As you prepare to lead your first Norse ritual, you may start to wonder about the differences between Norse and the Celtic rites your Grove has been doing. Fortunately, there is plenty of lore in Norse mythology that works quite well with the ADF liturgy. In this paper, I will go through many of the different options you may want to consider in your Norse ritual. Even if you have run some Norse rituals, I am hopeful that you will find new ideas here that you may not have thought of previously. Before starting, however, one important thing that should be mentioned up front is that there is always a lot of yelling in Norse rituals. The Norse were never known for being demure, and neither are most Pagans who follow Norse paths, in my experience. So, use a blow horn whenever possible, speak in your loudest voices and, a the end of each evocation, yell “Hail <appropriate Spirit>!” Instruct your guests and grove members to repeat your Hails as loud as they can as well.
As with all ADF rituals, a Norse ritual usually starts with a musical signal. Probably the best instrument for a Norse rite would be a horn blow (or three). The horn is reminiscent of Heimdall’s Gjallar-horn, the horn he uses to alert the gods of coming danger. We can deduce that it may have also been used to alert them of anything of interest going on in the worlds outside of Asgard in which they may want to take note. Bells are also appropriate when the deity of the occasion is a Vanir as Saxo Grammaticus mentions tinkling of bells in sacrifices (presumably to Frey) in his History of the Danes.
Next, the Earth Mother is honored. The most common choice for this is Nerthus, a female deity who was said to visit villages each year bringing growth and prosperity for crops. Another option is Jord, who is a literal representation of the Earth (similar to Gaia) and is the mother of Thor. Both Freyr and Njord are also very much associated with the Earth and fertility, but they are male, so that could present a problem for the Earth Mother section.
Next is the Bardic Evocation. Perhaps the best choice here would be Bragi. Bragi is the poet of the gods and is known for his wisdom, eloquence and command of language, and is especially knowledgeable about poetry. It is his job to put the gods in the best light and to keep harmony among them. So, in asking for help in praising the glory of the gods, he’s a natural. Another option here would be Odin, since he is a god of wisdom and inspiration. However, he is a god of wild inspiration, so he should be called on only for rituals where you are looking for very high energy. Saga could also be used here, as a goddess of story-tellers and the goddess of writers. If you are not concerned about people being especially wordy in your rite, then she may be the goddess you want. Lastly, Kvasir is a very good choice to call on here. Kvasir is the embodiment of wisdom, and is said to be the wisest of the Aesir. Kvasir was made from the spittle of the gods, which they had spat into a vat to solidify their truce between the Aesir and the Vanir. He was so wise that he could answer any question asked of him. He was very giving with his knowledge and traveled around teaching people until he was killed by a couple of dwarves. They poured his blood into vats and mixed honey with it, turning it into mead. Whoever drinks his mead becomes a poet or a scholar. Because of this, poetry can be called Kvasir’s blood or dwarfs’ drink. Eventually Odin managed to “acquire” most of the mead and he gave the mead to the Aesir and to those people who are skilled at composing poetry. So, according to Snorri, poetry is also called Odin’s booty and find, and his drink and his gift, as well as the Aesir’s drink. Therefore, passing a horn of mead as part of the bardic inspiration would be quite appropriate.
For Centering, Grounding and Me rging , I like to use a chant that many of the East Coast Kindreds use. It is a monotone chant of the words “Odin-Vili-Ve” three times. During the chant, people can focus on Odin, Vili and Ve – the three brothers, sons of Bor and Bestla, who together created Midgard and Mankind. Another option here is to choose runes that fit the purpose of the rite and to chant the names of those runes. This works well as long as a number of the people in the ritual are familiar with the runes and the pronunciation of the runes in question are agreed upon beforehand. Some folks use a hammer rite during this portion either instead of, or in addition to the chanting, as a good way to merge the group into a single mind/purpose. The hammer rite is a rite that uses a representation of Thor’s hammer, Mjollnir, to bless and hallow the ritual space. Besides being used to slay giants, Mjollnir is shown in the lore to bless Thor’s goats in order to bring them back to life, and to hallow marriage vows. So it seems appropriate to use it to hallow the space on which a rite is performed. In many cases, the hammer rite is done in four directions, as well as above, here and below (Asgard, Midgard and Helheim). If done in addition to the chanting, it will probably be preferable to do this in just one direction – I prefer standing either facing the altar, or facing the participants, or possibly in two directions – representing Fire and Ice, the elements of creation, according to Norse lore. The hammer rite, of course, requires some sort of representation of a hammer, and is done by holding the hammer in the air and drawing the symbol of an upside-down hammer, while saying something like “Mjollnir, Slayer of giants, Mighty Hammer of Thor, hallow and hold this stead. Hail Mjollnir!” I have also seen cases where the four dwarves who hold up the sky are used for is portion of the ritual. The dwarves are named Nordri, Su dri, Austri and Vestri (Norse, South, East and West), and they can be used in general the way of calling quarters, or more specifically in calling them at once. A call to the dwarves that I particularly like that I saw done at a blot during a festival I was at recently was “Nordri, Su dri, Austri and Vestri, Dwarves in all directions dwelling. From the center here we summon. Watchers of the world, now ward us.”
For offerings to the sacred center, the imagery is fairly conducive to Norse mythology. The tree would represent Yggdrasil – the world tree that stands in the center of the worlds and connects all nine worlds together. There are a number of important wells in Norse lore. One such well is Mimir’s well, which has wisdom and intelligence contained in it and is guarded by Mimir. Another is the Wyrd’s well, which is the well that nourishes Yggdrasil and is “so holy that all things that come into that well go as white as the membrane called the skin that lies round the inside of an eggshell” according to Snorri. Lastly, since the well is for the offerings to the ancestors, it would be appropriate to view this not exactly as a well, but as a burial mound. Both historically and in the lore, there are references to people making offerings (often of silver) to their ancestors in burial mounds. There are references to a hole cut into the mound into which offerings were poured. So, an earthenware well, or one made into the earth, would be quite appropriate, if you plan to use the visualization of the well becoming a burial mound when the gates are opened. As for fire, referring to the fire as “the fire of Bifrost” is probably the most appropriate reference in a Norse rite since Bifrost is the rainbow bridge that connects Midgard to Asgard, and the red in the rainbow is said to be burning fire. So opening the fire as a gate can be visualized as the rainbow bridge rising up out of the fire to bring our words to the gods. Fire is also one of the two elements present at creation in Norse lore – the world began as fire and ice, and where the two met, life formed. Snorri refers to the two worlds as Muspelheim (the world of fire) and Niflheim (the world of ice) and the place where the two met as Ginnungagap, and this is where our world, as well as the world of the Gods is built. So, in one sense Muspelheim is a great source of fire imagery, however it is also the realm of fire where the fire-giant, Su rt, lives and guards with his fire sword, preparing to burn the world at Raganarok. So, in this case, fire is not seen as especially friendly to the gods.
For the Gatekeeper, Heimdall is the clear choice as he guards Bifrost for the gods. I don’t believe there is anyone else who really works as gatekeeper. Heimdall’s primary purpose is to keep the Jotuns (frost-giants, mountain-giants, etc.), so word your request carefully. He will not likely be willing to open the gates wide and let anything through. It is better to ask him to carry your words to the gods, or to open the gates, while he stands guard against hostile beings. Heimdall is the ideal guard because he needs less sleep than a bird, can see a hundred leagues by night as well as by day, and he can hear grass growing on the earth and wool on sheep. He is called the father of men, the shining or fair one, white As, Gjallar-horn guardian, and Guardian of Bifrost. Using a horn as a means to signify the opening of the gates evokes great imagery of Heimdall at the gates to Bifrost, blowing his trumpet, Gjallar-horn, the blast from which can be heard in all the worlds.
The outdwellers can be done in a variety of ways using Norse lore. In the traditional way of offering to something/someone that you want to stay away, the Jotuns (commonly seen as the more destructive forces of nature) fit, however it may be futile to ask them to stay away. They are not known for listening to the will of others, even the gods, and are notorious for being uncon troll able (such as tornadoes, hurricanes, etc.). It may make more sense to, rather than asking them to stay away, to ask someone to guard the rite against the Jotuns or other ill-meaning spirits. This may give rise to visions of “casting a circle” or creating some sort of safe space that would be wise to stay within, so it is up to the person running the ritual whether they want to do this. If this option is chosen, there are many protective gods in the Norse pantheon who can be called upon. Thor is a great choice as he frequently battles against the Jotuns. Hlin is a goddess who assists Frigg in protecting humans, whose name means ‘protectress’ in Old Norse. Syn is another protective, guardian goddess, whose name means ‘refusal’ or ‘denial’. Both could also be used as gatekeepers if desired. Especially if a female gatekeeper would be more appropriate. There are still other things you can use as outdwellers. Since there are few ADF Groves that are completely Norse, there’s a good chance that many of the people in the ritual work regularly with other Pantheons. So this would be a good time to give an offering to them and to let them know that they will be honored soon, just not right now. There are also some spirits that are known to be trouble makers. House-ghosts or land-spirits, known as nissen or tomtes, are usually very helpful spirits to have around, but sometimes they have ill-will, or are just mischievous. However, you can give them an offering during nature-spirits, so this could be redundant. Lastly, I want to touch on Loki. Being a god of chaos and, at times, destruction, many people see Loki as a dark, negative part of Norse Lore and they may want to view him as an outdweller. However, being a god is one of the Aesir, Loki will be grouped into the shining ones portion of the rite, so it may be inappropriate to offer to him here. On the other hand, Odin swore he wouldn’t drink without Loki. So if you are going to honor Odin as your deity of the occasion, you should either offer to Loki here, or at least be sure to offer a drink to Loki at another point in the ritual; possibly during the praise offerings.
Moving on to the Kindreds, we come to the Ancestors. For Ancestors, people may want to mention the Einherjar. These are the fallen heroes who dwell in Valhöll awaiting Ragnarok. It should be clear that these are great heroes. Everyone who dies does not go to Valhöll, and not even everyone who dies in battle goes there. Only great chieftains and elite warriors (think marines vs. army) go to Valhöll. These are who are being honored when the Einherjar are called upon. The Disir are our ancestral mothers who stay with their descendents and give them guidance. They are concerned with the life of their descendents, especially with things like births and deaths, as well as with daily household concerns such as cooking, cleaning and weaving. The Alfar are male ancestral spirits. They tend to be more concerned with the health of the community or the land and are often more attached to the land than to families. The house-ghosts and farm-spirits mentioned in the previous section are alfar who care for the prosperity of home and land. They can be vicious when they are offended, so take care to offer well to them.
Nature-Spirits are known as Landvaettir or Land-wights in Norse Lore. They are seen as spirits who often take the form of animals and who live in places in nature such as streams and stones. They usually live harmoniously with mankind, but they will defend their land against hostility if necessary. Some places such as Iceland are said to have particularly strong Landvaettir guardians. In Iceland , the primary Landvaettir (who are still portrayed on their coin) are a dragon, a bird, a mountain giant and a bull.
The shining ones in this case would be the Aesir, the Asynjur and the Vanir. The Aesir are the gods who live in Asgard, including Thor, Odin, Tyr, Heimdall, etc. The Asynjur are the goddesses in Asgard and mostly include Frigg and her handmaidens (such as Hlin, Syn, Fulla, etc.). the Vanir are more nature-based gods and are quite possibly older gods who were later incorporated into the newer lore. The gods best known of the Aesir are Nerthus, Njord, Freyr and Freyja. However since Njord, Freyr and Freyja moved to live with in Asgard with the Aesir after the battle of the gods, they are also called Aesir at times.
I am not going to discuss the Deity of the Occasion much since it would lengthen this article immensely and would wind up being the whole article. There are references on the ADF webpage about what type of Norse rite can be done for each of the High Days. The main thing I want to mention here is that I have found that reading part of an Edda or a good translation/interpretation of one of a story involving the deity of the occasion is a very good way to honor the deities. It is also a good way to familiarize some of the participants with the deity in cases where they may not know that particular deity well.
The next part of a Norse ritual would be sharing a horn of mead with the god(s). This part does not quite fit with the ADF liturgy perfectly. It is similar to a request for the blessings of the god(s), but it is also a beginning for thepraise offerings. This part must come before the praise offerings because the first drink should always go to the god(s), and because the horn should be hallowed to the gods before the praise offerings. The way it is done is to first fill a horn full of mead, hold it high in the air, and toast to the god(s) of the occasion, saying something about hallowing the horn to the god(s) and inviting him/her to share the sumbel with you. Wait until you have sensed that the god has taken his/her fill of the drink. Some people draw the sign of the hammer, a sun-wheel, a valknot or a rune over the horn at this point. Once this is done, pass the horn so that everyone may take a drink (silently) from it. It may be a good idea to give people the option of two horns (one non-alcoholic) or tell them that it is okay to kiss the horn, or touch it to their foreheads if they don’t want to drink from it. At the end of the round, pour the remaining mead in to the blotbowl. The blotbowl is usually a separate bowl from the well into which all the liquid offerings are poured.
For the praise offerings, I have always found it most appropriate to do a mini-sumbel here. A sumbel is a ritual where a horn is passed and toasts are made to gods, ancestors and/or landvaettir, and boasts and oaths are made. The traditional form of a sumbel is to have rounds. It is usually done sitting at feast, but for the purpose of the ritual, we change it slightly to having everyone standing and passing a horn around the circle. It may be a good idea to give people the option of two horns (one non-alcoholic) or tell them that it is okay to kiss the horn, or touch it to their foreheads if they don’t want to drink from it. The first round is to the god of the occasion, the second is to the ancestors, and the third is a boast or oath. This is not set in stone, however. The first round could be to any deity (preferably Norse, though, since they’re the ones we’re talking to), or the third round can be open to whomever people want to toast. Or a fourth round could be added as an open round. However, the second round really should not be changed. The toast can be as simple or as elaborate as people want them to be. People can read poetry, present artwork, sing, or do anything else they may do during other praise offerings. The only difference is that it is done with a horn in their hand and with a “hail <whoever>!” at the end. Remember that every time someone yells “Hail <insert name of ancestor, deity,etc. here>”, everyone is to echo that hail as loudly as possible. It important not to let the horn go empty during sumbel as the last sip is for the gods. So have people watch it and refill the horn when it gets low. At the end of each round, pour whatever remains in the horn into the blotbowl, and refill the horn.
Runes are the easiest source of divination in Norse lore. There are many who practice spaecraft, or seidhr, a trancework type of divination. However spaecraft is not a quick and easy endeavor and would require a ritual in itself, so it is not really appropriate in a typical ADF ritual. In my grove, three runes are typically drawn to represent past, present and future.
At this point blessings of the gods are received (receptivity). A number of Asatruars use the tradition of asperging the celebrants to pass on the blessings of the gods. This is a very appropriate tradition to use for this portion of an ADF ritual as well. Recall that each time the horn has gone around, the remainder of its contents has been poured into a bowl. At this time, the bowl will be carried around the circle along with a twig of an evergreen or another deciduous tree. This twig is dipped into the bowl and used to sprinkle a bit of the liquid in the bowl onto the participants. As the person asperging the participants is doing this, he/she can say something like “I give you this gift from the gods”. The one concern some people have with asperging is that it is usually mead that is being sprinkled on them and that can get a bit sticky. It may be appreciated if you allow the participants to hold their hands out to receive the blessing on their hands, or some may want to opt out. Also certain meads could stain certain light colored carpets. So, if the mead proves too troublesome, a bowl of water may be used for asperging instead. A few drops of the mead from the blotbowl could be added to the bowl of water to connect the two together. If the asperging is going to be done using a separate bowl than the blotbowl, lift the bowl and make the sign of a hammer over it while requesting that the water be hallowed before sprinkling it on the participants.
Before thanking the entities and closing the gates, the mead poured into the blotbowl must be libated (although this could be done after closing the gates as the very last and final act of the rite, if preferred). The blotbowl is taken to a tree or a special spot on the ground and is poured out. Some of the Asatru Kindreds in the east use a saying as they libate that they originally adopted from an ADF grove, but I don’t know which grove it is from. So, as we libate, we say “From the gods, to the earth, to us; from us to the earth, to the gods. A gift for a gift.”
We now thank the entities in reverse order and close the gates. The rite is ended!
—
Special thanks to Leesa Kim of Three Cranes Grove and to Aesa of Grove of the Seven Hills for their input.
—
References:
“The Nine Books of the Danish History of Saxo Grammaticus”, translated by Oliver Elton (Norroena Society, New York, 1905).
“ Snorri Sturluson Edda ”, Translated by Anthony Faulkes (Orion House and Tuttle Publishing, Vermont, 1987)
The Troth: “Our Troth” https://www.thetroth.org/index.php?page=lore-programlinks
