The Norse, like all peoples, celebrated seasonal and astrological changes. What these celebrations were and how they were celebrated has been largely up for interpretation, relying on the Sagas, archeology, and surviving traditions to inform scholars and modern Norse pagans. In Chapter 8 of the Ynglinga Saga by Snorri Sturluson, three great sacrifices are mentioned.
Þá skyldi blóta í móti vetri til árs,en at miðjum vetri blóta til gróðrar, hit þriðja atsumri, þat var sigrblót.There should be a sacrifice at the beginning of winter for a good year,and in the middle of winter for a good crop, thethird in summer day, that was the sacrifice for victory.
While not mentioned specifically by names like Sigrblót, the beginning of winter sacrifice is believed it be Vetrnætr or Winter Nights, while the mid-winter sacrifice is Yule. While most modern pagans are familiar with the lore and traditions of Yule, Winter Nights is less well known, especially by those practicing a Wiccan-inspired Wheel of the Year. So, what exactly is it?
Northern latitude countries, such as Iceland, Sweden, and Norway, experience much harsher winters that tend to come sooner rather than later compared to more southern latitudes like the United States. This pushes their slaughter season forward to mid-October instead of mid-November. The final three days of Haustmánuðr (Autumn Month) and the beginning of Gormánuðr (Slaughter Month), often marked as the first full moon of October or 28 days after the autumn equinox, were dedicated to celebrating the beginning of slaughter season and the final harvests.
We know Winter Nights lasted three days and what happened during these three days by analyzing the Sagas. In Valla-Ljóts saga 3 there is mention of hinar þriðju vetrnætur, “the third Winter Night,” suggesting that Winter Nights lasted at least three days. While further literature is contradictory, there are plenty of references to Haustblót occurring during Winter Nights. In Eyrbyggja saga 37 we see the following passage:
"Annað haust eftir að veturnóttum hafði Snorri goði haustboð mikið og bauð til vinum sínum. Þar var öldrykkja og fast drukkið."...at winter-nights, Snorri the Priest had a great autumn-feast, and bade his friends thereto. Ale drinking they had thereat, and folk drank fast and were very merry with ale.
Gisla saga 15 further supports Haustblót being part of Winter Nights in its description of Thorgrim's Haustblót celebration.
Þorgrímr ætlaði at hafa haustboð at vetrnóttum ok fagna vetri ok blóta Frey ok býðr þangat Berki, bróður sínum ok Eyjólfi Þórðarsyni ok mǫrgu ǫðru stórmenni. Gísli býr ok til veizlu ok býðr til sín mágum sínum ór Arnarfirði ok Þorkǫtlum tveimr, ok skorti eigi hálft hundrað manna at Gísla. Drykkja skyldi vera at hvárratveggja, ok var strát gólf á Sæbóli af sefinu af Seftjǫrn.Thorgrim intended to have an autumn gathering at Winternights and welcome winter and sacrifice to Freyr, and he invited his brother Bork and Eyjolf Thordarson and many other prominent men. Gisli also prepared a feast and invited his kin from Arnarfjord and the two Thorketills. There were no fewer than half a hundred men at Gisli’s home. There was to be drinking at both houses, and the floor at Sæbol was strewn with sedges from Seftjorn.
Here we not only see Haustblót 's inclusion in Winter Nights but also get a glimpse into how the holiday would have been celebrated. These celebratory practices are further discussed in Óláfs saga helga 107:
Þat haust váru sǫgð Óláfi konungi þau tiðendi innan ór Þrándheimi, at boendur hefði þar haft veizlur fjǫlmennar at veturnóttum. Váru þar drykkjur miklar. Var konungi svá sagt, at þar væri minni ǫll signuð Ásum at fornum sið. Þat fylgdi ok þeiri sǫgn, at þar væri drepit naut ok hross og roðnir stallar af blóði ok framið blót ok veittr sá formáli, at þat skyldi vera til árbótar.That fall, the tidings were told to King Olaf at Thrandheim that the freeholders had held a feast attended by many at Winternights. There was much drinking there. The king was told that there was minni-ale blessed to the Æsir according to the old custom. The story continued that cattle and horses were killed and the altars reddened with blood, and a blót carried out, and the prayer performed that had to be made for better seasons.
Here we see that not only was Haustblót celebrated with communal feasting, drinking, a toast to the gods (sumbel), and general merriment, but also marked by a ritual sacrifice, in this case of cattle and horses. Prayers were performed over these sacrifices in hopes of ensuring a quick winter and a bountiful harvest in the coming year. I have said it before and I will say it again, our ancestors relied heavily on their harvests to ensure they survived through the winter. A failed crop or loss of livestock ensured a family's demise, especially if their community didn't come to the rescue. These sacrifices were made to the gods as a thank-you for the abundance they had received and to ensure they wouldn't go without in the coming year.
There are also indications that sporting contests were also held during Winter Nights. Both Eyrbyggja saga 43 and Hallfreðar saga vandræðaskálds 2 mention annual leikmóts or sporting contests being held at or around the time of Winter Nights, suggesting that not only did the community celebrate with feasts, drinking, merriment, and sacrifices, but also with contests and games. The most commonly mentioned game in the sagas is knáttleikr, a game similar to hurling or shinty that could be played on either land or ice.
But what about Disablót and Alfablót? Again, there are contradictions in the texts, but in general, most agree both of these celebrations and sacrifices occur on or around Winter Nights. In Víga-Glúms saga 6 it says:
Þar var veisla búin að veturnóttum og gert dísablót og allir skulu þessa minning gera. Glúmur situr í rúmi sínu og gengur eigi til. Og er á leið kveldið er menn voru komnir þá var eigi svo mikil gleði sem líklegt mundi þykja fyrir fagnaðar sakir og vina fundar er þar voru margir saman komnir. Og þann dag er menn höfðu komið til boðsins hafði Glúmur eigi út gengið í móti mönnum og bauð engum að sitja hjá sér eða í hans rúmi.A party was held there on a winter's night and an oath was taken, and everyone should remember this. Glúmur sits in his bed and does not move. And as the evening wore on, when the men had arrived, there was not so much joy as might be thought for the sake of rejoicing and the meeting of friends, where many had gathered. And on the day when the men had come to the invitation, Glúmur had not gone out to meet the men and did not invite anyone to sit with him or in his bed.
Egils saga 44 further corroborates that Disablót was held near winter's beginning with "much drink." Most famously, however, is Disablót's mention in the Heiðreks saga. In this story, King Álfr of Álfheimr holds a great Disablót celebration where his daughter, Álfhildr conducts the rites. Álfhildr is kidnapped while she is "reddening a horgr with blood" which suggests the ritual sacrifice during Disablót was performed by women. Other passages, such as the Ynglinga saga suggest men were capable of performing these rites as well, but disa is often connected to Disir making it a time to celebrate feminine spirits, deities, and ancestors. Whether or not women performed the rite is not particularly important as long as the Disir are being honored and celebrated.
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By August Malmström - Alf Henrikson (1985) Ända Från Vendelkråka. p. 23, Public Domain |
Alfablót, like Disablót is mentioned as being in the autumn in Austfararvísur, where Sigvat, a traveling poet, is denied hospitality as the family is holding Alfablót:
'Gakkat inn,’ kvað ekkja,‘armi drengr, en lengra;hræðumk ek við Óðins— erum heiðin vér — reiði.’Rýgr kvazk inni eigaóþekk, sús mér hnekkði,alfablót, sem ulfiótvín, í bœ sínum.Do not come any farther in, wretched fellow’, saidthe woman; ‘I fear the wrath of Óðinn; we areheathen.’ The disagreeable female, who drove meaway like a wolf without hesitation, said they wereholding a sacrifice to the elves inside her farmhouse.
This passage also gives us a glimpse into what Alfablót was, "a sacrifice to the elves." Alfar translated to "elves" but is also believed to be deceased ancestors, as Frey/Freyr, who is also mentioned in Gísla saga 15 is the lord of Álfheimr, aka lord of the dead in their mounds. Furthermore, in the district of Geirstaðir, harvest sacrifices were made at the burial mound of the Norwegian king, Olaf, in hopes of bringing prosperity and good harvests. This further suggests Alfablót's connection with celebrating and honoring the dead. Today, some modern Norse pagans honor protective land spirits during Alfablót while others choose to honor their male ancestors. The sagas suggest both are accurate so it's entirely up to you what to honor during this time. The same is true of Disablót, but Disablót's clear connection with the disir suggests it is both a celebration of female ancestors and feminine spirits and goddesses alike.
Not only do these above passages suggest that Disablót and Alfablót were held during Winter Nights, but they also suggest both of these sacrifices were held privately with family and close friends, unlike Haustblót which was celebrated by the community at large. Neither Disablót nor Alfablót was necessarily a celebration, but something that you did during Winter Nights to honor ancestors, gods, and land spirits. Being a blot, we know a sacrifice of blood would have been made and perhaps followed by a small family dinner with drink. Some have suggested Alfablót is similar to Samhain, but there are very limited similarities between the two. While both celebrate the dead, there were no carved gourds, costumes, or such rituals during Alfablót.
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The Stentoften Stone, bearing a runic inscription that likely describes a blót of nine he-goats and nine male horses bringing fertility to the land. By Henrik Sendelbach, CC BY-SA 3.0 |
This year (2024) Winter Nights begins on October 17th and concludes on October 19th. The order in which you celebrate these three blots is entirely up to you, as nothing suggests their order in the sagas. I have chosen to celebrate Alfablót on the first night followed by Disablót then Haustblót. Much like our forefathers, I plan to spend the first two nights privately celebrating those we have loved and lost while simultaneously celebrating and thanking the spirits of the land for their continued protection and support. All of this will crescendo on Saturday with a larger celebration and feast with family and friends. Keep an eye out for my upcoming post on ways to celebrate Winter Nights, my sacrifice suggestions, feast recipes, and altar inspiration! Until then!
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Hi, Willow! What language are these passages written in? I recently discovered that some of my ancestors were Germanic, so I'm exploring Norse and English mythology, folklore, practices, and languages. Up until now, I've really only explored these of Celtic culture. Where do I start? Thanks so much!
ReplyDeleteHello! These passages were originally written in Icelandic, but that is only because Snorri Sturluson, the author of the Eddas was Icelandic. The Norse did not write their stories down, but instead passed them down through oral tradition. When these stories began to die with the introduction of Christianity, historians like Sturluson began writing the Nordic stories down to preserve them. If you are looking to get started with exploring Norse mythology, definitely start with the Eddas and Sagas. There are plenty of free translations online, such as that through Sacred Texts, as well as others. You can also purchase bound translations on Amazon so you can more easily take notes. I would follow up your reading with peer-reviewed articles on Norse mythology and culture, which are easily found through Google Scholar. Between the Eddas and Google Scholar, that is where I get most of my information to write these posts. Wikipedia has some great sources linked as well that you can use as a starting point if Google Scholar is yielding too many unrelated results. If you have access to a college library, that is another great place to start. Best of luck!
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