Norse paganism
| Norse paganism | |
|---|---|
| Family | Indigenous / Germanic |
| Origin region | Scandinavia and Germanic-speaking northern Europe |
| Founding period | Pre-Christian northern Europe; modern revival from the 19th and 20th centuries |
| Estimated adherents | Historical tradition with modern revivalist communities often called Heathenry or Ásatrú. |
Norse paganism is norse paganism refers to the pre-Christian religious traditions of the Norse and related Germanic peoples, centered on gods, ancestors, spirits, ritual feasting, fate, and sacred landscapes.
Overview
Norse paganism was practiced in Scandinavia and the wider Norse world before and during the Christianization period. It included devotion to gods such as Odin, Thor, Freyja, Freyr, Tyr, Frigg, and Loki, as well as veneration of land spirits, ancestors, and local sacred places. Modern revivals vary from reconstructionist to eclectic forms.
Key beliefs
- A divine world including Aesir, Vanir, giants, elves, dwarfs, and other beings
- Fate, wyrd, honor, kinship, oath, and reciprocity
- Worlds connected by Yggdrasil, the world tree
- Myths of creation, conflict, Ragnarok, death, and renewal
- Ancestor and land-spirit veneration
Practices
- Blót offerings
- Sumbel ritual drinking and oath-making
- Seasonal feasts
- Runic, poetic, or divinatory practices in some communities
- Ancestor remembrance and land-spirit offerings
Places of worship
- Outdoor sacred site
- Hof or temple in historical and modern usage
- Home altar
- Burial mound or ancestral place
Sacred texts
- Poetic Edda
- Prose Edda
- Sagas and skaldic poetry
- Runic inscriptions
Holidays and observances
- Yule
- Midsummer
- Winter Nights
- Disablot in some reconstructions
Branches and related traditions
- Heathenry - Modern revivalist Germanic pagan traditions.
- Ásatrú - A modern movement honoring the Norse gods and related traditions.
- Vanatru - Modern focus on the Vanir deities in some communities.