Ēostre – Easter, Spring Celebrations and the Pagan Goddess

By Maria Kvilhaug (2022) It is Easter-time, and I wanted to say a few words about that – in a pagan history perspective sort of way. I made this speech back in 2021 in a video by the same title on my Patreon, but now (April 2022) I want to make it available in writing. …

Raping and Pillaging – Questioning a Long-Lived Cliché

As much as we today are accustomed to the cliché of Vikings pillaging and raping, the latter, rape, is hardly ever mentioned in any sources, not even in the sources from continental Europe describing the onslaughts of Viking armies.These continental sources mostly consist of so-called annals – year books recording the important events of each …

Álfablót – Sacrifice to the Elves (2021)

Sometimes, we have to retrace our steps and edit what we once wrote and thought was good enough. This time, I have edited and re-written my take on the Álfablót, concentrating on the actual written sources that we do have, while offering less speculation and humbler suggestions, based on what we do have to build …

When Christianity met Paganism, Norway 994-999 A.D. (Ólafr Tryggvasonr)

Source: Þaattr Rauds hins ramma and subsequent chapters (317-326( of Flateyiarbók´s Olafs saga Tryggvasonar By Maria Kvilhaug https://patreon.com/MariaKvilhaug In the Þattr Rauds hins ramma – “the Short Story of Raud the Strong”,which begins in chapter 317 of the saga, and in the following chapters about Ólaf´s attempts to Christen the people of Hálógaland and Trondheim …

Old Norse Terms related to Seiðr

Old Norse Terms related to Seiðr (Preparations for my upcoming lecture series about Seiðr on Patreon) Practitioners – terms and meanings *ErilaR (iarl): Earl (originally a rune master)Fjǫlmaðr: Very wise man - who is fjǫlkunnigr (versed in magic)Fjǫlkyngismaðr: Very wise man – who is fjǫlkunnigr (versed in magic)Fjǫlkynnarkóna: Very wise woman (who is fjǫlkunnigr (versed …

The Lady of the Labyrinth

Most of this is a summary of John Kraft´s book "The Goddess in the Labyrinth" (1985) about the labyrinths and maze rituals known in Scandinavian folklore and early rock art. I have also added some information from Rodney Castleden´s (1997)"The Temple of the Goddess". John Kraft, author or “The Goddess in the Labyrinth” has shown that …

Archaeology, Place Names and Runic Inscriptions versus Literary Sources to the Pre-Christian Beliefs and Customs of Scandinavia

This post is an addition to an article I wrote about The Literary Sources before. I was then concentrating on my main field of expertise, namely the Literary Sources. That does not mean there are no other sources of value. In this article, I will try to show how the different sources work best when …

The Literary Sources we have to Pre-Christian Scandinavian Culture and Religious Beliefs

“…we believe that if we surely know the truth about our ancestors, we may more easily oppose the scorn of foreigners when they declare that we descend from bandits and slaves… However everything is, all civilized nations wish to know the origins of their own society and about the establishment of their own lineages.” Landnámabók …

Wardruna lyrics – Rotlaust Tre Fell English Translation

Rotlaust tre fell ——--“Rootless tree falls” (By Wardruna – lyrics translated casually by Maria Kvilhaug aka Ladyofthe Labyrinth) Kom Austre—————--Come EasternKom gryande dag———-Come dawnkom fedre og mødre av—Come fathers and mothersHøgtimbra ætter———--of high lineagesKom hanar i heimar tri—-.Come roosters into three worlds Kom allfader Odin———Come all-father OdinKom moder min Frigg—--Come mother mine FriggKom vise vanar————Come …

Wardruna – Helvegen Lyrics