to the point that we can't even tell which finds are German and which are Celtic.

When the Druids sacrificed to the Gods, the blood from an animal was sprinkled with a sprig of greenery on the assembled people, so the divine energy inherent in blood could be directly transferred to them. In historical Asatru, our forebears did exactly the same thing in the course of a sacrifice or blot.. (Today, modern practitioners of both religions use mead or other fermented fluid in this role.)

Across the length and breadth of our European homeland, our ancestors honored the Gods in the open air, because we thought it inappropriate to shut them up into limiting, lessening structures like the Christian churches. Similarly, in the earliest days, our representations of the Gods and goddesses were simple indeed - often carved from pieces of wood to which Nature had already given the basic shape, awaiting only a few refinements from human hands.

These customs accurately describe Celts as well as Germans.

Tribesmen of both groups used intoxicating drink in religious ritual. Often this was mead, but it could be ale as well. And, while we're considering altered states of consciousness, let's remember the fit or frenzy of the Odin-gripped warriors, the berserkers. In old Ireland, essentially the same warrior's madness bore the name of "{\i ferg} ".

Readers of the Norse stories will remember how Sigurd the Volsung killed the dragon Fafnir and roasted its heart. When he burned his finger, he stuck it in his mouth and found that he could understand the speech of birds. The Irish hero Fergus gained the same gift when he singed his finger while cooking a salmon over a fire.



MAP OF THE UNIVERSE...

When we look at the cosmology of the Teutons and that of the Celts, we can't help but see the likeness. Both have the giant tree, the center of the cosmos and indeed the framework in which all the worlds are found: to Asafolk, it's Yggdrasil; the Celts call it Bile .

The other key component of the universe in ancient Germania was the Well of Wyrd, containing the deeds that make up the past. Drinking from its waters gives wisdom, and Odin gave up one of his eyes for the privilege. As it turns out, the Celts have an almost identical well; hazel nuts fall into it where they are eaten by the Salmon of Wisdom.

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Did Vikings Live In The Christian Age

Toward the end of the Viking Age, from about 1000 to 1066, the Christian Church became more of an influence on the Vikings and they became less warlike. Even Leif Ericson, the first European to set foot on the North American Continent, was an emissary of the church, converting his mother (his father staunchly remained a pagan) and others around him in Greenland.

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Asatru Poem Svadi The Giant

There once was a giant,
Who lived on a Mountain called Blesanerg,
In the North,
His name was Svadi,
He was a son of the Thunder God Thor.

At one time there was a man named Val,
Val was the son of Agnar and Hildigunn,
He had a sword called Horn-Hilt,
It was heavily inlaid with gold,
And it never missed it's mark.

It happened that Val had heard some rumors,
That Svadi the Giant had more gold than could be counted in marks,
Val decided to take a journey to Blesanerg Mountain,
In search of the Giant's gold.

Val traveled until he came to Blesanerg,
He climbed up on to the mountain,
He searched until he found the Giant's Mighty Hall,
Hiding and watching,
Val studied the activities of the Giant.

One day it happened that Svadi went out of His Hall,
And down the mountain he went,
To do a little fishing in the Valley below.

Val seeing his chance,
Came from his hiding place,
He Ran to the entrance of the Mighty Hall,
Once inside,
Val searched until he found the Giant's gold.

Gathering up all he could take,
Val quickly ran out of the Hall,
Back to his hiding place,
Staying until Svadi returned from his fishing trip,
Upon the Giant's return,
Val made his way down Blesanerg mountain,
And journeyed with his gold back home.

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Asatru And Neopaganism

Though it is sometimes lumped together with "Neopagan" religions, Asatru is of a different character from the mainstream of Neopaganism. It is not based on "new" material; it is based firmly and foremost on historical records and the copious data we have preserved regarding the mythical and cultural underpinnings of pre-Christian society and religion.

Ironically, it was the Icelanders who, after their nominal conversion, first recorded and wrote down the stories and sagas of Heathen days, thus assuring their survival. The Icelanders, unlike others, were never ashamed of their Heathen past. A constant and recognized tradition of historical folk-belief and folk-custom also helps to refine the shape, beliefs, and practices of Asatru. Neopaganism often appears as synonymous with movements and beliefs like theosophy, cultural and moral relativism, monism, liberalism, Goddess worship, feminism and radical environmentalism and the like, but Asatru is not associated with those things as a whole.

Some Asatruar may study those things or consider them important, but the Heathen faith-movement as a whole is not entangled with the "new agey" elements that characterize most Neopagan faiths. Asatruar also do not tend to be as politically liberal as other Neopagans. Asatru has a deep respect and veneration for Nature itself- the earth itself is believed to be the body of a Goddess, and many sacred beings are believed to dwell within nature as a whole, but this does not mean that Asatru may be simply lumped in with radical environmentalists or nature-worshipers. The situation is a bit more subtle than that.

Asatruar largely reject the general Neopagan belief that "All Gods are one God"- Asatru is now, and always was, a truly Polytheistic faith. There are traditions of sorcery and mysticism to be found in historical Asatru as well as in modern Asatru- but unlike the Neopagan world which seems to be largely fixated on "magic" and things of that nature, this is not the main focus of the spiritual or religious lives of most Asatruar.

It is well known that most Neopagan religions tend to haphazardly blend and mix all manner of cultural religious features (like Gods, beliefs, and mystical techniques) from east and west into a chaotic blend of metaphysical hodge-podge; Asatruar are, like all reconstructionists, against the disrespectful and immature appropriation of spiritual and metaphysical ideas from other cultures. Asatruar have their own Gods and Goddesses- those of their own Ancestors- and their own historically-attested ways and beliefs. And these are all they need.

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Othala Rune

Othala represents inheritance or heritage and a warm, safe home. This is Fehu on a higher level, but also Fehu – the beginning of a next circle. The heritage of Othala can be understood in the material sense but also as the knowledge of Ancestors and wisdom of the Old one always has to come back to. The basic meaning of Othala is actually Ancestral or Inherited Land i.e. home. A resting place we're all aspiring to; it can signify our homeland as well as our spiritual homeland. It's the goal we've finally reached in order to accomplish the peace we longed for. This Rune was used by the Nazis, as well as two Sowilo Runes which were the emblem of the SS formation. Even today Othala is used by skinheads to mark their white heritage, which only damages the Runic system, and the Germanic system in general. That damage is caused by the piling of negative emotions towards Germanic symbols. Othala signifies belonging, but not in such a vulgar sense like belonging to a single race, but more an axis and basis everyone should find within. The Rune is used to end what one has started.

Divination:

Positive meaning: heritage, home, security, belonging, independence.

Negative meaning: a limiting traditionalism, loss of a spiritual basis, problems with the law and possessions.

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The Guardian Of The Rainbow

Fearing lest their enemies, the frost giants, should make their way over this bridge, which, connecting heaven and earth, ended under the shade of the mighty world tree Yggdrasil, close beside the fountain where Mimir kept guard, the Gods bade the white-clad Heimdall watch it night and day.

“Bifrost i’ th’ east shone forth in brightest green;
On its top, in snow-white sheen,
Heimdal at his post was seen.” - OEHLENSCHLAGER (Pigott’s tr.)

To enable their watchman to detect the approach of any enemy from afar, the assembled Gods gifted him with very keen senses, for he is said to be able to hear the grass grow on the hillside, and the wool on the sheep’s back, to see plainly one hundred miles off by night as well as by day, and to require less sleep than a bird.

“’Mongst shivering giants wider known
Than him who sits unmoved on high,
The guard of heaven, with sleepless eye.” - LAY OF SKIRNER (Herbert’s tr.)

Heimdall was further provided with a flashing sword and a marvelous trumpet, called Gjallarhorn, which the Gods bade him blow whenever he saw their enemies draw near, declaring that its sound would rouse all creatures in heaven, earth, and Niflheim; would announce that the last day had come and that the great battle was about to be fought.

“To battle the gods are called
By the ancient
Gjallar-horn.
Loud blows Heimdall,
His sound is in the air.” - SAEUND’S EDDA (Thorpe’s tr.)

To keep this instrument, which was a symbol of the moon crescent, ever at hand, Heimdall either hangs it on a branch of Yggdrasil above his head or sinks it in the waters of Mimir’s well, where it lay side by side with Odin’s eye, which is also an emblem of the moon at its full.

Heimdall’s palace, called Himinbiorg, was placed on the highest point of the bridge, and here the Gods often visit him to quaff the delicious mead which he sets before them.

“’Tis Himminbjorg called
Where Heimdal, they say,
Hath dwelling and rule.
There the gods’ warder drinks,
In peaceful old halls,
Gladsome the good mead.” - NORSE mythology (R. B. Anderson)

Heimdall, always clad in resplendent white armor, is therefore called the bright God, as well as the light, innocent, and graceful God, all which titles he fully deserves, for he is as good as beautiful, and all the Gods love him.

Connected on his mothers’ side with the sea, he was sometimes counted among the Vanas; and as the ancient Northerners, and especially the Icelanders, to whom the surrounding sea appeared the most important element, fancied that all things had risen out of it, they attributed to him a knowledge of all things and imagined him particularly wise.

“Then said Heimdall,
Of ?sir the brightest —
He well foresaw
Like other Vanir.” - SAEUND’S EDDA (Thorpe’s tr.)

This God is further distinguished by his golden teeth, which flash when he smiles, and won for him the surname of Gullintani (golden-toothed). He is also the proud possessor of a swift, golden-maned steed called Gull-top, which transports him to and fro over the quivering rainbow bridge. This he crosses many times a day, but particularly in the early morn, when he is considered a herald of the day and bore the name of Heim-dellinger.

“Early up Bifrost
Ran Ulfrun’s son,
The mighty hornblower
Of Himinbiorg.” -SAEUND’S EDDA (Thorpe’s tr.)

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God Hod

Hod: This name also means "warrior", and he is very strong. But he is also blind, and it was his hand that Loki guided to the killing of Baldur. Hod was afterwards killed, and resides with Baldur in Hel.

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Asatru Holidays January Snowmoon

Snowmoon 3,
Charming of the Plow: This is the date of an agricultural ritual performed in Northern Europe from ancient times. Grains and cakes were offered for the soil’s fertility, and the Sky Father and Earth Mother were invoked to that end. Meditate upon your dependence on the soil, and crumble upon the earth a piece of bread as you call upon Odin, Frigga and the Land Spirits to heal the Earth and keep it from harm.

Snowmoon 9,
Day of Remembrance for Raud the Strong: Raud was a landowner in Norway who was put to death by (St.) Olaf Tryggvason for his loyalty to Asatru by having a snake forced down his throat. Rauds lands were then confiscated in the name of the king and his monks. Raise a horn in honor of Raud and all of his kinsmen who gave their lives, rather then submit to the enforced love of the kristjan empire.

Snowmoon 14,
Thorrablot: This holiday began the Old Norse month of Snorri. It is still observed in Iceland with parties and a mid-winter feast. It is of course sacred to Thorr and the ancient Icelandic Winter Spirit of Thorri. On this day we should perform blot to Thorr and invite the mighty Asaman to the feast.

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Were The Viking Attacks Self Defense Against Christianity

Starting in the 790s, Viking ships began raiding throughout Western Europe and the British Isles, often targeting monasteries. Ferguson points out that peaceful contacts between the Norse peoples and Christian societies, such as trading with each other. He therefore asks why did the Viking attacks begin when they did?

But with the accession of Charlemagne in 771, the Carolingians began to implement a new program of converting their pagan and neighbors and promoting Christianity. Charlemagne launched numerous invasions of the Saxon peoples led by Widukind.

In a podcast interview, Ferguson adds the goals of Charlemagne were to force the Saxons "to abandon their culture, political system, beliefs and everything, and make them part Christians and part of his empire."

Ferguson notes an episode of "ethnic-cleansing:" when, in 782, Charlemangne's armies forcibly baptised and then executed 4,500 Saxon captives at Verden, a town close to Denmark. The Danes would have been well aware of what was happening with the Saxons anyways, as Widukind was married to sister of the Danish king, Sigfrid, and often took refuge in Denmark to escape the Carolingians.

Considering the situation, Ferguson writes, "Should the Vikings simply wait for Charlemagne's armies to arrive and set about the task? Or should they fight to defend their culture?"

But the Norse could not fight the Carolingian military directly - instead they went after soft-targets, such as monasteries, which were symbols of the growing Christian encroachment. Ferguson says, "everything points to a hatred that goes beyond just robbers who just wanted money."

The article goes on to describe these early Viking attacks, and how their raids expanded throughout Europe, with Viking kingdoms developing on the British Isles and elsewhere.

Several other explanations have been put forward for Viking violence, such as innovations in shipbuilding which encouraged piracy, and overpopulation in Scandinavia, which forced many of its people to leave their homeland in search of fortune.

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Black Runa

Book: Black Runa by Stephen Flowers

Eighteen Articles originally written for Runes, the journal of the Order of the Trapezoid. This work goes a long way toward demonstrating the character of symbolic and magical work within the Order. Includes a discussion of The Command to Look, Mortensen's analysis of visual imagery and impact, the source for Anton LaVey's formulation of the Law of the Trapezoid. This limited edition (504 copies) includes some of the inner documents of the Order of the Trapezoid.

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Sacrifices In Ancient Scandinavia

The actual sacrifice consisted in the killing of various animals, usually oxen, horses, sheep, or swine, but on special occasions even human beings were offered to the gods. At the great Upsala festival, according to Adam's account, nine male animals of each kind were offered, as well as men; and a Christian eye-witness reported having seen seventy-two carcases of slaughtered men and beasts (dogs and horses) suspended together from the trees of the sacred grove adjoining the temple. Whether this custom of hanging up the bodies of the offerings was practised elsewhere in Scandinavia is unknown, but the connection between Odin and death by hanging makes it probable that it was more widely known than appears. In Denmark also human victims were offered along with animals; according to Thietmar's chronicle the great gathering in this country took place at Lejre (near Roskilde in Sj?lland) every nine years, in the month of January. The sacrifice here consisted of ninety-nine men and as many horses, dogs, and cocks (the latter being offered in place of hawks). How the victims were selected or obtained is not stated; but it is probable that they were usually captives taken in war, criminals or thralls. In Sweden, indeed, strangers appear to have run some risk of being selected as victims; in 997 the Icelandic poet Hallfred nearly met with this fate. In early times, however, the Swedes were credited with having burned one of their kings in his own house as an offering to Odin, in order to dispel a famine which they believed was due to his slackness in maintaining the sacrifices. One of the early kings was also reported to have offered up nine of his sons in succession to Odin, to obtain long life for himself. In an account of the heathen period in the isle of Gotland, which is given in Guta Saga, it is said that 'they sacrificed their sons and daughters and their cattle. All the land had its highest sacrifices with folk (=human beings), as also had each third (of the country) by itself; but the smaller districts had lesser sacrifices with cattle.'

In Norway and Iceland human sacrifices appear to have been more exceptional, and only resorted to in extreme cases. The usual nature of the victims is clearly indicated by the words assigned to King Olaf Tryggvason in 998, when he found his subjects obstinate in their determination to hold the midsummer blot. He then threatened 'to make it the greatest kind of sacrifice that is inuse, and offer up men; and I will not choose thralls or criminals, but will select the most distinguished men to give to the gods.' At the very crisis of the conflict between paganism and Christianity in Iceland, in the year 1000, the adherents of the old religion resolved to sacrifice two men out of each quarter, and 'called upon the heathen gods not to let Christianity overrun the country.' Then Hjalti and Gizur held a meeting of the Christians, and said that they wold also make an offering of as many men. 'The heathens,' they said, 'sacrifice the worst men, and cast them over rocks or cliffs; but we shall choose the best men, and call it a gift for victory to our Lord Jesus Christ.' Various methods appear to have been in use besides that mentioned here; at Thorsness, in the west of Iceland, tradition long pointed out the 'doom-ring,' in which men had been adjudged for sacrifice, and the stone within it---called Thor's stone---on which they were killed by being broken, ' and the stain of blood is still to be seen on it.' Another source seaks of human victims as having been sunk in a fen close to the temple on Kjalarness, which is supported by Adam of Bremen's statement that near the temple of Upsala was a fountain in which 'a living man' was immersed. A 'sacrificial pit' is also mentioned in Vatnsd?la Saga, where one Thorolf was believed to sacrifice both men and cattle. That in exceptional cases the victim may have been of higher standing than the thrall or criminal is possible enough; as late as 985 Earl Hakon in Norway is credited with having given his young son as an offering to Thorgerd, when he prayed to her for victory over the vikings of Jomsborg. In other cases, such as that of Hallstein, who 'gave his son to Thor' in order that the god might send him pillars for his house, the language is ambiguous, and may imply dedication rather than sacrifice. When the sacrifice consisted of animals which might be used for human food, it was apparently only the blood which was regarded as belonging to the gods. To this was given the name of hlaut, and it has already been stated (p. 41) that special bowls were kept to receive it in. It was then smeared or sprinkled by means of twigs, not only upon the altars and the walls of the temples (both outside and in), but also upon the assembled people. The flesh was then boiled in large pots over the fires which burned in the middle of the temple, and was eaten by the worshippers, after being consecrated by the chief man present. A prominent feature, at least of the more important festivals, was the use of horse-flesh for this purpose---a practice so intimately associated with heathenism that its abandonment was strictly prescribed to those who accepted Christianity. This appears in the strongest light in the case of Hakon the Good, who was finally forced to appease his heathen subjects by eating some pieces of horse-liver. In Iceland, however, it was permitted for a few years after the new faith was publicly adopted.

Books in PDF format to read:

Herbert Stanley Redgrove - Alchemy Ancient And Modern
David Robertson - Magical Medicine In Viking Scandinavia
William Alexander Craigie - Religion Of Ancient Scandinavia