Mid Winter Sacrifice
Pencil Drawing
Whether or not we Scandinavians really practiced human sacrifice
during Viking times or not, before Scandinavia converted to
Christianity in the 11th century, is not proved, but it was most probably the case.
The victim (usually a thrall) would then probably have been drugged
before his throat were cut, and the blood drained to be splattered
onto wooden images of the Gods Oden, Tor or Frej. The body would
after this be hung in a tree in a sacrificial grove. The big
sacrificial rite of the year, called 'Midvinterblotet'
(where very many animals were sacrificed in either case) took place
around the darkest time of mid winter. This tradition was later
converted into Christmas by the missionaries. Many Christmas
traditions in the western and Anglo Saxon parts of the world of
today, do actually still show many traces from early North Germanic
Blot traditions. We may say we celebrate Jesus at Christmas, but
the partying might still be in honor of Oden, the king of the Asa
Gods, to Tor, God of thunder and Frej, God of fertility.
Nice, hah? Actually, in some remote parts of
Sweden we still do this... No, just kidding ^^
Previous||Next
|
