The native religion of the ancient Scandinavians was in its main features only a special form of that common to all the Germanic peoples, and this again was only a particular development of primitive beliefs and practices characteristic of the whole Aryan race. It is impossible to say how far back in time the special Germanic and Scandinavian developments of this religion may go, and of their earlier stages we have absolutely no knowledge beyond what may be doubtfully reached by the methods of c

THE GREAT GODS: THOR AND ODIN In common with the other Aryan races, the ancient Scandinavians recognised, as the basis of their religion, certain supernatural, usually unseen, powers ruling the world and exercising an influence on the affairs of mankind. In the ideas which prevailed as to the nature of these powers certain correspondences can be clearly traced in the various Aryan religions, in spite of the fact that our knowledge of them dates from widely different periods of history. Even the

THE REMAINING GODS AND OTHER OBJECTS OF WORSHIP The third god mentioned by Adam of Bremen as worshipped at Upsala is (Fricco or) Frey, a name which appears to be identical with the Teutonic word represented in Old English by fréa , lord or king. Adam's statement is fully confirmed by the Icelandic sources, and there are also general references to the prevalence of the cult in Sweden. [3] In a somewhat legendary source it is even stated that an image of Frey, which was worshipped at Thrandheim in

TEMPLES AND IMAGES In common with other peoples, the ancient Scandinavians erected special buildings in which to worship their gods, and in which their images were placed. These temples (called hof , goða-hof , goða-hús , and blót-hús ) must not be thought of as in any way comparable to those erected by the more cultured Aryan races, such as the Greeks and Romans. It is true that Adam of Bremen describes that at Upsala in Sweden, which he calls nobilissimum templum , as being 'all of gold,' whil

CEREMONIES AND MINISTERS OF RELIGION With regard to the rites of the old Scandinavian religion a considerable amount of information has been preserved, although mainly relating to one part of the subject, the offering of sacrifice. It is clear that this was the central feature in the worship of the gods, and the great means towards propitiating their favour or averting their displeasure. Hence the verb blóta , which was the distinctive word for worshipping the heathen gods, very frequently (if n

The chief works in English in which information on ancient Scandinavian mythology and religion may be found are the following:— G. Vigfusson and F. Y. Powell .— Corpus Poeticum Boreale; the Poetry of the Old Northern Tongue. 2 vols. Oxford, 1883. B. Thorpe. — The Edda of Sæmund the Learned. London, 1866. G. W. Dasent. — The Prose or Younger Edda. Stockholm, 1842. I. A. Blackwell. — The Prose Edda (in Mallet's Northern Antiquities ). R. B. Anderson. — The Younger Edda; also called Snorre's Edda o