Snorri Sturluson relates of a meeting between the peasants of Trøndelag and king Haakon I of Norway, a meeting which ended in a religious feud centered around the blót. Haakon was raised at the Christian English court and had returned to claim the throne of his father Harald Fairhair (the unifier of Norway) and intended to Christianize the country. In spite of the fact that the peasants had elected Haakon king at the Ting they opposed his religious ideas. It was an old custom, that when there was to be sacrifice all the bon ...

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Blót, Blót - Rites and beliefs, Blót - Dates for the blóts, Blót - Locations, Blót - Uppsala, Sweden, Blót - Gotland, Blót - Lejre, Denmark, Blót - Mære, Norway, Blót - Elven blót, Blót - The Völse blót, Blót - Later times, Blót - Sources

Read more here: » Blót: Encyclopedia II - Blót - Mære, Norway

The Blót was the pagan Germanic sacrifice to Norse gods and Elves. The word is related to the English word bless and they are derived from blood, an important component in the rites. Blót - Rites and beliefs. The verb blóta meant to "strengthen" and the intention was to strengthen the powers (gods and Elves). The most powerful means was the sacrificed object or being. It was usually animals and in particular pigs and horses. The meat was boiled in large cooking pits with heated stone ...

Including:

• Blót - Rites and beliefs
• Blót - Dates for the blóts
• Blót - Locations
• Blót - Uppsala Sweden
• Blót - Gotland
• Blót - Lejre Denmark
• Blót - Mære Norway
• Blót - Elven blót
• Blót - The Völse blót
• Blót - Later times
• Blót - Sources

Read more here: » Blót: Encyclopedia - Blót

Main articles: Old Uppsala and Temple at Uppsala. The German chronicler Adam of Bremen has described how it was done at the Temple at Uppsala at Old Uppsala in Sweden, ca 1070: Thor was the most powerful god and ruled over thunder and lightning, wind and rain, sunshine and crops. He sat in the centre with a sceptre (Mjolnir) in his hand, and on each side were Odin, the god of war, in full armour and Frey, the god of peace and love, attributed with an enormous erected phallus. All the pagan gods have their priests w ...

See also:

Blót, Blót - Rites and beliefs, Blót - Dates for the blóts, Blót - Locations, Blót - Uppsala, Sweden, Blót - Gotland, Blót - Lejre, Denmark, Blót - Mære, Norway, Blót - Elven blót, Blót - The Völse blót, Blót - Later times, Blót - Sources

Read more here: » Blót: Encyclopedia II - Blót - Uppsala, Sweden

The autumn blót was performed in the middle of October, the great Midwinter blót, or Yule, at the winter solstice. The dark winter was a harsh time for the people of Scandinavia, and special means had to be undertaken to help nature pass the critical phase. Freyr was the most important god at the Midwinter and autumn blóts, and Christmas ham (the pig was for Freyr) is still the main Christmas course in Scandinavia. The Summer blót was undertaken in April and the vernal equinox and it was given to Odin. Then, they drank for victory in war and this blót was the ...

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Blót, Blót - Rites and beliefs, Blót - Dates for the blóts, Blót - Locations, Blót - Uppsala Sweden, Blót - Gotland, Blót - Lejre Denmark, Blót - Mære Norway, Blót - Elven blót, Blót - The Völse blót, Blót - Later times, Blót - Sources

Read more here: » Blót: Encyclopedia II - Blót - Dates for the blóts

The verb blóta meant to "strengthen" and the intention was to strengthen the powers (gods and Elves). The most powerful means was the sacrificed object or being. It was usually animals and in particular pigs and horses. The meat was boiled in large cooking pits with heated stones, either indoors or outdoors. The blood was considered to contain special powers and it was sprinkled on the statues of the gods, on th ...

See also:

Blót, Blót - Rites and beliefs, Blót - Dates for the blóts, Blót - Locations, Blót - Uppsala Sweden, Blót - Gotland, Blót - Lejre Denmark, Blót - Mære Norway, Blót - Elven blót, Blót - The Völse blót, Blót - Later times, Blót - Sources

Read more here: » Blót: Encyclopedia II - Blót - Rites and beliefs

Every Christmas, in Sweden and Norway people traditionally have the Christmas porridge and the whole family is gathered around the table. Still, in many homes, an extra bowl of porridge is served and carried outdoors, because this is a meal shared with the guardian of the homestead, the tomte/nisse, a landwight. In the old days, it was believed that he would leave the homestead if he was not served, an event which would lead to ruin, and so this blót has survived unt ...

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Blót, Blót - Rites and beliefs, Blót - Dates for the blóts, Blót - Locations, Blót - Uppsala Sweden, Blót - Gotland, Blót - Lejre Denmark, Blót - Mære Norway, Blót - Elven blót, Blót - The Völse blót, Blót - Later times, Blót - Sources

Read more here: » Blót: Encyclopedia II - Blót - Later times

A building where the blóts took place was called a hov (cf. German Hof) and there are many place names derived from this in e.g. Scania, West Götaland and East Götaland. In the process of Christianizing the landscape churches were usually built on such hovs, and excavations at the medieval churches of Mære in Trøndelag and at Old Uppsala testify to this (see Cultural continuity). There were also other sacred places called Horgr, Ve, Lund and Haug. Horgr means "cairn" or "mountain". ...

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Blót, Blót - Rites and beliefs, Blót - Dates for the blóts, Blót - Locations, Blót - Uppsala Sweden, Blót - Gotland, Blót - Lejre Denmark, Blót - Mære Norway, Blót - Elven blót, Blót - The Völse blót, Blót - Later times, Blót - Sources

Read more here: » Blót: Encyclopedia II - Blót - Locations

The Elven blót was small scale and was celebrated at the homestead and led by its mistress. We don't know much about the rites, since it was surrounded by secrecy and strangers were not welcome during the time of the rituals. However, since the elves were collective powers closely connected with the ancestors we can assume that it had to do with the ancestor cult and the life force of the family. In Austrfaravísur, Sigvatr Þorðarson, the skald of Olaf II of Norway has related an event connected with the blót. Once, ...

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Blót, Blót - Rites and beliefs, Blót - Dates for the blóts, Blót - Locations, Blót - Uppsala Sweden, Blót - Gotland, Blót - Lejre Denmark, Blót - Mære Norway, Blót - Elven blót, Blót - The Völse blót, Blót - Later times, Blót - Sources

Read more here: » Blót: Encyclopedia II - Blót - Elven blót

Snorri Sturluson relates of a meeting between the peasants of Trøndelag and king Haakon I of Norway, a meeting which ended in a religious feud centered around the blót. Haakon was raised at the Christian English court and had returned to claim the throne of his father Harald Fairhair (the unifier of Norway) and intended to Christianize the country. In spite of the fact that the peasants had elected Haakon king at the Ting they opposed his religious ideas. It was an old custom, that when there was to be sacrifice all the bon ...

See also:

Blót, Blót - Rites and beliefs, Blót - Dates for the blóts, Blót - Locations, Blót - Uppsala Sweden, Blót - Gotland, Blót - Lejre Denmark, Blót - Mære Norway, Blót - Elven blót, Blót - The Völse blót, Blót - Later times, Blót - Sources

Read more here: » Blót: Encyclopedia II - Blót - Mære Norway

The Gutasaga relates of the blóts on the island of Gotland in the Baltic Sea: Firi þan tima oc lengi eptir siþan. Troþu menn a hult. oc a hauga. wi. oc. stafgarþa. oc a haiþin guþ. blotaþu þair synnum oc dydrum sinum Oc fileþi. miþ matj oc mundgati. þet gierþu þair eptir wantro sinnj. land alt. hafþi sir hoystu blotan miþ fulki. ellar hafþi huer þriþiungr. sir. En smeri þing hafþu mindri blotan meþ fileþi. matj. Oc mungati. sum haita suþnautar. þi et þ ...

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Blót, Blót - Rites and beliefs, Blót - Dates for the blóts, Blót - Locations, Blót - Uppsala Sweden, Blót - Gotland, Blót - Lejre Denmark, Blót - Mære Norway, Blót - Elven blót, Blót - The Völse blót, Blót - Later times, Blót - Sources

Read more here: » Blót: Encyclopedia II - Blót - Gotland

Main articles: Old Uppsala and Temple at Uppsala. The German chronicler Adam of Bremen has described how it was done at the Temple at Uppsala at Old Uppsala in Sweden, ca 1070: Thor was the most powerful god and ruled over thunder and lightning, wind and rain, sunshine and crops. He sat in the centre with a sceptre (Mjolnir) in his hand, and on each side were Odin, the god of war, in full armour and Frey, the god of peace and love, attributed with an enormous erected phallus. All the pagan gods have their priests w ...

See also:

Blót, Blót - Rites and beliefs, Blót - Dates for the blóts, Blót - Locations, Blót - Uppsala Sweden, Blót - Gotland, Blót - Lejre Denmark, Blót - Mære Norway, Blót - Elven blót, Blót - The Völse blót, Blót - Later times, Blót - Sources

Read more here: » Blót: Encyclopedia II - Blót - Uppsala Sweden