What is a blot ritual?
A blot, is a ritual sacrifice, to the Gods, the Wights, ancestors, alfr etc. Any of The Holy Powers. They are a way to communicate with them, to ask for intangible gifts and give them in return.
What happens at a blot?
The three points to a blot ceremony usually are: the hallowing of the gifts, then sharing them together, and then offering part of them as a libation to the Gods/Goddesses, or other entities you are offering to: the spirits of hills, lakes, mountains, fields, trees, and rivers.
Did Vikings sacrifice each other?
It was always important for the Vikings to be on good terms with the gods. In order to ensure that this was the case they made “blót” sacrifices. The blót was an exchange, in which they sacrificed to the gods in order to get something back in return.
What are the Norse holidays?
DISTING / CHARMING of the PLOW.
What should I sacrifice to Odin?
Odin has many names and is the god of both war and death. Half of the warriors who die in battle are taken to his hall of Valhalla. He is the one-eyed All-Father, who sacrificed his eye in order to see everything that happens in the world.
How do you celebrate midsummer Asatru?
One idea for midsummer is to remain awake all night and mark the shortest night of the year, then at sunrise to perform a “Greeting of Sunna” blot to her. Another midsummer custom is the rolling of a flaming wagon wheel down a hill to mark the turning of the wheel of the year.
What should I sacrifice to Thor?
If there is disease or famine, they sacrifice to Thor, if war to Odin and if weddings to Frey. Every ninth year there is a blót of nine days, a common feast for everyone in Sweden. Then they sacrifice nine males of each species, even men, and the bodies are hung from the branches of a grove near the temple.
Did Vikings have polygamy?
There are also indications that Vikings practiced polygamy, which in their highly stratified society would have meant that poorer unmarried men might have had limited access to women, and would have targeted female slaves as concubines (or even wives).
Is midsummer pagan?
Traditionally, Midsummer was a pagan celebration of fertility and of light defeating darkness. That is still the backbone of Scandinavian Midsummer, and is evident in the method of celebration, including bonfires, feasts, and dancing.
Was Odin a real person?
The Viking god Odin may have been a real king who lived 2,000 years ago in what is now southern Russia, Norwegian explorer Thor Heyerdahl said in a controversial new book. Snorre’s stories about Odin, viewed as the king of the gods in Norse mythology, portrayed him as fighting battles.