This article has been
excerpted by Medievlists from a 2005 article of the same title from Viking
Heritage Magazine. Unfortunately that excellent magazine is no longer published
- I still miss the great archaeology that was regularly featured therein.
As always with any
Medievalists post that I feature here, you can read the full article in the
source publication, and I recommend that you do. The title link will get you
there. (Ed.)
***
Choosing Heaven: The Religion of the Vikings
By Gun Westholm
Viking Heritage Magazine, Vol. 3 (2005)
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Picture stone with snake motif from Martebo church. Photo Raymond Hejdström. |
Introduction: When the Viking Age began in about
750 AD, Scandinavia was among the last of the heathen outposts in
Europe along with the Baltic, Russian and Slavic areas east of the
Elbe. Christianity had slowly spread from the Middle East, Egypt, the
Roman Empire and the Byzantium area (4th century), to the realm of
the Franks and, during the 6th century, further to England
and Ireland. Parts of the Germanic area were Christianised during 7th
century, and in the middle of 8th century the large Carolingian
kingdom was created forming a cohesive Christian area from Italy in
the South to the Slavonian region in North.
In Scandinavia belief in the Aesir gods was the
prevailing religion before the Christian message slowly won
territory during 11th century. Many believe that the religion of the
Vikings arose as a unique phenomenon in northern Europe.
But the Aesir cult was a warrior religion that had several
equivalents in both Europe and Asia, religions that had replaced
other much earlier, peaceful beliefs with clear ties to agriculture
and fertility. In these very old forms of religion, the chief god was
often of the female sex – Mother Earth – and a good yearly crop and
high yields from the livestock were the main purpose for worship.
Female goddesses dominated Europe’s and Asia’s
religious beliefs until approximately 5000 BC, then a slow change
seems to have begun. The fertile areas of the plains people were taken
over by warlike nomads and cattle herders from the mountain regions.
These tribes had male chief gods who honoured warring activities and
warriors who had fallen in battle. Later on some of the war gods came
to be called Zeus, Jahve and Odin.
Outside Scandinavia, Odin was called Wodan/Wotan among
the Germanic tribes, Godan among the Langobardi and Woden in England.
Both Woden and Donar – Thor – are mentioned as early as the 6th
century on the continent. Odin and Zeus have many common qualities, as do
their respective wives Frigg and Hera. There are also resemblances between
other Aesir gods and the Greek gods of Antiquity.
See also: A Quick
Guide to Norse Gods