Blot v. Sacrifice

Blót versus Sacrifice: An Examination of Modern Heathen Terminology Gary P Golden Jr. One of the things that will incite passionate debate amongst heathens is the use of the terminology blót and sacrifice. In this paper I wish to take a look at it from a historical viewpoint as opposed to the current modern one and the use of the term blót to describe a modern heathen ritual whether it includes blood sacrifice or not. I also wish to discuss how we can take what we know and apply it today. As mentioned above, the term blót is used even if no blood sacrifice takes place. I know for me personally after years of doing it in the current common fashion of just mead, words or the occasional votive offering and now most recently having actually conducted a blood sacrifice I can say my opinion has indeed changed. I now look at it as without blood, it is not a blót. I am by no means saying the term must be thrown away in favor of something “more accurate” if one does not do blood sacrifice, but for us we call it and consider it a blót only if an actual blood sacrifice is made and only the actual act of the sacrifice is called blót with the rest of the festivities simply being called what they are. If we give anything other than blood we simply are giving votive or food offerings and while it is still a sacrifice it is not however blót and call it accordingly. In the surviving literature there are examples of what was believed to have taken place and, while not providing a detailed account of what took place during a blót, it gives us an outline. Some of these examples are found in Hákon inn goði saga, Eyrbyggja saga, and Ulfljótslög and are as follows. According to Eyrbyggja sag: “But he set up for himself a great house at Hofsvógr which he called Hofstaðir. There he let build a temple, and a mighty house it was. There was a door in the side-wall and nearer to one end thereof. Within the door stood the pillars of the high-seat, and nails were therein; they were called the gods' nails. There within was a great frith-place. But off the inmost house was there another house, of that fashion whereof now is the choir of a church, and there stood a stall in the midst of the floor in the fashion of an altar, and thereon lay a ring without a join that weighed twenty ounces, and on that must men swear all oaths; and that ring must the chief have on his arm at all man-motes. On the stall should also stand the blood-bowl, and therein the blood-rod was, like unto a sprinkler, and therewith should be sprinkled from the bowl that blood which is called "Hlaut", which was that kind of blood which flowed when those beasts were smitten who were sacrificed to the Gods. But round about the stall were the Gods arrayed in the Holy Place. To that temple must all men pay toll, and be bound to follow the templepriest in all farings even as now are the thingmen of chiefs. But the chief must uphold the temple at his own charges, so that it should not go to waste, and hold therein feasts of sacrifice.”1 In the example in Hákon the Good’s saga it reads: “It was an old custom, that when there was to be sacrifice all the bondes should come to the spot where the temple stood and bring with them all that they required while the festival of the sacrifice lasted. To this festival all the men brought ale with them; and all kinds of cattle, as well as horses, were slaughtered, and all the blood that came from them was called "hlaut", and the vessels in which it was collected were called hlaut1

Eyrbyggja saga Ch. 4, p.29 1989

vessels. Hlaut-staves were made, like sprinkling brushes, with which the whole of the altars and the temple walls, both outside and inside, were sprinkled over, and also the people were sprinkled with the blood; but the flesh was boiled into savoury meat for those present. The fire was in the middle of the floor of the temple, and over it hung the kettles, and the full goblets were handed across the fire; and he who made the feast, and was a chief, blessed the full goblets, and all the meat of the sacrifice. And first Odin's goblet was emptied for victory and power to his king; thereafter, Niord's and Freyja's goblets for peace and a good season. Then it was the custom of many to empty the brage-goblet; and then the guests emptied a goblet to the memory of departed friends, called the remembrance goblet.”2 And lastly it is says in Ulfljótslög: “A ring of two ounces in weight or more should lie on the platform in each main hof; the priest should have this ring on his arm at all legal assemblies which he himself was responsible for, and he himself should redden it beforehand with the red blood of an ox which he himself had sacrificed there. Every man who needed to perform any legal business at the court should first swear an oath on that ring and name two or more witnesses. He should say, “I name witnesses that I swear an oath on the ring, a lawful oath; so help me Freyr and Njordr and the almighty god insofar as I shall prosecute this case or defend it or bear witness or give verdicts or pass sentences, as I know to be most right and true and closest to the law; and perform all lawful acts that fall upon me while I am at the assembly.”3 There are a few other examples which we will discuss later but in the three accounts above there are similarities. Eyrbyggja speaks of the high seat pillars and the holy nails attached to them while both Eyrbyggja saga and Hákon the Good’s saga mention the platform, the idols , the sacrificial twig, the blood, the bowl that collects the blood and finally the armring that the goði wears when officiating. The account in Ulfljótslög however says nothing about any of these with the exception of the arm ring worn by the priest and the oaths. According to Terry Gunnell in “Hof, Halls, Goðar and Dwarves: An Examination of the Ritual Space in the Pagan Icelandic Hall” it seems that the emphasis is placed on the sacrificial feast and the arm ring and how it transforms the goði into something more powerful as part of their religious activities.

In regards to the similarities in the above accounts concerning the aspergillum, Jon Hnefill Aðalsteinsson says “Holy water was sprinkled as a symbol of purification, but blood was sprinkled to charge the surroundings with power...”4 and Gabriel Turville-Petre interpreted Snorri’s idea of the sacrificial feast as follows: “The meaning of the sacrificial feast, as Snorri saw it, is fairly plain. When blood was sprinkled over altars and men and

2

Snorri Sturluson, Heimskringla Ch. Terry Gunnell, Hof, Halls, Goðar and Dwarves: An Examination of the Ritual Space in the Pagan Icelandic Hall 4 Jon Hnefill Adalsteinsson, A Piece of Horse Liver 3

the toasts were drunk, men were symbolically joined with gods of war and fertility, and with their dead ancestors, sharing their mystical powers. This is a form of communion.” 5

It would seem then based on the accounts listed above that historically, the emphasis of blót was placed on the sacrifice, the blood from that sacrifice, and the individual officiating the sacrifice. If one were to look at the source material one would deduct that it is in fact blood. According to A Concise Dictionary of Old Icelandic by Geir T Zoëga blót is a sacrifice, sacrificial feast or banquet.6 By contrast, it is common practice for most modern heathen groups to hold blót on a monthly basis to a different deity and that is where the emphasis is placed. While no actual blood sacrifice takes place at these the term bIót is used as a catch all phrase to describe the entire event as opposed to the act of what would be sacrificing the animal itself. In most instances words are spoken and food or votive offerings are given. It also has the added benefit of allowing them to get together on a regular basis to share in fellowship.

In contrast the word sacrifice can be used to mean any offerings given be they food or votive, other than blood. It seems that based on these definitions and literary accounts that blót was, in fact, a blood sacrifice, done in a ritualistic setting with the intention of gaining favor of the powers or fulfilling the contract between men and the powers.

However, not all forms of worship were blood sacrifices. Some other sources we have for worship in the form of sacrificial offerings come to us from Ibn Fadlan and his experience with the Rus in 922 in the Volga area: “When their ships arrive at their anchorage each man goes on shore, taking with him bread, eggs, meat, leeks, milk and beer, and goes to a tall upright wooden post with a face that looks like a man’s. Round it there are smaller figures, and behind these figures high wooden poles planted in the ground. So he goes up to the big figure, flings himself on the ground, and says: “O my lord, I have come from far off with so many slave-girls and so many sable furs.” (here he counts up all the wares he has brought) “and now I come to you with this offering”. (Here he lays what he has brought in front of the wooden post.) “I wish that you would send me a merchant rich in dinars and dirrhems, who will buy from me as I wish, and will not argue with what I say.”7

He further explains that the merchant may repeat the offering several times if the trade is slow, but if it brisk he says: “My lord has seen to my needs; it is my duty to repay him.” Fadlan says: “He goes to fetch a number of sheep and cattle, and slaughters them. Some of the flesh he gives as 5

ibid Geir T Zoëga, A Concise Dictionary of Old Icelandic 7 Jacqueline Simpson, Some Scandinavian Sacrifices 6

alms; the rest he takes and throws between the big post and the smaller ones surrounding it; the heads of the cattle and sheep he hangs up on the holes planted in the earth. After dark the dogs come and eat up all this; the man who has done it says: “Clearly my lord is pleased with me and has eaten my offerings.”8

In the account above from Ibn Fadlan we have an example of both votive offerings as well as blood sacrifice being given for the same purpose. The votive offerings were given to bring the trader merchants to buy his wares, and if and when he does well he thanks the powers by blood sacrificing to them.

That is another area where blood sacrifice differs. In most cases it seems the sacrifice was part of a larger gathering in which those in attendance while the other part was given to the gods. In some instances, such as Kormák’s saga, the entire animal was given: “There’s a certain hillock a short way from here, in which elves live. You are to take the bull that Kormak killed, redden the surface of the hillock with the bull’s blood, and make the elves a feast of the meat; then you’ll recover.”9

This idea however of communal feast should not be confused with blood sacrifices that would take place at large gatherings outside of religious festivals such as weddings, funeral feasts or assemblies and while these gatherings may have been religious but they were certainly also political as references found in the Book of Guta and Landnamabok.10

We also have accounts from the 950’s where Ibrahaim at-Tartushi was visiting Hedeby, there he noticed: “They hold a feast at which they all gather to honor their god and to eat and drink. Whoever kills a beast as a sacrifice sets up a pole at the door of his house and fastens the animal to it (whether ox, ram, he-goat or pig); thus the people know he has made an offering in honor of his god.”11

An account from around 950 from Emperor Constantine Porphyrogenitos tells of a perilous river journey and how after passing the rapids they came to an island in the Dnieper to make thank-offerings: “Then they succeeded in reaching an island named after St. Gregory, to which they bring their offerings because a gigantic oak tree grows there. They make offerings of live 8

ibid Kormák’s saga 10 Lucas & McGovern, Bloody Slaughter 11 Jacqueline Simpson, Some Scandinavian Sacrifices 9

birds; they stick javelins in a circle in the ground around them; others make offerings of bread and meat too, and whatever they each may have, as is the prevailing custom among them. Also they cast lots over the birds, whether they should slaughter them, or eat them themselves, or let them free.”12

Now that we have background on some of the ways in which the source material tells us as to how blót took place how can we as modern heathens apply it to today. According to Snorri, there were three principal sacrifices held. These were the time around Winternights, near midwinter (Yule) and at the approach of summer and according to Heimskringla: “Towards winter, sacrifice should be made for a good season, and at midwinter for good growth: the third, when summer came, that was a victory blót.” In Gisla saga: “Thorgrimr intended to have an autumn feast at the time of the Winter Nights to welcome winter and to sacrifice to Freyr.” The term Thorrablót is good evidence of a midwinter sacrifice; and in Vatnsdaela saga there is an illusion to sacrifice in the first days of summer: “Now his mother Ljot, will sacrifice towards summer, as she usually does according to their religion.”13 Sacrifices though were in fact probably far more frequent, but the others would evidently have been minor ceremonies or else sacrifices for a particular purpose as was mentioned earlier. Does all this information mean we can only hold blót at only these times of year? If one were to mold their practice as close to historical accuracy as possible then one could say that yes, these would be the times one would blót. I know for myself and our group, Yule and Midsummer are the two times of year we will blót, but we are also leaving the possibility of performing one during Winternights.

What we know from both literary and archeological records is that during blót, animals were sacrificed and their blood was smeared on the idols, people in attendance, altar and temple walls. In our grove to date we have performed two blóts, one at Midsummer in 2011 and again at Yule that same year and in both of these instances it was a pig which was the blót animal. The blóts that have taken place so far had the following format taken: Prior to the blót all those in attendance were gathered and told what was going to take place and what to expect. If any roles were given to the attendants this was the time to do so as I feel it is necessary for all in attendance to be able to participate as opposed to just being present. It is also mentioned to be mindful of any omens witnessed during the blót. After this has been discussed we would wait about thirty minutes to allow everyone to get into the proper mindset and I would find a quiet place and prepare myself for what was about to happen.

12 13

ibid Andrew Wawn translation, Vatnsdaela saga

It was then that we would make our way to the grove along with the blót swine and other blót tools such as the rifle, knife, hlaut-vessels, hlaut-stave, idols, mead, horn, pitcher of water and bowl and hand towels. At this point the cage would be opened and the swine coaxed out. I would use my grandfathers .22 rifle to make the killing shot at which point the swine would be lifted onto the altar where the neck would be sliced and the blood collected in the hlaut-vessel. The idols and godpoles were then bloodied with the blood collected in one of the hlaut-vessels and the rest poured onto the vé. It was then that the hlaut-stave was dipped into the smaller hlaut-vessel and the attendants sprinkled with blood as the words prepared were said aloud.

Once that was finished the task of bringing everything back to the house and the preparation of the blót swine began. The Midsummer pig was cooked whole with half the food being eaten at the feast and the other half being offered to the gods by placing it in the grove. The skull was also attached to a pillar in the grove. The Yule pig was quartered up with the head being placed on top of the Frey pillar and the skin hung from one of the trees inside the grove. It was in doing this that the gods received their share and saw that blót and feast was held in their honor.

It is with this historical evidence in mind, both literary and archeological, that while sacrifice and blót were both known to have taken place blót seems to have been strictly a blood sacrifice. As was mentioned earlier, I am by no means saying the term must be thrown away in favor of something “more accurate” if one does not do blood sacrifice, but for us we call it and consider it a blót only if an actual blood sacrifice is made. If we give anything other than blood we simply are giving other sacrificial votive or food offerings and call it accordingly.

Bibliography Aðalsteinsson, Hnefill Jón (1998): A Piece of Horse Liver, Háskólaútgáfan. Reykjavík Gunnell, Terry (2001): Hof, Halls, Goðar and Dwarves: An Examination of the Ritual Space in the Pagan Icelandic Hall, Cosmos Lucas, Gavin and McGovern Thomas (2007): Bloody Slaughter: Ritual Decapitation and Display at the Viking Settlement of Hofstaðir, Iceland, European Journal of Archeology; 10; 7

McTurk, Rory (1997): Sagas of Warrior Poets: Kormak’s saga, Penguin Classics, Great Britain Pálsson, Herman and Edwards, Paul (1972): Eyrbyggja saga, Penguin Classics, Great Britain. Simpson, Jacqueline (1967): Folklore, Vol. 78, No. 3, Taylor & Francis Ltd. on behalf of Folklore Enterprises, Ltd. Sturlason, Snorri (1990): Heimskringla, Dover Publications, England. Wawn, Andrew (1997): The Sagas of Icelanders: Vatnsdaela saga, Penguin books,Great Britain Zoëga, Geir T, (2004): A Concise Dictionary of Old Icelandic, Dover Publications, England