The pagan Germanic peoples referred to holy places by a variety of terms and many of these terms variously referred to stones, groves, and temple structures. [15] Possible burnt offerings have been found on a hill at Lunda near Strängnäs in Södermanland; the archeologist Gunnar Andersson has argued that the combination of the finds and the placename—which can mean "the grove"—point to this being the remnants of a sacrificial grove.[16]. There they venerated what Tacitus refers to as ", Donar's Oak was a sacred tree located in an unclear location around what is now the region of, Sacred pillar-like objects, perhaps tree stumps, held sacred by the pagan Saxons. The most prominent of these trees is the holy tree central to the cosmos, Yggdrasil.
Another term applied to sacred places in Scandinavia was vé (compare with vígja, “to consecrate”), which appears in many place-names; e.g., Odense (older Óðinsvé). The Edda, Volume 1 The Divine Mythology of the North, Popular Studies in Mythology, Romance, and Folklore, No. Sacrifice took different forms. Tree worship (dendrolatry) refers to the tendency of societies throughout history to worship or otherwise mythologize trees. However that may be, tree-worship is well attested for all the great European families of the Aryan stock. Cannot be hurt by fire or iron, bears fruit beneficial for pregnant women, the cock, An immense evergreen tree, central to the cosmos and considered sacred. It is always associated to pagan practice. The images of the gods were kept in the chancel. Accepting that Christmas Trees are not pagan is dangerous to the overall view and it simply cannot be allowed.No doubt there will be some people stumbling across this article who won't even read it. The central role of trees in Germanic religion is noted in the earliest written reports about the Germanic peoples, with the Roman historian Tacitus stating that Germanic cult practices took place exclusively in groves rather than temples. Prominent trees mentioned in Germanic mythology include the following: Gesta Hammaburgensis ecclesiae pontificum, Anthropomorphic wooden cult figurines of Central and Northern Europe, Among trees, bones, and stones: The sacred grove at Lunda, Veitstu Hvé Blóta Skal : The Old Norse Blót in the Light of Osteological Remains from Frösö Church, Jämtland, Sweden, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Sacred_trees_and_groves_in_Germanic_paganism_and_mythology&oldid=956777209, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, According to Roman senator Tacitus in his first century CE work, On an "island in the ocean", often identified as, In his first century CE ethnography of the, According to Tacitus, the Semnones, a populous and powerful Germanic people, allowed none to enter the grove without being fettered and blindfolded. Old English laws mention fenced places around a stone, tree, or other object of worship. One of the trees in this grove was holier than all the others and beneath it lay a well into which a living man would be plunged. Please select which sections you would like to print: Corrections? This does not imply, however, that Icelandic temples of the 10th century were modeled on churches; rather they resembled large Icelandic farmhouses. The finds have been carbon dated to the late Viking Age. From Proto-Germanic *xaruʒaz or *haruʒaz, a masculine noun, developed Old Norse hǫrgr meaning 'temple, idol', Old English hearg 'temple, idol', and Old High German harug meaning 'holy grove, holy stone'. The lives of Irish and Anglo-Saxon missionaries who worked among Germanic peoples on the Continent (e.g., Columbanus, Willibrord, and Boniface) provide some information about pagan customs and sacrifices. There were also famous temples in Norway, but no detailed descriptions are given of them. ", This page was last edited on 15 May 2020, at 07:59. History of the Archbishops of Hamburg-Bremen. It was richly described by Adam of Bremen, whose report is based on statements of eyewitnesses, though he may have been influenced by the biblical description of Solomon’s temple. Christie and Stanley E. Adams, Jr., Centennial Professor of Liberal Arts, University of Texas at Austin.
[5][6][7], Scandinavian placenames occur with the name of a deity compounded with lundr, 'grove', or viðr, 'wood'.[5]. A particularly beautiful tree with red-gold foliage, Generally considered to be another name for Yggdrasil. A mouldering birch stump surrounded by animal bones, especially from brown bear and pig, was discovered under the church on Frösön in Jämtland in 1984. Germanic religion played an important role in shaping the civilization of Europe. The earth will sink into the sea but will rise again, purified and renewed. Some scholars hypothesize that they even predated the development of temples (according to Rudolf Simek, "there were sacred woods long before there were temples and altars"[8]). Bede claims that some temples in England were built well enough to be used as churches and mentions a great one that burned. Germanic paganism refers to the theology and religious practices of the Germanic peoples of north-western Europe from the Iron Age up until their Christianization during the Mediaeval period. Chapter 9. Only a brief summary of this rich subject can be attempted here. Trees have played an important role in many of the world's mythologies and religions, and have been given Unsown fields will bear wheat. Grazed upon by the hart, Generally considered to be another name for Yggdrasil. [Link] I don't know about this "dendrochronology" stuff (sounds to me like some sort of pagan tree-worship), but I do know that the Balch House (pictured below in a very, very old photograph) looks very, very old to me. The famous Oseberg grave contained the bones of two women, probably a queen and her servant. At the close of the pagan period, the most splendid temple of all was at Uppsala. Tree worship is very prominent in the Bible in which God condemns. After Christianization, trees continue to play a significant role in the folk beliefs of the Germanic peoples. Falsely Accused? A story about the origin of the Lombards is given in a tract, Origo gentis Langobardorum (“Origin of the Nation of Lombards”), of the late 7th century.
Every nine years a great festival was held at Uppsala, and sacrifice was conducted in a sacred grove that stood beside the temple. More often people believed that life went on for a time after death but was inseparable from the body. If the blindfolded falls, they must crawl out of the grove. Germanic paganism refers to the ethnic religion practiced by the Germanic peoples from the Iron Age until Christianisation during the Middle Ages. The most prominent of these trees is the holy tree central to the cosmos, Yggdrasil. Through their own work, and especially because of the strength of Thor, gods have kept the demons of destruction at bay. The savage wolf Fenrir is chained, as is the guileful Loki, but they will break loose. Easter Eggs and Bonfires Easter eggs are attributed to her worship, according to Jacob Grimm. Future refuge of, Generally considered another name for Yggdrasil. Be on the lookout for your Britannica newsletter to get trusted stories delivered right to your inbox. According to another Eddic poem, the wolf will swallow Odin and, in revenge, his son will tear the jaws of the beast asunder. The tree's branches supposedly reached far into the heavens and its roots extended to other mythological … Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). Wordnik is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, EIN #47-2198092. A rather similar story about this pair is told in a Scandinavian source. The Getica incorporates valuable records of Gothic tradition, the origin of the Goths, and some important remarks about the gods whom the Goths worshipped and the forms of their sacrifices, human and otherwise. 12. Trees hold a particular role in Germanic paganism and Germanic mythology, both as individuals (sacred trees) and in groups (sacred groves). Nazi Christmas Propaganda Lives On... Falsely Accused? [12][13], Sacred trees and groves leave few archaeological traces, but two such sites may have been identified, both in Sweden.
The "groves" mentioned in the Bible with an indication of the "asherah poles (asherims) or trees" are all associated with the fertility religion of Astarte (the one we commonly call today as Easter). Worship. Roman authors repeatedly mention the sacrifice of prisoners of war to the gods of victory. § 1. Giants and other monsters will attack the world of gods and humans from various directions. Christianity had no relevance for the pre … Scholars consider that reverence for and rites performed at individual trees are derived from the mythological role of the world tree, Yggdrasil; ono… [11], Reverence for individual trees among the Germanic peoples is a common theme in medieval Christian denunciations of backsliding into paganism.
If men had been evil in life, they could persecute the living when dead; they might have to be killed a second time or even a third before they were finished. Notable examples of sacred trees and groves in the historical record among the ancient Germanic peoples include the following: In Norse mythology, the northernmost extension of Germanic mythology, several sacred trees are mentioned. Proofs of the prevalence of tree-worship in ancient Greece and Italy are abundant. 2010. The victims, human and animal, were hung on trees. Trees hold a particular role in Germanic paganism and Germanic mythology, both as individuals (sacred trees) and in groups (sacred groves). The human sacrifice to the tribal god of the Semnones, described by Tacitus, took place in a sacred grove; other examples of sacred groves include the one in which Nerthus usually resides. [10] Such groves were sometimes dedicated to a particular deity: in addition to the case of Nerthus, there was a silva Herculi sacra ('wood sacred to Hercules', an interpretatio romana) near the River Weser, and the Semnones reportedly held their rituals in honor of the regnator omnium deus ('god the ruler of all').
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