Viking religion of the Commonfolk

By: Caroline

When discussing the religion of the Vikings one should always keep in mind that all the information we have is secondhand, because the Vikings did not keep the kind of records that other cultures did at the time. So, much of the material we have is written by Christian monks, whom did not like, nor condone the “heathen” lifestyle. Often Vikings are portrayed as evil barbarians, and their gods portrayed as demons. Due to this we have to look to the partially preserved sagas of Iceland and archeological sites to find out what daily life was like for the Vikings.

Creation of the social classes:

The god Heimdall, "Rig" In the "Rigsthula" was the creator of the human social class system in the Viking religion. This was a way of determining people by their statuer both physically and psychologically. Although this was a way to divide people into separate groups, it did not mean people couldn’t move between classes, you could prove yourself to be a part of one or the other. This however is a highly disputed idea, and was thought to be understood in a more spiritual sense. In the Rigsthula, Heimdall comes to Midgard and sleeps between three husbands and wives, from those nine nights comes three children, whom define their class; Thrall (peasant), Freeman (farmer), Chieftain (royalty). From this class system, knowledge of your lineage was not only important but also necessary. Your class and lineage defined the person you were, a farmer, a warrior, or royalty. It was said that the Chieftains were able to trace their lines back to the gods.

Honoring Ones Ancestors

Honoring ones ancestors (ancestor worship) was practiced mainly by the farming class, it was also seen some in the royal class. There are two types of ancestor worship they used, they felt that the dead relatives needed to be remembered, praised and worshipped so they could ensure their reincarnation back into the blood lines of the family. A quote from a Rus Viking to Ibn Fadlan in his travels states,

“You take the people you most love and honor and throw them in the ground, and the earth, and the creeping things, and growing things destroy them. We, on the other hand burn them in an instant, so they go to paradise that very hour.”

The Vikings also believed that the soul lived on in the body after a man died, so to let them reach the after life they burned their bodies. Then placed the bones in a hidden burial ground, with all the things they would need for the afterlife. There are accounts of men being burnt and sent out to sea but that did not seem to be the typical case. Often animals were sent to the grave with their master, like a prized horse or a farmer’s cattle. From the graves of Farmers and other middle class people, is where we find whom the common people worshipped.

Thor protector of mankind:

Thor is known as many things, he is the God of Protection, Weather, Health, agriculture, and Justice (unlike Tyr he was not concerned with absolute justice. You called upon Thor to hold a man to his word, rather than for a legal battle.) thus, he was more like a god of Oath. Thor, who was worshipped by men and women alike, was dearly loved by his followers. Thor is known as the Defender of Midgard. In the “Voluspa” saga, he was the only god that came to Midgard to defend mankind. These farmers and labors could relate to Thor much like they relate to one and other. He was much like a man in his behavior and actions. His favorite activity was to feast with those he loved and those that loved him. He was also a warrior, not a god of war.

Thor being the god of the weather and agriculture was especially praised by the classes that depended on the crops as a way of life and a way to survive. In a drought Thor was called upon and sacrificed to, to ensure rains to come and for their crops to be saved. There is a saga that states the people of Thor's palace were starving due to a drought. He then created a herd of sheep, slaughtered them all for the people to eat, and after all the meat had been picked from their bones, he cast a spell and resurrected the sheep.

In death those who worshipped Thor went to his palace in Asgard, called "Bilskirnir" meaning lightning hall. Within his palace were 540 halls and for those that followed him, Rich or Poor, were treated equally through out. People whore the hammer of Thor "Mjollnir" which means lightning and thunder or “crusher.” It was also called “The Protector of Asgard and Midgard,” due to its part in helping Thor to protect both places. These hammers were also used to hallow a marriage, during the ceremony a Hammer was placed in the bride’s lap, to promise fertility and protection over the marriage.

In conclusion:

Often In contemporary thought, people feel the Vikings and their religious practices were violent and crude. These people forget that the Vikings were much like typical Europeans of their time, they were farmers, mothers, and fathers. This assumption is also due to the handed down information we have of these people. Though slandered through out the ages by other religions, the Viking religion was actually no more violent than that of the Christian church at the time. The Viking people were persecuted by the Christian religion and they resisted. They stand to have been the longest Pagan people of Europe.

“The only difference was that the Christians fought in the name of god, and the Vikings fought for their gods.”

- Mattias Moller, in an essay about the Viking religion compared to Christianity.

References:

Nordic Gods and heroes:

Dover Publication

Nordic religions in the Viking age:

University of Penninsula

The Poetic Edda:

Oxford Press

Quote from Ibn Fadlan’s Journal

Source: Internet

Quote from Mattias Moller (university student essay)

Source: