Sources on the Norse Halloween: Vetrnætr & Álfablót

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Discover the Norse pagan origins of Halloween in this deep dive into two ancient festivals:

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Sources
Kormaks Saga
Ynglinga saga
Bede, The Reckoning of time
Tacitus Germania
Gisla Saga
Viga Glums saga
Tale of Olav Geristadalf, Flateyarbok

Vetrnaetr and Álfablót. These Norse holidays, celebrated over 1,000 years ago, played a crucial role in shaping the Halloween traditions we know today. In this video, we explore the history of Vetrnaetr, marking the beginning of winter, and Álfablót, a secretive ritual honoring ancestors and spirits. Both festivals, especially celebrated around the same time as our modern Halloween, influenced the belief in the 'thin veil' between worlds.

Using Viking Age sources like the Saga of the Ynglings and Kormáks Saga, we uncover how these rituals—originally held to protect families and connect with the spiritual world—merged with Celtic traditions like Samhain, eventually blending into the modern Halloween we celebrate today. From ancient offerings to elves and the dead to the evolution of modern jack-o’-lanterns, this video covers it all!

Whether you're a fan of Viking history, Norse mythology, or just curious about the roots of Halloween, this video is packed with historical insights and fascinating stories from the Norse Viking Age.

Don’t forget to like, subscribe, and hit the notification bell for more content on ancient traditions, Viking rituals, and the untold history behind modern holidays!

#HalloweenOrigins #NorsePagan #Vetrnaetr #Alfablot #VikingHistory #NorseMythology #HalloweenHistory #AncientTraditions #CelticSamhain #Halloween2024 #VikingRituals #NorseFestivals #AncestorsAndSpirits #JackOLanternHistory #HistoryOfHalloween

[ctiradperunovic]

Carving of pumpkins, turnips, etc., it's most likely a common Indo-European pagan tradition. We have references to Slavic traditions from past centuries, when Czechs, Slovaks and Russians carved beets and turnips during this period as well. So this tradition came back to us recycled through the Anglo-Saxon world, but almost nobody know that it was here before.

[BeautyisSacred]

The reason we killed animals at the beginning of winter was because it’s was hard to keep the whole herd alive and healthy all winter.
Many animals would be killed and prepared and festivals to manage all the work and use the excess.
Feasts and rituals are on an agrarian schedule.

[heimric]

The strength of your channel is your personality ‘whatever your name is’! You always manage to get a smile on my face! Thank you for your work! :)

[apheliondriff]

Thank you, Thor!
Not only is the calendar freaking awesome, but very useful information.

[gregoryleevandall]

Welcome back brother ! It's great to see you again and I hope your in great health ty for continuing your amazing videos I hope life is treating you very well as always my friend 😎 ✌️❤

[-RONNIE]

Thanks for sharing this with us. I consider myself mainly an Irish Pagan so I celebrate Samhain 🥃 Sláinte 🇮🇪 However I do also study - connect with my Germanic & Cherokee cultures as well.

[HEADBANGERLIFE]

Your channel is awesome! Much thanks from the US

[DamienHemlock]

One minute in, so hyped for another video. We’re so back.

[maggan]

Germanic vetrnaettr, Celtic Samhain, Hindu 'Diwali', slavic 'Dziady' (ancestors eve), greek 'apaturia'.
All celebrated their ancestors during the autumn equinox, around the last day of October, ie half way between summer and winter solstice...

[hoosez]

Here, in West central Ohio, they've been harvesting for about a month. Some late started, but moat are all down. So, that corrolates.

[williamselfjr.]

Your videos are the best, always so informative!!

[breiannaross]

I love learning about my heritage from you! The way you break things down make it easier for me to process and understand the information! Would you be able to do a video about the 12 days of Yule? I really want to share with my children the traditional holiday and do away with the christianized watered down version..I’ve found books online about different traditions that are done on each of the 12 days, however, I am very picky with my sources and I feel very trusting with the information YOU give on your channel! I don’t want to risk getting information that’s not authentic!

[MrChristianDT]

I can add some stuff that is part of Germanic folklore for this time of year, also-

If you look up the folklore regarding the Feldgeisters (one of the myriad ways elves were remembered/ immemorialized), they talk explicitly about harvest time rituals. A male priest does a particular ritual in the fields, the fields are then harvested from, excluding a small area near the sacred tree, which is left overgrown, because the elves don't like to be exposed. Afterwards, a lot of the chaff is then made into animal idols symbolically representing the local elves in a shape shifted state, which is the only folkloric explanation we have for these things anywhere in the Germanic world. There is also a mention elsewhere of competitions to see which household could bring in its harvest the fastest, honoring the winner & something about having a dance around the big bales of wheat, or whatever grass they grew, that had been set up to dry before bringing inside the thresh.

[guyh.]

Always enjoy when you do these types of videos Thor. I get my seasons and celebrations mixed up easily. Guess that means I need to get your calendar! Ha ha. Also really enjoy when you compare to Celtic traditions as both are very similar in practice. 🎉🎉🎉

[PariahThistledowne]

Being Saxon and Gael, i don't practice Norse Heathenry, per se, but i find it fascinating. My Practice is largely Animist, as i live in a North American woodland area, so i honor the Spirits here as well as my Ancestors.

[uenmm]

In Ystad, at the most southern tip of Skåne Sweden, there is a tradition of carving sugarbeats into lanterns. I don't know how old this tradition is.

[torstenscott]

I have read somewhere that the Jack o lanterns originated with the veneration of ancestor's skulls as a part of their veneration and even summoning. Are there any good sources that can verify this?

[ashlykuhn]

Hey thor....please can you give us un update on the settlement and the island or Colorado please

[Jeudaos]

Thank you. Been trying to figure out how to celebrate this norse holiday in my own way. But I have no physical way at all of getting to my ancestors tombstones.

[RedBloodA]

Hey! can you do a video explaining some similarities and differences between Scandinavian tribes vs Native American tribes?
If you haven't already. Thought it would be interesting to know any spiritual commonalities and if they really fought one another and ect . Thank you!