Forn Sed

 Often known under the name Asatru.

This blog will focus on historical accuracy and reconstructionism but also on the contemporary religion and sometimes wander into other heathenry, like Anglo - Saxon faith, Odinism, Theodism and so on.
There will however never be any bigotry, homophobia, anti Semitism or stupid ideas of a "pure" Germanic race.
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In Norse mythology, Vör (Old Norse, possibly “the careful one,” or “aware, careful”) is a goddess associated with wisdom. Vör is attested in the Prose Edda, written in the 13th century by Snorri Sturluson; and twice in kennings employed in skaldic poetry. Scholars have proposed theories about the implications of the goddess. In chapter 35 of the Prose Edda book Gylfaginning, High provides brief descriptions of 16 ásynjur. High lists Vör tenth, and says that Vör is “wise and inquiring, so that nothing can be concealed from her.” High adds that a saying exists where “a woman becomes aware (vor) of something when she finds it out.” In chapter 75 of the Prose Edda bookSkáldskaparmál Vör appears within a list of 27 ásynjur names.
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In Norse mythology, Gná is a goddess who runs errands in other worlds for the goddess Frigg and rides the flying, sea-treading horseHófvarpnir (Old Norse ”he who throws his hoofs about”, ”hoof-thrower” or “hoof kicker”). Gná and Hófvarpnir are attested in theProse Edda, written in the 13th century by Snorri Sturluson. Scholarly theories have been proposed about Gná as a “goddess of fullness” and as potentially cognate to Fama from Roman mythology. Hófvarpnir and the eight-legged steed Sleipnir have been cited examples of transcendent horses in Norse mythology. (Gná is the one with the spear on the picture of Frigg by Carl Emil Doeppler from 1882)
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Óðr again leaves the grieving Freyja in Odur verläßt abermals die trauernde Gattin (1882), artist unknown. In Norse mythology, Óðr (Old Norse for “mad, frantic, furious, vehement, eager”, as a noun “mind, feeling” and also “song, poetry”; Orchard (1997) gives “the frenzied one”[1]) or Óð, sometimes angliziced as Odr or Od, is a figure associated with the major goddess Freyja. The Prose Edda and Heimskringla, written in the 13th century by Snorri Sturluson, both describe Óðr as Freyja’s husband and father of her daughter Hnoss. Heimskringla adds that the couple produced another daughter, Gersemi. A number of theories have been proposed about Óðr, generally that he is somehow a hypostasis of the deity Odin due to their similarities.
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In Norse mythology, Gerðr (Old Norse “fenced-in”) is a jötunn, goddess, and the wife of the god Freyr. Gerðr is attested in the Poetic Edda, compiled in the 13th century from earlier traditional sources; the Prose Edda and Heimskringla, written in the 13th century by Snorri Sturluson; and in the poetry of skalds. Gerðr is sometimes modernly anglicized as Gerd or Gerth. In both the Poetic Edda and the Prose Edda, Freyr sees Gerðr from a distance, becomes deeply lovesick at the sight of her shimmering beauty, and has his servant Skírnir go to Jötunheimr (where Gerðr and her father Gymir reside) to gain her love. In the Poetic Edda Gerðr initially refuses, yet after a series of threats by Skírnir she finally agrees. In the Prose Edda, no mention of threats is made. In both sources, Gerðr agrees to meet Freyr at a fixed time at the location of Barri and, after Skírnir returns with Gerðr’s response, Freyr laments that the meeting could not occur sooner. In both the Poetic Edda and the Prose Edda, Gerðr is described as the daughter of Gymir and the mountain jötunn Aurboða. In Heimskringla, Gerðr is recorded as the wife of Freyr, euhemerized as having been a beloved king of Sweden. In the same source, the couple are the founders of the Yngling dynasty and produced a son, Fjölnir, who rose to kinghood after Freyr’s passing and continued their line. Gerðr is commonly theorized to be a goddess associated with the earth. Gerðr has inspired works of art and literature. Picture: Skirnir’s Message to Gerd (1908) by W. G. Collingwood.
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Hnöss and Gersimi

In Norse mythology, Hnoss (Old Norse “treasure”) is the daughter of Freyja and Óðr, and sister of Gersemi.

File:Heimdall and little Hnossa by Willy Pogany.png

 

“Heimdall and little Hnossa - how all things came to be” (1920) by Willy Pogany.

In Norse mythology, Gersemi (Old Norse “treasure”) is the daughter of Freyja and Óðr, and sister of Hnoss.

03
22

Norse Sacrifice

Sa c r i f i c e and Sa c r i f i c i a l Ideology in Old Nor s e

Religion

Daniel Bray

The practice of sacrifice is often treated as ‘the dark side’ of Old Norse

heathenism, by both medieval Christian commentators and modern

scholars alike. However, within Norse religious practice, sacrificial

ritual (blot) was one of the most central acts of religious observance.

This paper will seek to examine aspects of the significance of blot

within Old Norse religion, the ideology of sacrifice as it operated

within this tradition and its relation to other Indo-European traditions,

and the reactions to the issue of sacrifice by medieval contemporaries

and modern scholarship

03
22
Eir Virtual Shrine: http://nshrine.com/shrine/Eir
03
20

Wishing you all a good Disablot! Til ars ok frithar!

03
19

Archaeologists unearth 'unparalleled' pre-Christian temple in Norway

A fascinating discovery is shedding light upon pre-Christian Scandinavian religion and early Christian inroads into Norway. In the Norwegian press, this highly important find is being called “unparalleled,” “first of its kind” and “unique,” said to have been “deliberately and carefully hidden” - from invading and destructive Christians.

Located at the site of Ranheim, about 10 kilometers south of the Norwegian city of Trondheim, the astonishing discovery was unearthed while excavating foundations for new houses and includes a “gudehovet” or “god temple.” Occupied from the 6th or 5th century BCE until the 10th century AD/CE, the site shows signs of usage for animal sacrifice, a common practice among different peoples in antiquity, including the biblical Israelites. (E.g., Num 7:17-88) Over 1,000 years ago, the site was dismantled and covered by a thick layer of peat, evidently to protect it from marauding Christian invaders. These native Norse religionists apparently then fled to other places, such as Iceland, where they could re-erect their altars and re-establish the old religion.



03
12

How tall were the Vikings?

When medieval writers from Europe and other lands wrote about the frightning Norse raiders, they frequently mentioned that the invading Vikings were very tall.

In 921, an Arab, Ibn Fadlan was sent by the Caliph of Bagdad to accompany an embassy to the King of the Bulgars of the Middle Volga. Ibn Fadlan wrote an account of his journeys with the embassy, called a Risala. During the course of his journey, Ibn Fadlan met a people called the Rus, a group of Swedish origin, acting as traders in the Bulgar capital. Ibn Fadlan tells us:

“I have seen the Rus as they came on their merchant journeys and encamped by the Volga. I have never seen more perfect physical specimens, tall as date palms, blonde and ruddy…”

European observers made similar observations. The Annals of Fulda record that, in 884, the Franks defeated a party of attacking Vikings in a battle in Saxony, mentioning their great size:

Quales numquam antea in gente Francorum visi fuissent, in pulchritudine videlicet ac proceritate corporum. 

[In that battle such men are said to have been killed among the Northmen as had never been seen before among the Frankish people, namely in their beauty and the size of their bodies]. (Coupland, pp. 188-189)

The question is, do these anecdotal reports reflect reality? To answer this question, archaeologists turn to studies of bones from Viking graves. A study by Richard H. Steckel,Health and Nutrition in the Preindustrial Era: Insights from a Millennium of Average Heights in Northern Europe, presents a convenient summary of height data from Northern Europe.