#Viking Religion

[liberty1776]

Volva staff from Viking exhibit. Völva comes from a root meaning "magical staff," and throughout the Norse literature one sees female prophetesses and witches bearing a staff. The term völva dates back to the early Germanic tribes, where the term is found in the name or title of some tribal seeresses. The völva was an especially honored figure: Tacitus tells us of one such prophetess called Veleda, who prophesied the victory of her tribe over the Romans and saw that a general uprising against the legions would meet with success:

[thesilicontribesman]

Viking Gritstone Plaque, The Yorkshire Museum, York

Many of York's Viking residents converted from paganism to Christianity. Some even became benefactors of their new faith.

This plaque names two people who paid for the construction of a church; an expensive feat. Their Scandinavian names - Grim and Aese - are clearly visible.

[dr3adlady]

she mad at her husband😑

I've got a few words with other people who, like me, are fascinated with GRRM's writing and characters :) Apparently it's *trendy* to dunk on this ship and bully its shippers these days. It's beyond me why we should fight over every little silly thing. First and foremost, a Song of Ice and Fire is a hobby for me, and many others, and it should be treated as such. It should not affect our real life in a negative way. If you care immensely about lives of fictional characters to an extent that you find online bullying and insulting others for no real reason a 'moral' thing to do, I am seriously worried for you. It speaks of a certain immaturity when there are real problems in the world, when real people are being hurt, killed, thrown out of their houses, deprived of their human rights, etc, and some people here spend their lives fighting over some non-problems.

Sorry to rant, anyway, good day to everyone 💙

[atheostic]

Oh to have the confidence of a Christian saying the wildest (and very very inaccurate) shit about other religions

I once had a Christian tell me that Odin is famous for being greedy and a hoarder of knowledge.

And as someone who took a Norse mythology course in uni I was like

My dude. My buddy. My pal. My sibling in Christ, even.

That's literally the exact opposite of what he's famous for????

After he is granted knowledge of the Runes in Rúnatal he goes around the world teaching anyone who wants to learn how to write, no strings attached.

In Skáldskaparmál he steals the Mead of Poetry specifically to SHARE it with the other gods.

He's so famous for going around giving people advice and dropping knowledge that his kennings include Allfather, Journey Empowerer, Journey Advisor, Teacher of Gods, and Nourisher.

[krist-777]

This is so Hardcore a MUST Watch Totally Worth it!!!

However you came to be Baptized-Roman Catholic,Greek Orthodox,Protestant etc We are all one body in Christ and therefore we are brothers and sisters, and we should treat each with other with love and respect and to acknowledge that fact that we are All God’s Children….

[lokislittlestar]

Was talking about Loki to my mom 😭💀 and this motherfucker pulls up

[teh-nos]

WIP Wednesday

For WIP Wednesday, a bit from the sequel no one wants to a fic nobody much wanted, because fuck yeah self-indulgence :D

Fair Alfrida Part 2: More Fairer, 2 Frida (idk what that even means). It is set about 3-4 years after the first one, she's been off being a nun (oh no!) and I have killed Thor again so the new king's come to see her:

She doesn’t look up until the wrong voice greets her.  “You look better than I expected. Do you actually like it here?” She doesn’t answer that, instead admitting to her confusion; “I was told the king -” “Thor’s dead,” says Loki, rather abruptly. He must think the news won’t hurt her, or so she chooses to assume. “I’ve taken over the family business.” Alfrida protests this with a shake of her head. “My son -” “Is three years old and there are Norsemen raiding our neighbours. No one wanted a child on the throne when that choice might hand it to a Dane by the end of the year.” This she can’t really argue with; Leofric is much too young to lead his people, and it might even be a mercy not to mark him with failure when he is barely more than an infant. But still, her son was supposed to be a king and she knows better than to trust his uncle. (She knows better now. Her son should not have to learn his own lessons so harshly.)

I still haven't decided how it ends, which is something I should work out soon because otherwise it would just go on forever. This one is more tense and I think basically I felt bad for what I did to her the first time and want her to get if not revenge then at least some satisfaction after a weird affair that ended with a nunnery. Loki was only fucking her to fuck Thor, she should get to fuck him in return. As it were. (They should also bang, of course.)

[eagle-longing-for-rostau]

Fenrir howls terribly before the doors to Hel; the wolf will break its bonds and run. I know much wisdom, I see deep in the future, all the way to Ragnarok, a dark day for the gods.

— Voluspa 43

[misspermitted]

*to the tune of “When Will My Life Begin”, Tangled*

And then I’ll sketch

Maybe stretch

Commit a crime

Sew a dress

And then I’ll raid a brook

If I have time to spare

I’ll paint the walls with blood

I’m sure there’s room somewhere!

And then I’ll brush and brush and brush and brush my hair

Killing the same way I’ve always been

And I’ll keep wandering wandering wandering wandering

When will my life begin!

[loki-was-framed]

[thesilicontribesman]

Viking Gritstone Cross Fragment, Weston, Yorkshire, 800 to 900 CE, The Yorkshire Museum, York

Viking raiders sometimes took prisoners who became slaves. The fearsome Viking warrior depicted on this re-used Christian cross is shown with a female hostage, perhaps a local woman who was forced to return to Scandinavia with her captor.

[nopezone]

My mom gave me a book, 'Return of the Gods' by Jonathan Cahn to 'teach me the truth about pagan gods' since I got angry at her for calling gods outside of Christianity 'demons' and I've been angry at it since then.

I've only looked at the reviews for it because I'm not reading that and it apparently compares Stonewall and Pride stuff to the worship of Ishtar, and I so badly want to text her something like 'well according to that book I'm apparently an Ishtar worshipper'

[sword-in-the-sea]

sometimes meeting a deity means five months of cross-checking your divination sessions with said deity with friends (what if i'm going insane? is this real? why is there a norse god all the way in southeast asia??) and researching resources, traditions, culture, etymologies, etc etc. but sometimes meeting a deity also means you offer pretty rocks at them and they gave you cool rocks back and so you gave them strands of your hair (like a fool) and now you end up in the court of manannán mac lir.

[misuanonimasu]

[atheostic]

"A laughingstock is he who nothing knows, and with the instructed sits."

-- Odin Allfather (“The High One’s Lay” in the Poetic Edda (aka the Elder Edda) written by Saemund Sigufsson (Benjamin Thorpe translation).

[factoidfactory]

Random Fact #6,517

Thor, the Norse god of thunder (among other things), rode on a chariot pulled by two goats instead of riding a horse.