Viking Pagan Quotes

It seemed strange, the Muslim Maghrib prayer aboard a Viking ship full of atheists and pagans. Then again, Samirah's ancestors had been dealing with Vikings since the Middle Ages. I doubted this was the first time prayers to Allah had been said aboard a longship. The world, the worlds, were a lot more interesting because of constant intermixing.

I would have so loved to learn about the Vikings.” Lillian snorted. “Since when have you been interested in warlike pagans with silly-looking headgear?” Daisy looked up from her book again. “Are we talking about Grandmother again?

Pagan or Christian a man is never happier than when he has emptied his balls and drunk his fill.

But the attitude that Viking society held up as the ideal one was a heroic stoicism. In the words of archaeologist Neil Price, "The outcome of our actions, our fate, is already decided and therefore does not matter. What is important is the manner of our conduct as we go to meet it." You couldn't change what was going to happen to you, but you could at least face it with honor and dignity. The best death was to go down fighting, preferably with a smile on your lips. Life is precarious by nature, but this was especially true in the Viking Age, which made this fatalism, and stoicism in the face of it, especially poignant. The model of this ideal was Odin's amassing an army in Valhalla in preparation for Ragnarok. He knew that Fenrir, "the wolf", was going to murder him one way or another. Perhaps on some level he hoped that by gathering all of the best warriors to fight alongside him, he could prevent the inevitable. But deep down he knew that his struggle was hopeless - yet he determined to struggle just the same, and to die in the most radiant blaze of glory he could muster.

To make this sign, the first and little fingers are upraised and the other fingers folded in towards the palm. This was a secret sign used for recognition purposes by followers of the medieval witch cult who were traditionally worshippers of the pagan Horned God.

The pagan religion flourished in the north of Europe until about the middle of the 11th century; or, to speak more accurately, Christianity was not completely introduced into Iceland before the year 1000; in Denmark and Norway some twenty or thirty years later, while in Sweden, pacrnnism was not completely rooted out before the year 1150. In

The other sources, even when they mention Hel, rarely describe it. But when they do, it's cast in neutral or even positive terms. For example, the mention that the land of the dead is "green and beautiful" in Ibn Fadlan's account is mirrored in a passage from Saxo (The medieval Danish historian, as you likely recall). In Saxo's telling of the story of Hadding, the hero travels to the "Underworld" and finds a "fair land where green herbs grow when it is winter on earth." His companion even beheads a rooster just outside of that land and flings its carcass over the wall, at which point the bird cries out and comes back to life - a feat which is highly reminiscent of another detail from Ibn Fadlan, namely the beheading of a rooster and a hen whose bodies are then tossed into the dead man's boat shortly before it's set aflame. In both cases, the emphasis is on abundant life in the world of the dead, even when death and absence prevail on earth.

Yet, in my estimation, a middle path exists between abject gullibility and mocking cynicism regarding the “Elder ways.” Yes, much of contemporary Paganism, whether of the North, South, East, or West, has been recovered in recent times, albeit in many cases from genuinely ancient remnants. But, then, what belief system is not an amalgamation of ideas from across time and space? What we know of Christianity today bears little resemblance to its early or even medieval manifestations. Taoism had many forms and interpretations. Likewise Buddhism. Belief systems always do. Modern Paganism in all its varieties harks back to the most ancient times, but its form is in reality the product of a long accumulation of influences. What modern Paganism really does is provide a medium, in the common form of the ceremonial circle, within which threads and traces of ancient ways can be reclaimed. It is about a set of philosophies or practices—such as animism, animal totemism, seasonal celebration, chanting, and spellcraft—that share a common ancestry in shamanism and have surfaced far and wide and in many cultural guises across the centuries. If the ways have been broken, it is because their practitioners were persecuted. My own opinion is that rather than having to mount everything in an antique frame, we should recognize that Pagan tradition consists of a variety of subtle and subversive threads woven through history.

Perhaps if this abbey exists and if we still speak of the Holy Roman Empire, we owe it to the Irish. At that time, the rest of Europe was reduced to a heap of ruins; one day they declared invalid all baptisms imparted by certain priests in Gaul because they baptized 'in nomine patris et filae' [In the name of the Father and of the Daughter]--and not because they practiced a new heresy and considered Jesus a woman, but because they no longer knew any Latin.... Vikings from the Far North came down along the rivers to sack Rome. The pagan temples were falling into ruins, and the Christian ones did not yet exist. It was only the monks of Hibernia in their monasteries who wrote and read, read and wrote, and illuminated, and then jumped into little boats made of animal hide and navigated towards these lands and evangelized them as if you people were infidels, you understand?

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It is not known precisely when the earldom of Orkney became Christian, for the saga account of King Olaf Tryggvason’s forced conversion in c. 995 may not be reliable. It may have happened gradually here and elsewhere in Scotland, according to personal choice, during the tenth century, when pagan burial customs were abandoned (Plate 24) and Christian funerary monuments were adopted.

During the tenth century the Vikings must have become Christians, for there are very few pagan graves from this period but many highly decorated stone crosses. Runic inscriptions of several of them tell that sometimes there were very close relations between Vikings and the local population, for some sons had Celtic names.

Christian documents praised missionaries for their sincere preaching of the Gospel, their piety, learning, good sense in daily life, chastity and good deeds. That they lived according to their teaching impressed the pagans. On a purely practical level, they often bought boy slaves in order to bring them up in the Christian way of life, and acquire acolytes. As Christianity is an exclusive religion, it was considered important to destroy pagan sanctuaries.

Norway’s first Christian king was Hákon Aðalsteinsfostri. He grew up and was baptized in England and remained a Christian after he became king of his native pagan country c. 935. According to the scalds, he did not destroy sanctuaries, but he brought priests from England and churches were built in the coastal area of western Norway. Further north and in Tröndelag Christianity did not take root. When Hákon was killed c. 960 he was interred in a mound in traditional pagan fashion; the scald Eyvind described his last great battle, his death and his reception in Valhalla in the poem Hákonarmál. Ironically, this poem about a Christian king gives some of the best information about Odin’s realm of the dead. Olaf Tryggvason became the next Christian king of Norway when he returned home c. 995 with much silver after many years abroad. He had also been baptized in England and brought clerics back with him. A systematic and ruthless process of conversion was initiated in conjunction with efforts to unify the realm. The greatest success was in western and southern Norway and around the year 1000 Olaf was responsible for the conversion of Iceland, probably under threat of reprisals. Shortly after this he was killed in the battle of Svöld. The conversion of Norway was completed during the reign of Olaf Haraldsson. He had also become a Christian on expeditions abroad and his baptism is said to have taken place in Rouen in Normandy. On his return to Norway in 1015 clerics were again in the royal retinue, among them the bishop Grimkel, who helped Olaf mercilessly impose Christianity on the people.

The classic example of Viking cruelty is the practice of carving the eagle on a victim’s back, the ‘blood eagle’. This was in fact invented during the twelfth century, probably as the result of a misinterpretation of a complicated scaldic verse, which says that King Ælla was killed by Ívar (the scene was the Viking conquest of York in 866). This developed into an exciting story to the effect that Ælla had the figure of an eagle carved into his back. In even later stories ‘eagle-carving’ develops into a pagan ritual associated with Odin, in which the victim’s back is cut open, the ribs bent outwards and the lungs pulled out, so that it is reminiscent of an eagle. This literary pagan sadism has fascinated many.

In pagan times women were buried with accoutrements that reflected the female role in society. Instead of the tools, weapons and hunting dogs that accompanied men, women took household utensils, implements for needlework, spinning and weaving, jewellery and lapdogs with them on their journey to the next life.

The sexual roles were so deeply rooted among the warrior aristocracy that the two sexes had different realms for the dead in pagan times (cf. p. 156).

Children were regarded in a particular way. In the pagan period unwanted children could be exposed to the elements and left to their fate, but Christians reacted strongly against this practice, and it was eventually banned, except in the case of deformed children.

He let himself be baptized, and he lost no time in restoring the churches that he and his fellow Vikings had sacked. His newfound Christianity probably did not significantly affect his personal beliefs one way or another. It was later recounted that, on his deathbed, he asked to be buried in the cathedral of Rouen and ordered large sums of gold to be given to Christian churches. He also called for human sacrifices to be made to the pagan gods. Presumably, then, whether Saint Peter or Thor met him in the hereafter, he would be assured of a welcome.

Pagan?" The second torchbearer spat. "We are Norsemen.

Certain colors were considered magical, such as red and blue. Cloth colored in these shades was often used to strain medicines. A red thread was also tied around herbs to encourage healing through magic.

The oral tradition of runes may pre-date the written one during the time when the Germanic tribes were active. “The pronunciation of words was recognized to have a tremendous influence over the concerns of life. The impact of a sentence uttered aloud could not be questioned and could never be taken back – as if it had become somehow physical. … Words create reality, not the other way around.” (Raudvere, 2002)

Something codified, organised, and effectively systemic (everything Norse belief was not) is much easier to oppose, because it is a coherent target and might be suppressed as a single entity. And if this was not already there, then it could be formed in that image. This was the beginning of the process that eventually turned the living, organic story-world of the North into ‘the Norse myths’—a kind of pagan scripture that never actually existed. It does not help that the Christians also seem to have misunderstood much of what they encountered and, in turn, incorporated their misconceptions into the retrospective pagan orthodoxy they created.

It's easily recognizable because its blade is as wide as three men.

He was awarded the palace known as Glitnir. The dwelling had a silver roof, pillars of gold, and stones so bright they could be spotted from an enormous distance.

Ivar became one of the most successful warrior-kings. After several years of ruling, beheading, and conquering, he went back to Dublin and lived the rest of his life there.

It is known that Aesir gave valuable gifts to a child when a first tooth appeared, so when Frey got his first tooth, they gifted the infant the land of Alfheim, a beautiful realm that is also known as Fairyland or the home of the Light Elves.

The king of Norway back then was not very fond of him and did not like the fact that he was killing that much. However, instead of banishing Egil, the king gave him the chance to go pillaging and plundering. He did that together with eleven men. He used his teeth to tear apart throats and remove eyes from his enemies. He had a lifetime of fighting, and he never gave up poetry. He lived for 80 years.

Bjorn was wealthy, and he lived the rest of his days in comfort and good wellbeing.

He was able to jump taller than his height while he was wearing his suit. Gunnaar mainly raided Norway and Denmark and killed an enormous number of people—sometimes whole families.

For the second, someone had to make Skadi smile. The gods all tried and failed. Finally, Loki was the one that gave a smile to her face once again. He simply started a game of tug of war with a goat. In the aftermath, Loki fell over into Skadi’s lap, and she began to smile.

Ragnar destroyed a poisonous snake infestation while he was wearing a snake-proof suit made of animal skin. He did all of this because he wanted to win the hand of a princess. This is how he got his nickname, “Hairy Breeches.

His marvelous boar was always alongside him. The boar was a gift from the Svartalfheim dwarfs and was the personification of the sun.

Under a spell, she agreed to the proposal and swore her love to Frey. Skirnir returned to Alfheim and told Frey that Gerd decided to marry him. However, the sword stayed with Skirnir, as a price that Frey gladly paid. Thus, Frey lost his protection when the end of the world would come to pay his debt and reward his servant. This decision, in the end, doomed him to death: a price that he paid for a life with Gerd.

A growing number of individuals find themselves so disappointed in and discontented with the more “mainstream” religions that they turn to ancient belief systems.

The path that led the dead souls to the gate of Hel was extremely long and located downhill. It was named Helveg. One could only reach the gate after crossing a river filled with dangerous weapons. In some versions of the Norse tales, humans and deities who died of old age and disease were primarily directed to Hel. Over time, only the ones with dishonorable deeds were pushed to this realm, while the others were sent to Valhalla.

With the Æsir, however, a union of such close relatives was not permitted

Baldr's brothers are the god Höder, who is blind, and the fast Hermóðr.

Finally, we must mention Loki, the deceiver's blacksmith, son of Fárbauti and Laufey. His work will be sadly known among the gods and among men for as long as the world lasts.

If a friendship is true, you will know that you can speak your mind to your friend, and they can do the same to you.

Words – and the intentions and ideas behind them – had the power to change physical reality, just like any other physical phenomenon.

Also previously mentioned, Huginn and Muninn are Odin’s ravens, who could observe all mankind and who also represented both memory and thinking.

This is exemplified by Odin, who was considered “argr” himself, yet his position as a powerful god and ruler, made him an example. (McCoy, 2016)

All in all, Norse paganism looks like what you get if you let teenage boys design a religion, focused on fighting, formication, and alcohol; whereas Christianity seemed to them like it was thought up by their mothers.

Their uncommon size made them eat a lot, so often they were called the “great eaters,” among other names. The giants also loved to drink, and that’s why they were also called Thurses.

Uruz Uruz sounds like a double “o,” “oo.” It represents a wild ox. It’s a rune of power, like Fehu, but its power cannot be owned or controlled. When cast, it signifies that a personal success may be close at hand; it was used in charms and talismans for healing.

Just like the symbol appears to us in English, this Norse rune has the sound of the letter “b.” It stands for the birch tree or twig. It represents a new beginning and is also a power-filled birth rune when it is cast.

The Viking warriors created “warrior cults” of the bear and the wolf. The ones that were members of the bear cult were known as the berserkers. They raided all across Europe, and their appearance was described as notorious due to their timing and speed. Whereаs Berserkers were considered men who fought аnd behаved like beаrs, the Ulfhednа, wаrriors of the wolf cult, were considered to be men who becаme wolves. They wore wolf skins and howled in battle, аnd their behаviour influenced lаter Europeаn werewolf folklore. Unlike the beаrs, they hаd no shields. Lаter, they eventuаlly merged with the berserkers in nаme, yet continued to prefer their own methods.

The Viking warriors usually fought with spears. They used the spear for thrusting, throwing, and killing. Some of them were highly experienced and could catch a spear in the air.

They did not know of fear or pain, and after their fights, they often became disoriented and tame.

Vikings also raided Arabia and Iran. Interestingly, they were the first Europeans that reached North America and inhabited Newfoundland.

However, the Vikings did not see the original version of Ragnarök as a prophecy for the future. They did not experience hopelessness because the myth acted as a paradigmatic model for human action. The myth produced inspiration and invigoration within every Viking. They knew that they would die one day, just like the gods did. They found inspiration because the gods, despite knowing their destiny, were armed and went to fight the giantѕ. That move was proof that their gods died with honor and courage.

Much of what we know of the old gods comes from the Vikings because the Scandinavians had similar beliefs and told similar stories of their gods who had near-identical names to those of the Anglo-Saxon gods. However, the Scandinavians remained pagan for longer and so developed a written tradition before the stories were lost. Therefore, most of what we think we know about the Anglo-Saxon religion is guesswork and based on the writings of the Vikings.

Back in the year 960, Christian missionaries invaded Scandinavia and threatened the Vikings: if you persist in your pagan customs you will end up in hell where eternal fires burn. The Vikings welcomed the good news. They trembled from cold, not fear.

The Vikings of Trelleborg, the Aztecs of Tenochtitlan, and the Benin of West Africa are separated by great expanses of time and geography. They share almost nothing in common except a particularly bloody form of paganism—a willingness to sacrifice fellow human beings, even children, not just to appease their gods but also to maintain a social order through the control of anxiety and the deployment of ritual violence. But they also had this in common: their encounters with Christianity eventually brought an end to their pagan religions, and in this they were not unique.

we have almost no idea of how the vikings saw themselves, because as pagans they were illiterate,

The Vikings and the Anglo-Saxons were closely related by ancestry and language, since the latter had themselves only left Denmark three hundred years previously. But while the Saxons had settled down and found God, the Vikings were aggressive, pagan, and suffering serious overcrowding at home

that the army he commanded at Stiklestad was made up largely of foreign pagans,

The Vikings were originally pagans, of course.

In 1469, the regions of Aragon (Aragón) and Castile (Castilla) were united by the marriage of Ferdinand II and Queen Isabella I, thus creating España or Spain. The treasury of this fledgling nation had been depleted by the many battles they had waged against the Moors. The Spanish monarchs, seeing Portugal’s economic success, sought to establish their own trade routes to the Far East. Queen Isabella embraced this concept from the religious standpoint of going out into “all the world” and converting the pagan people of Asia to Christianity. At the same time, a tall, young, middle-class man, said to have come from Genoa, Italy, who held that his father was a fabric weaver and cheese merchant, sought to become a navigator. As such, Columbus sailed to Portugal where pirates allegedly attacked the ship he was on. Fortunately, he managed to swim ashore and joined his brother Bartholomew as a cartographer in Lisbon. Apparently to him, becoming a mapmaker must have seemed boring when there was a world to explore. Returning to the sea, he sailed to places as far away as Iceland to the north, and ventured south as far as Guinea on the West-African coast. It is reasonable to assume that he had heard or perhaps even read the stories about the Vikings that took place almost five hundred years prior to Columbus’ arriving there.

Another example of the same attitude, this time on a less cosmic and more humble scale, comes from the life of the warrior-poet Egil Skallagrimsson. According to his saga, toward the end of his life, one of his sons died, after the others had died before him. Such was the depth of Egil's grief that he planned to kill himself, but his surviving daughter convinced him instead to use his poetic talent to compose a memorial poem for his lost children. Egil's poem is called The Wreck Of Sons (Sonatorrek). In it, Egil bemoans his lot in life and curses Odin, his patron god, for having made him suffer so much. But Egil finds that this suffering has also carried a gift within it, for his anguish inspires him to compose better poetry than ever before. He lets loose an eloquent cry of both despair and joy, or at least contented acceptance. The final three stanzas read: I offer nothing With an eager heart To the greatest of gods, The willful Odin. But I must concede That the friend of the wise Has paid me well For all my wounds. The battle-tested Foe of the wolf Has given me A towering art, And wits to discern In those around me Who wishes well, Who wishes ill. Times are dire, Yet glad is my heart, Full of courage, Without complaint. I wait for the goddess Of dirt and of death Who stands on the headland To bear me away.

When trying to interpret any myth, many people reflexively turn to the theories of people like James George Frazer, Carl Jung, Sigmund Freud, and Joseph Campbell. While each of those thinkers has developed an intriguing personal philosophy that uses various ancient mythologies as points of reference, their works are dubious guides to any one particular mythology. Their goal is not to understand any one mythology as deeply as possible on its own terms, but rather to identify supposed universal patterns within myth as such, which turns a blind eye toward the factors that make any given mythology unique. These thinkers, while fascinating in their own right, have little to no light to shed on how the Vikings themselves understood their own myths - which is, after all, the kind of interpretation that matters by far the most in a book of this sort.

They were called Vikings when they were raiders, but Danes or pagans when they were traders, and these men had been burning and plundering so were reckoned to be Vikings.