The Oracle

Hello all,

I am very interested in learning about Nordic Paganism and incorporating it into what I do. Would anyone here be able to point me in the right direction of potential books/websites/ or preferably people to talk to etc so I can get a start on learning about this?

Thank you in advance

Thoron!

Sorry it took me so long to get back to you on this. My computer is not working so I am on my father’s laptop. I have a few questions for you so I know which direction to send you off in.

What path do you follow? Some in the Norse Pagan Community don’t look too kindly at Wiccans while others are fine with them. By knowing this I can tell you who to go to and who to avoid.
What are interested in know (Rituals, Deities, Lore, etc)?
Is there a particular branch you are more interested in? There are several out there with different focused, ways of doing things, and who they think should worship the Germanic deities.

I come from Scandinavian descent therefore I had the advantage of having some of the traditons handed down through the generations. I also read as many of the “myths” as I could while in college. I am currently working my way thru the Poetic Edda. Most people will tell you that doing that is the best way to learn about Nordic Paganism. It works for some, but there are also a vast number of books out there that help beginners. My personal favorite is “ Essential Ásatrú: Walking the Path of Norse Paganism by Diana L. Paxson”. I did a book review on it (See http://theoracle.freeforums.org/essential-satr-by-diana-l-paxson-t1099.html). She has lots of resources listed that are very helpful. Feel free to contact me anytime. I hope this has helped.

I have also included a list of books a friend of mine recommended.
1. Norse Mythology: A Guide to Gods, Heroes, Rituals, and Beliefs by John Lindow
2. Exploring The Northern Tradition: A Guide To The Gods, Lore, Rites And Celebrations From The Norse, German And Anglo-saxon Traditions (Exploring Series) by Galina Krasskova and Swain Wodening
3. Our Troth: History and Lore by Kveldulf Gundarsson (He as well as Diana Paxson are members of The Troth http://thetroth.org/welcome-troth)
4. The Norse Tradition: A Beginner's Guide (Beginner's Guides) by Pete Jennings

Hi Lynx,

Thanks for getting back to me

Lynx wrote:
What path do you follow? Some in the Norse Pagan Community don’t look too kindly at Wiccans while others are fine with them. By knowing this I can tell you who to go to and who to avoid.

I'm following the pagan path in general defo not following wiccan path

Lynx wrote:What are interested in know (Rituals, Deities, Lore, etc)?

Anything possible

Lynx wrote:Is there a particular branch you are more interested in? There are several out there with different focused, ways of doing things, and who they think should worship the Germanic deities.

I'd like to know a little about all to be able to choose the right one to research more on at the moment I've started researching the gods/goddess', sabbats etc

Lynx wrote:I come from Scandinavian descent therefore I had the advantage of having some of the traditons handed down through the generations. I also read as many of the “myths” as I could while in college. I am currently working my way thru the Poetic Edda. Most people will tell you that doing that is the best way to learn about Nordic Paganism. It works for some, but there are also a vast number of books out there that help beginners. My personal favorite is “ Essential Ásatrú: Walking the Path of Norse Paganism by Diana L. Paxson”. I did a book review on it (See http://theoracle.freeforums.org/essential-satr-by-diana-l-paxson-t1099.html). She has lots of resources listed that are very helpful. Feel free to contact me anytime. I hope this has helped.

I have also included a list of books a friend of mine recommended.
1. Norse Mythology: A Guide to Gods, Heroes, Rituals, and Beliefs by John Lindow
2. Exploring The Northern Tradition: A Guide To The Gods, Lore, Rites And Celebrations From The Norse, German And Anglo-saxon Traditions (Exploring Series) by Galina Krasskova and Swain Wodening
3. Our Troth: History and Lore by Kveldulf Gundarsson (He as well as Diana Paxson are members of The Troth http://thetroth.org/welcome-troth)
4. The Norse Tradition: A Beginner's Guide (Beginner's Guides) by Pete Jennings

Thanks for all these, I'l start taking a look at these as soon as i get chance

Thanks again for the reply!

Thoron

You are very welcome. I know how hard it can be to get started when there is so much out there to research.

Another resource is podcasts. Ravencast Podcast is a good one (http://ravencast.podbean.com/2009/02/). On the right side bar under Heathen Resources, you will find other podcast that are helpful. The Spoken Lore one is going thru the Poetic Eddas. You don't have to subscribe in order to listen or download them. I have Itunes so I did subscribe. The archive will let you access earlier podcasts.

Let me know how you are doing.

Thanks again for the quick reply Lynx!

I'll take a look at that podcast when I get in later tonight and subscribe Are they monthly/weekly?

I've got a list of the "main" gods and goddess's on my wall in work so learning slowly that way.

How dod heathens differ from normal paganism/wicca in their celebrations of sabbats? Lets take Ostara for example with her being a Germanic goddess and one that the Norse used, would there be vast differences in the celebrations/rituals? I have been trying to find a Norse coven ritual online to see the differences but no luck Be nice to actually perform one as well if I could convince the coven lol.

I will let you know how I get on with the podcast

Thanks again

Thoron

Glad I can help. You might also want to check out Similarities and Differences Between Heathenry and Wicca by Arlie Stephens http://www.heathengods.com/library/wicca_comparison/differences_by_stephens.pdf as a good resource that takes things from a Wiccan point of view.

Well first thing, we don’t celebrate Sabbats like Wiccans do. The only holiday/festival that we all agree on is Júl (Yule). Each group has holidays/festivals that they celebrate. Some celebrate the equinoxes and solstices while others don’t. I am including a link to a site that list some of the holidays/festivals that are celebrated by many of the Heathens. I personally only celebrate a 5 of them (Júl, Ostara, Midsummer, Harvest End, and Winternights). The link is http://www.wizardrealm.com/norse/holidays.html.

The ritual used to celebrate these holidays/festivals is the blót (pronounced bloat). A blót is the feast and/or a sacrifice which is offered as a gift to the gods. Because I am not a member of a kindred (like a coven only is it set up more like a family), I only do a blót. When I do a blót, I do a Hammer Working which involves asking Thor to make this space sacred for my blót. Then I call upon the god or goddess I am doing the blót for. I then ask them for help and guidance, say thank you for the gifts and help they have given me, or honor them on their special day. Once I have done that then I pour out an offering of beer upon the ground. After that is done then I thank Thor for his protection. The blót is now over.

A sumbel can be done as part of a blót or as a separate ceremony. The Icelandic sumbel is made up of three rounds (three times the horn goes around the table). First round is where each person offers a prayer or toast to the god of their choosing. Second round is done in honor of heroes and the dead. Third round is an open one where boast, oaths, and the honoring of the living are made.

I talked to a friend of mine about this topic. She suggested you might want to look up Norse Wicca also called Wiccatru. It is not looked upon very well by those in the Asatru community. It is considered to be a synthetic religion so expect a lot of negative stuff to be listed on the Internet. I personally don’t have a problem with it but others do so be fore warned. In a nutshell, it is a blend of Wicca and Asatru. You worship the Norse deities but do so in Wiccan ritual settings. This maybe more of what you are looking for then straight Norse Paganism (Asatru). She suggested http://www.angelfire.com/ny2/wiccan/norsewicca.html as somewhere to start. Let me know if this helps.