The Norse Concept of the Dead

Preface

As one of the key elements of religion, the concept of death and life after death must be answered by the religion to provide its followers with the guidance, comfort, and certainty they require to remain faithful. The Scandinavian and Germanic Pagans held many opinions and beliefs on this concept, which I believe is ultimately what led to their conversion to Christianity. There was no central authority or rule book on how to do things for the Pagans. When Christianity came about it had a structure with concrete answers to most of life’s many unanswered questions. The Christians were very smart in how they went about structuring their religion. They used Pagan concepts and built off them with small name changes or little details added in to make the conversion of the Pagans a much simpler process. There was of course the threat of violence that had some sway in converting the remaining few Pagans that stood firm in their beliefs in the old gods. To me, this conversion to Christianity signified the Norse concept of Ragnarök, or the fate of the gods. The prophecy laid out for us in Völuspá explains a great many details of the events and actions leading up to and following Ragnarök. If we take a broad view of the lore, we notice a cyclical pattern starting with creation, the golden age or good times, the stories or events leading to the downfall, the downfall, and then rebirth. One could argue that the concept of Christianity and Jesus Christ follow a similar pattern. There was creation, the golden age or good times, the fall of Adam and Eve from the Garden of Eden, the disobeying Israelites, the sinners of Babylon, the betrayal of Jesus by Judas leading to the crucifixion followed by the rebirth and beginning of a new age in which Christianity was created.

If we look at the cycle of this pattern, I propose that shortly after the crucifixion and rebirth, Christians were back in the creation phase until the conclusion of the Crusades in the late 13th century. By this time, Christianity was widespread across most of Europe. The next phase in the cycle is the golden age or good times. My belief is that this period of good times for the Christians started in the 14th century with the European Renaissance and ended in the 17th century with a period called the General Crisis, which was a time of significant regional conflict and turmoil in Europe. It was around this time that Reformation took a major foothold in the Christian faith leading to much of the conflict and turmoil that Europe was faced with. Since this time, Christianity has been in the phase of the cycle of the stories and events leading to the downfall. I believe that the downfall is coming as indicated by the latest trends and data, which show that by 2050 only thirty-five percent of the of the United States population will be Christian, down from eighty percent in the year 2010. This trend is seen across the globe, not just in the United States.

A look at Iceland shows us that in the year 2000, almost ninety percent of the population identified as Christian. In 2018, that number dropped to sixty-five percent. Since Ásatrú was recognized in Iceland as a state religion in 1973, membership has increased almost two-hundred and fifty percent and is now the sixth largest religion practiced by citizens, making up about 2% of the country’s population. If these trends continue, it might not be too out of reach to think that Christianity and Ásatrú may one day be almost equal in the number of practitioners.

The question that we must ask is, why are these trends happening? The concept of a cyclical pattern to the religions is quite evident to me, but also the trend of returning to a more archaic or simple way of life is clearly on the rise. At the end of the Viking Age and the conversion of Scandinavia to Christianity, the trend was moving away from the archaic into a more complex and refined way of living. The once powerful chieftains in Norway and Sweden saw how much power the kings of England and Frisia had and desired to build a legacy like what these more developed nations had. They understood that to garner more power and social control, they needed a religion that provided an easy to understand and complete story. Christianity provided this to them, and little by little the kings of Scandinavia converted their kingdoms to Christianity, all but obliterating the faith in the old gods.

The period of conversion by the Scandinavians was a slight to the gods who had given them so much. The remaining few who believed in the old gods took to practicing in secret, and their stories live on in us, just as Baldr is said to have lived on at the conclusion of Ragnarök.

One might ask, why the brief history lesson focusing on Christianity to introduce the funeral practices and concept of death to the Norse? As explained, the transition to Christianity was made simple by the imitation of Pagan practices but with a clear and defined explanation to questions that are very challenging to answer. It is my belief that the gods would have been furious to know that their people would take the easy road to believing that when they die their souls achieve salvation if they just apologize for their wrongdoing, rather than the more complex and personal views of the mythology which we will get into later in this writing. The teachings of Rígr and the Hávamál were very clear. While there is too much detail to go into in this writing, we can paraphrase by saying that the Norse people were taught to be free, to live life with conviction, to be honorable, to take pride in their every action. Christianity was the path of least resistance to achieve a belief of redemption, which is contradictory to the teachings of Rígr and Óðinn.

As we see the significant uptick in participation of Ásatrú and the decline of Christianity, it makes me think that the people do want to return to a life of honor and simplicity. The challenging part for practitioners of Ásatrú is that we don’t have concrete answers to life’s unanswerable questions. I personally believe that is a good thing. It allows every practitioner to have a truly unique perspective and understanding of their faith. Faith is inherently personal and unique, so putting followers of Ásatrú in a box would be an imposing disservice. What this writing will attempt to achieve, is a guide or outline of the many different concepts of death and funeral rites provided to us by the lore of Norse mythology.

Archaeological findings across Scandinavia, the British Isles, and Germanic territories have provided researchers with a plethora of wonderful information with which to catalogue and form the basis of understanding on the funeral rites and burial practices of the Norse people. I will not be directly citing the material for which I will be basing my writing on, as my personal beliefs and understanding of Ásatrú are the basis for my analysis. However, it would be shameful of me not to include reference to the book The Road to Hel by Hilda Roderick Ellis, as her writing has created the foundation of much of what we know about the burial and funeral practices of the Norse. Her research in the field of Old Norse literature and European archeology has been paramount to our understanding of the concepts of which I will be including. The above-mentioned book was the beginning of her doctoral dissertation in the early 1940s and includes citations to many other wonderful researchers and publications in the field, from which I have gathered much information for this writing.

Literary Concepts

As the chieftain of a kindred of Ásatrúar, I believe it is my duty to provide our folk with the necessary resources that provide information relevant to the faith. The concept of death and associated burial practices is not something that we’ve encountered thus far in our journey together, but having an explanation that provides a source of comfort and peace to our practitioners is essential. As a society founded in Christian values and beliefs, it is extremely difficult to break out of the mold and cycle given to us, especially to those that are renouncing their long held Christian beliefs to follow the path of the gods. As stated earlier, the Norse had a very personal and unique understanding of the concepts of death and funeral practices. I will start with one that most people are familiar with, Valhöll.

Valhöll

To anyone that has even a slight idea of the Viking Age, they know that the Vikings had a long-standing belief in the concept of Valhöll. Valhöll is the “Hall for the Fallen”, or the Hall of Óðinn. Valhöll is said to have a bright golden roof made of shields with rafters made from spears. The benches are made of breast plates surrounding the many large feast tables. Wolves guard the entrance and eagles fly overhead. Inside the great hall, the boar Sæhrímnir feeds the fallen and is brought back to life every time he is butchered. The goat Heiðrún provides an endless supply of mead from her udders. The warriors are served by magnificently beautiful women called the Valkyries. Each day the fallen warriors, called the Einherjar, don their armor and gather their weapons to battle with each other, ensuring their skills stay sharp. In the evening, those warriors who were injured or slain in practice are brought back to feast on the great boar and goat’s bounties, only to do it all over again the next day. Óðinn sits on his great throne with his ravens Hugin and Munin (thought and memory) on his shoulders, listening to the information they’ve gathered on their daily flights across the nine realms. His wolves, Geri and Freki (the greedy and ravenous one) sit by his side eating the meat provided by the Valkyries to his table. Óðinn needs no food to live as wine serves as both meat and drink to him. Here the great warriors chosen by Óðinn and the Valkyries, lay in wait for the day that they will once more be called to the great battle of Ragnarök to help Óðinn in his fight against Fenrir the wolf.

There is very limited literary information on the great hall of Valhöll. It is mentioned only briefly in The Prose Edda and in the poem Grímnismál. Therefore, one must surmise as to the actual belief that the Scandinavians or Vikings had of this concept of the afterlife. The concept of Valhöll had obvious implications to warriors that died in battle, as Óðinn and his Valkyries choose the slain and bring them to Valhöll. It is my belief that the Vikings and many other Scandinavians believed that if you died a heroic death in battle that you would be chosen by Óðinn and his Valkyries to dine in Valhöll. This doesn’t have much implication for modern man, as most of us will not die in battle. However, in some sources it is thought that a noble man of virtuous character can also achieve entering Óðinn’s Hall, but that is pure speculation, and not founded in literary or archaeological findings.

Fólkvangr

Interestingly, there is yet another hall in which the slain in battle may also enter. That is Freyja’s Hall, Fólkvangr. There is information in The Poetic Edda, The Prose Edda, and Egil’s Saga of Freyja’s Hall. Fólkvangr is said to be a large field or meadow that half the slain go in battle, whilst the other half go to Óðinn’s Hall, Valhöll. It is thought that Freyja may have been a Valkyrie, and she chooses half the slain in battle because she oversees eternal combat known as Hjaðningavíg. It is not said whether Óðinn or Freyja get to choose their half of the dead first, but I would assume that the Alfather would have first pick as it is his Einherjar who must eventually go to battle with the wolf Fenrir at Ragnarök. Freyja’s warriors would be in eternal combat which has less severe repercussions for the fate of the gods. Another interesting point is that there is significant evidence to show that women also had the ability to gain entrance to Fólkvangr, as shown in Egil’s Saga.

As we can see, we have two different places where the slain in battle may go when they die, but also a place where worshippers of Freyja would have hoped to go when they perished. The gods Óðinn and Freyja show similarities in that they were both seen as gods of war, but these two gods had significant complexities that a term such as “god of war” is merely not enough to describe them. From our understanding of the lore, we can say with certainty that Óðinn is in fact a god of war and death. Freyja on the other hand, is a goddess of the Vanir, a fertility goddess, and many archaeological and literary sources can confirm this. Later in this writing I will explain my personal beliefs on how one might enter either Valhöll or Fólkvangr.

Hel

The next major literary concept of death we know is Hel. Hel is described in The Prose Edda as being the place that those who die peacefully will go. Hel is ruled by the goddess Hel, Loki’s daughter. She is an enigmatic character in the lore that is said to have half a face of a beautiful woman and the other half of a dead woman. My own thoughts in this belief are that Hel rules over the realm of the dead, but those who die are still very much alive. The realm of Hel is described as underground, like the realm of Hades in Greek mythology. In Hel, it is said that the dead typically remain with those that they were closest to and eat, drink, sleep, and fight just like they would have done in life. After the death of Baldr, Hermóðr, who may have been a son or servant of Óðinn, rides to Hel on Óðinn’s horse Sleipnir to ask Hel for the return of Baldr to Ásgarðr. Baldr is found sitting at a table in Hel’s Hall awaiting the feast celebrating his entrance into Hel. An interesting point to show is that Baldr was slain by an arrow from his blind brother Höðr but enters the realm of Hel rather than going to Valhöll. I would argue that Baldr didn’t die in battle which is why he is sent to Hel. I will delve further into the concept of Hel in my conclusion.

Death at Sea

Another concept of life after death comes to us from FriðϷjóf’s Saga, but has minor mentions elsewhere in the lore, the hall of Rán. Rán is the wife of the jötunn Ægir, and both are known as personifications of the sea. In the saga it is said that Rán rules over the land of the dead at the bottom of the sea. As seafarers, it would make sense that the Vikings and Scandinavians would have a place for those that die on the open sea. Rán’s Hall is that place, and many archaeological finds from the Viking and Saxon eras in Britain show depictions of human sacrifice to the goddess deep beneath the sea. It was thought that providing sacrifices to Rán prior to setting sail across the ocean would appease the goddess so that she would allow them safe passage. The belief is that the Saxons and later Vikings would sacrifice those they captured in battle to provide this appeasement to Rán. Rán has some mention in the Eddas, as it is she that is said to have made the net that Loki used to catch a pike in Reginsmál. We don’t have any description, that I’ve seen, of Rán’s Hall. However, as the wife of the giant Ægir, who is the host of the gods, it is possible that those that enter Rán’s Hall are entering the hall of Ægir, which is said to be a wonderful hall for feasts which was often visited by the Æsir.

Gimlé

Yet another location for life after death is Gimlé. Gimlé is mentioned in Voluspa as being a hall with a golden roof that the righteous enter and have eternal happiness, after Ragnarök. It is my assumption that the poem is referencing the gods and mankind that perish in or survive Ragnarök as those that will enter the hall. In The Prose Edda, Snorri Sturluson makes out Gimlé to be some sort of Pagan Heaven, but his Christian influence on this writing may have made his remarks somewhat faulty. However, the literary references don’t provide us enough information to deduce that Gimlé was not in fact some sort of Pagan heaven. It may very well have been, but it’s difficult to say with complete certainty. The references to Gimlé in the lore lead me to believe that Gimlé was a mountain somewhere in Scandinavia, which was safe from the fires of Surtr and destruction of Ragnarök. Snorri tells us that it was a heaven inhabited by light elves. It is possible that those who perish that are chosen to be Dísir, or female guardian spirits, could have gone there, but that is pure speculation on my part. Snorri also tells us that the location of Gimlé is in the realm known as Viðláinn, which is supposed to be a shelter for the souls of the dead during and after Ragnarök. If I’m using just the literary sources provided, I would make the case that Gimlé is the place where the gods who perished during Ragnarök are housed, as well as the men who perish after Ragnarök. That would be all of us up to this point. Because the literature is so scarce on the topic of Gimlé, this is me simply trying to connect dots. I will expound on this thought later in this writing.

Niflhel

The final location that is espoused in the literature is that of Niflhel. Not to be confused with the icy realm described in the creation story called Niflheim, Niflhel is said to be the lowest level of Hel where evil men go when they die. There is very little literature provided to give us any real concept of Niflhel, and because the Scandinavians had no concept of good vs evil, it is my belief that this a purely Christian concept created by the author Snorri Sturluson. There is an Old Norse poem called Náströdr that mentions a ceiling dripping with poison and a floor of snakes, but again, I think this is a Christian creation made to assimilate the Norse more easily into believing in the concept of sin and Hell. In all my research, those individuals who were “evil” people and given sentences of death were said to have taken their sentence with honor, which would have had them entering another location after death.

Literary Concepts Explained

After going over the concepts provided to us in the lore, there is no definitive answer to where one goes when they die. If you die in battle, you could enter either Valhöll or Fólkvangr. If you die peacefully then you enter Hel. If you die at sea, you enter Rán’s Hall. If you perish after the destruction of Ragnarök you enter Gimlé. If you were a horrible human being, you might be sent to the lowest level of Hel, called Niflhel. To get a further understanding of the concepts of death and the afterlife, one must look at the archaeological records preserved in Scandinavian and Germanic history. Here we are provided with an abundance of evidence to help create a more realistic picture of the concepts of the dead. The literary sources were written during or after the conversion of Scandinavia to Christianity. As such, we must make inferences utilizing both archaeology and literature to create the most reasonable conclusions. We must also realize that the literary sources were more than likely written by poets or skálds whose sole purpose in writing them was for the preservation and entertainment of the Norse people. There may have been, and probably were, serious misrepresentations or fabrications in the writing. The sagas provide a better story of the burials and funeral practices that were associated with the Scandinavians at the time of their writing, but they too were written by Christians. Archaeology, and specifically ancient archaeology provides us the best guide to understanding what our fore-bearers truly believed. In the next section I will explain some of the archaeological findings and how they correspond with the literary sources.

Archaeological Concepts

Archeological finds throughout Scandinavia, Germania, and the greater British Isles have provided researchers with a more complete picture of the Norse concepts of death. The main topics I will cover in this section will be cremation, inhumation, and ship burial. There is no one practice that was particularly dominant over the others, however, in different areas of Scandinavia there were trends that can be seen in the archaeological findings. I will attempt to draw conclusions using my own beliefs and understanding of the religion to explain these findings in a way that might help the reader create their own system of beliefs and draw their own conclusions.

Cremation

Throughout Scandinavia the practice of cremation can be seen with much regularity. This spans back as far as the Bronze Age or 3300 BC to approximately 1200 BC through the end of the Viking Age in the 11th century CE. I will not go into significant detail outlining the many cremation sites that have been found but will give my interpretation as to the reason for cremation over inhumation or ship burial. The cremation sites that have been found have much variation throughout history. Some cremation graves were found with burnt remains with bones still intact, laid in a distinct shape. Others have been found with the whole body completely burned, including the bones. Even more graves have been found with grave goods placed inside the grave of the burned body, and some even appeared to have the grave goods placed on the funeral pyre and burned along with the body and then the ashes placed into an urn. What these discoveries show is that as outside influence infiltrated into Scandinavia, their burial practices changed. In the early Bronze Age, a simple cremation on a funeral pyre with bones buried in a grave may have made the most sense, but as the Scandinavians encountered the Germanics, who had influence from the Romans, the emplacement of grave goods may have become common practice. I will explain later a few of these advancements in burial practice. What we cannot overlook is how the religion of the Scandinavians factored into their burial practices. We have already seen a basic understanding of the literary concepts, so it is not unfathomable to think that what was written was what the people believed.

The concept of cremation I propose can be explained by the Cult of Óðinn. As I’ve discussed in an earlier article, the Roman historian, Tacitus, provided an explanation of a god the Germanic tribes worshipped called Wotan, who was like the Roman god Mercury. If the Germanics were worshipping Wotan or Óðinn at the turn of the 1st century, it is probable that they had believed in him for hundreds or even thousands of years prior to first encountering the Romans. From what we are shown in the archaeological records, cremation was the predominant form of burial at this time. We know that Óðinn is a god of war and the god of death. Historical records show many prisoners of war from the Germanics and Saxons who were hanged from trees and stabbed with spears and then burned to be sent to Óðinn. We can deduce the significance of this act as Óðinn hung himself from Yggdrasill stabbed with his own spear for nine days and nine nights, giving himself to himself. It is unlikely that these prisoners would have been sent to Valhöll as they did not technically die in battle. So where did these dead prisoners go? My thoughts are that they went nowhere. They were sacrifices to appease Óðinn. Their own personal beliefs played a role in where they went when they died this gruesome death. The Norse would not wish an enemy to be feasting in Óðinn’s Hall amongst them. They were burned so that Óðinn may see the smoke from the pyres and accept their sacrifice. Much as we provide a sacrifice of mead at our blóts, human sacrifices were once used to gain favor from the gods.

For those that died in battle, it is said in the literature, that Óðinn or Freyja chose which warriors went to which hall. But for Óðinn, they had to be burned for the bodies to make it to Valhöll. Their bodies entered a new realm, the realm of the Óðinn. If their bodies remained on earth, they could never make it there. I think this practice remained throughout much of Scandinavian history as Óðinn was one of the primary gods worshiped throughout the region. It was common practice that those who worshipped Óðinn would be burned so that they might enter the hall of the Alfather. I feel strongly that my interpretation has some merit as Óðinn is a very complex figure that was described as playing a significant role with death in the lore. Coupled with the historical records shown, those who worship Óðinn as their primary god, may have a desire to be cremated.

For those that worship another god or goddess, I would say that there is some evidence to support that cremation could have also been the way that they wished to be passed on. In the story of Baldr’s death, it is Ϸórr who hallows the funeral pyre of Baldr prior to his ship being pushed out to sea by the jötunn Hyrrokkin. As there is little archaeological evidence for a Cult of Ϸórr, I would argue that anyone who worships a predominant member of the Æsir would want to be cremated to pass on to the realm of the Æsir. Ϸórr’s role in burial was almost always displayed as being the one hallowing the pyre before it was set ablaze. The record of Ϸórr’s worship was vast, but from what we can tell from the literature, he was the commoners’ god. Individuals wore chains with Mjölnir to signify their belief in him, and to provide some sort of protection and guidance on their journeys. If we look at all the Viking relics with the symbol of Mjölnir, it makes sense that these warriors would have wanted to die in battle to enter Óðinn’s Hall, Valhöll. I will expound on Ϸórr a bit more later in this writing.

Inhumation

Inhumation is quite simply a burial. The body is not burned but buried in the ground or in a tomb. There is significant archaeological evidence available to show that the Scandinavians chose inhumation almost as frequently as cremation. Different areas of Scandinavia had different practices. As you will see later, it is my belief that the god or goddess who was primarily worshipped by the individual dictated what happened to that person upon death. In the case of burial, there were different types of burial that can be seen throughout Scandinavia. Many regular graves were found, as well as howe burials (mound burial), and ship burial, which we will talk more about further on.

Using the literary and archaeological sources, we can see that inhumation was seen across Scandinavia, but with a major emphasis in Sweden. Howe burials have been found across the region, but Sweden for some reason dominates this practice as well. It is my understanding that a large portion of howe burials discovered are thought to belong to Swedish royalty or nobility. This makes sense to me as the great dynasty of kings in Norway and Sweden were the Ynglings and said to be descended from the god Freyr. Freyr was worshipped throughout Sweden and was often seen as the primary god in that region. The temple in Uppsala displayed images of Freyr, Óðinn, and Ϸórr with Freyr being seated in the middle, signifying his importance to the people that worshipped there. There are many sagas that describe burials by those who worshipped Freyr. There is some evidence to believe that Freyr may have been a king of Sweden and was buried in a large tomb near the temple of Uppsala. If Óðinn and the Æsir are the gods of war and death, it is Freyr who is the god of the earth. He represents fertility, rebirth, and sometimes even peace. I would argue that those Ásatrúar who follow the path of one of the Vanir would prefer burial over cremation. There is much significance in being buried in the earth close to the god of the earth. There are some interesting circumstances related to inhumation that must also be discussed.

In many of the literary sources, especially the sagas, it is said that those who are buried, often in a howe are believed to take up residence in their new home. There are instances of characters walking by a burial mound only to see light coming from inside or hearing noises sounding like talking or the clanking of horns on a table. A description of Freyr’s grave gives us an indication that there was a door into the mound as well as a window or slots for which patrons of Freyr could drop in gold or silver. Additionally, the many stories we have of the draugr shed light that there was the potential for some unsavory folks to inhabit these graves as well. In many instances, the bodies of the deceased who were believed to have become draugr would be burned to rid the howe of the nasty spirit.

There is another story that stands out to me which is written in the Eyrbyggja Saga. There is a man who reveres Ϸórr, named Ϸórrolfr, that travels to Iceland and takes up residence near a beautiful mountain. He believed that when he died, he and all his kindred would enter the mountain and take it up as their new home. The story continues that Ϸórrolfr’s son, Ϸórrsteinn went on a fishing trip with some companions shortly after his father’s death, and they all drowned. The shepherd of the family was out on the mountain when the drowning happened, so he did not know that it had occurred. As he was facing the mountain he saw it open, and he could hear feasting and great happiness coming from inside. He then saw Ϸórrsteinn, and his companions being invited in by Ϸórrolfr to feast and take seats. This is obviously contradictory to my above writing that worshippers of the Æsir would have preferred to be burned, however the story does not give details on if Ϸórrolfr was burned or buried. It makes sense that Ϸórrsteinn would not have been either burned or buried as he drowned and entered the mountain before anyone knew of his death. He obviously didn’t go to Valhöll, Rán’s Hall, Gimlé, or Niflhel. My thoughts are that the realm of Hel spreads out across the earth. It is not a singular hall like some cafeteria in an elementary school. Depending on if you believe you’re going to Hel, which could mean that your spirit inhabits some place under the ground, and inside of a mountain would certainly meet that criterion.

As inhumation was widespread across Scandinavia, I think it makes the most sense to tie in the practice to that of the Vanir. The fertile soil that is sacred to Freyr would nourish the body. What happens to your soul depends on your belief system. I will expound on this more in my conclusion. It is necessary to understand which deities belong to either the Æsir or Vanir to know which funeral custom would be most personal to you. It is important as an Ásatrúar to establish and understand the connection between you and your patron deity, so that you and your family can make the important decisions related to your death and funeral practices.

Ship Burial

I will touch briefly on ship burial, as it has become mainstream in many Ásatrú circles. Ship burials have been found throughout the region of Scandinavia and the British Isles, with one of the largest and best preserved at Sutton Hoo in England. This grave was known to be Anglo-Saxon, but it still provided excellent evidence for the practice of ship burial throughout the regions of Germania and Scandinavia. It is thought that the ship burials were meant for royalty, mostly kings or princes. Most of the ship burials found, that have not been looted, show hordes of grave goods, animal sacrifices, and human sacrifices present on board. This to me shows that the noble person being buried wanted to have those things that he enjoyed in life to journey with him to the land of the dead. It’s unclear how these royal individuals died. The ship could probably be seen as a vessel for which the deceased would use to travel to the land of the dead. This indicates that they more than likely didn’t die in battle and would not be entering Valhöll. The likely explanation is that they were intended for the realm of Hel, which as we know from the lore, can be quite a journey. In the modern age, it is my belief that a ship burial would be fitting only for a royal practitioner of Ásatrú that had significant ties to the sea. This could maybe be the king of Denmark if he were to convert to Ásatrú. It wouldn’t make much sense for anyone else to be buried in this manner and would probably cost a significant amount of money to either build or buy a ship and then excavate a grave large enough to hold it. A simpler way would be to dig a regular sized grave and outline it with stones in the shape of a ship. It’s not up to me to decide for any person though.

Archaeological Concepts Explained

As we can see there were and still are only a few ways for someone to pass on to the next realm. Cremation and inhumation played the largest role in funeral rites, with ship burial being withheld for only those of royal lineage. It is my belief that those with close ties to the Æsir would desire to be cremated and those with ties to the Vanir would wish to be buried. These are only my opinion and are dictated by a person’s individual preferences, but based on the archaeological evidence, it seems clear that those with ties to Óðinn preferred to be burned, while those closest to Freyr preferred inhumation. A clear understanding of the deities that a person worship is necessary to get a clearer picture of what their specific funeral rites might be. A final concept that needs to be addressed in this writing is that of rebirth. There is significant literary and archeological evidence linked to this topic and will be addressed in the next section.

Concept of Rebirth

The final concept of death that will be discussed is that of rebirth. The signs that the Norse believed in this concept are clear throughout the lore and found in many archaeological finds. Throughout the sagas we are given instances of newborn males being named after a recently deceased relative. This practice is still seen today, but many don’t know why they do it other than it’s just tradition. In reading the sagas we can see that naming a newborn boy after a deceased relative was thought to provide a vessel for the personality of the recently deceased to come back anew. In the story Flateyjarbók, it is said that King Olaf Geirstaðaalfr died and was buried in a howe grave. After his death, Olaf appears in a dream to a man named Hrani. He tells Hrani to enter his howe and take the gold ring, knife and belt from the body sitting on the stool in the mound. He is then to take these items to the queen of Greenland called Queen Ásta. He is told to put the belt around her while she is in labor, and when her son is born, he is to name the child Olaf and give him the ring and knife. The son that is born turns out to be Olaf the Holy, who converts to Christianity and inflicts punishment on all those who refuse to be converted. Rebirth is not a Christian concept, so we must espouse that this must be a Pagan construct. While not the most favorable story, we can see that rebirth was a concept that was likely practiced by the Norse.

The Dísir

No section on rebirth would be complete without a discussion of the Dísir. The Dísir are thought to be the female ancestral spirits of a person or family that provide luck and direction to the individuals they follow. Stories throughout the lore shed light on the concept, and how a person’s Dísir could even be loaned out to another person for luck on a task or journey. I think this falls well into line with the concept of rebirth. When a woman perishes there is a chance that she could come back as the Dísir to a future descendant. This implies to me that the concept of death and rebirth often revolve around caring for the descendants of a family.

Rebirth Explained

From the very brief examples of rebirth provided, we can see that this concept was believed in by the people of Scandinavia. The lack of historical accounts makes it hard to determine the true nature of the belief, but it was there.

Completely understanding the concept of death and funeral practices by the Norse is a task that we will most likely never complete. We must do our best to piece together our own beliefs from the literary and archaeological sources given to us. In the conclusion, I will explain my thoughts on each of the topics discussed, so that fellow Ásatrúar may grasp a better understanding of the concept of death to the Old Norse.

Conclusion

With all the literary and archaeological concepts discussed in this writing, it could be difficult to ascertain which concept of life after death and funeral practice is best for the modern Ásatrúar. In this conclusion I will outline my personal thoughts and beliefs on each concept. There could be much debate on my thoughts, but as stated earlier, I don’t think we will truly ever know what each Scandinavian tribe really believed. This is an attempt to simplify the lore and historical records to give fellow Ásatrúar a start on figuring out their own personal journey. If we remember why the Pagans converted to Christianity, it was in part because Christianity had a much simpler way of explaining questions such as life after death. If Ásatrú wishes to grow and become relevant once more, we must have a simple to understand concept that answers this question as well. Each kindred can have something completely different, as the different regions in Scandinavia did, but we must at least provide a guide for our fellow practitioners.

The concept of Valhöll is an ancient one that dominated the Viking Age and probably came about at least a thousand years earlier, as life during this time was particularly rough. Clans fought one another over land and power. Raids were conducted from Scandinavia into Russia, Britain, Frisia and many other places. Dying while in battle would have been commonplace. If the records are accurate, those who died a heroic death in battle would have wished to join Óðinn’s Einherjar in Valhöll. To a modern Ásatrúar, we simply don’t have the same lifestyle as the Vikings. That’s not to say that soldiers who die in combat can’t enter Valhöll, but that number is very few. In the event of some significant international conflict, I do think it’s plausible that those who see combat and perish with dignity and the ferocity of a berserker could ultimately find themselves in Valhöll.

Fólkvangr being the other place for those who fall in battle, I will make similar statements. Fólkvangr was probably a more recent construct than Valhöll, but we can’t know with certainty. I think the difference between entering Fólkvangr or Valhöll, if one was to perish in battle, would have to do with the way one perishes. For instance, if a practitioner of Ásatrú is in a convoy in Iraq and is struck by a roadside bomb that kills them instantly, while extremely sad and they perished in combat, they did not make it far enough to return fire and destroy the enemy with the ferocity of a berserker. Óðinn needs the most revered warriors in his hall to combat Fenrir the wolf. The eternal combat which Freyja oversees seems like the more logical place to go for someone who dies in combat but does not take a portion of the enemy with him. As we discussed earlier, females can also go to Fólkvangr. It is my belief that those individuals, not just warriors who perish, who relate to the goddess Freyja may enter the hall of Fólkvangr.

The most discussed concept of the afterlife is Hel. The Christian overtones that are injected into many of the literary sources do not do the concept of Hel justice. Most individuals will not die in battle. They must also have a place to go when they die. That place is Hel. Hel is almost always compared to the Christian Hell, but it need not be. We know that Hell was provided by the Christians as an easy way to assimilate the Pagan Heathens. For most people Hel is where they would go, but that is much too simple of an explanation. We know that Baldr, son of Óðinn, goes to Hel upon his passing. This clearly shows that those with nobility will even go to Hel if they do not perish in battle. A place where the prince of the Æsir once resided does not sound like a bad place to go. As described earlier, Hel is a place where families can reconnect, enjoy feasts, mead, conversation, and practice the ancient form of magic called Seiðr. Hel is not a small place. I think it spans the length of all Miðgarðr. This means that a person’s spirit could inhabit any place under the earth that their body may have a connection to. Those that are buried in howes are technically under the earth. Their spirit could in fact inhabit that howe in which they are buried. From the story of Ϸórrolf, we know that his spirit inhabited the mountain that he so revered. To me this is a description of Hel. Ϸórrolf did not die in battle, he did not die at sea, and he died prior to Ragnarök. All those characteristics lead me to conclude that when he died his spirit resided in Hel, which encompasses the land within and under the mountain that he is said to be feasting in. We must remove the stigma of the Christian Hell’s association with our Heathen belief in Hel.

The burial at sea concept is a fascinating one. It is likely that most of us won’t experience this in our modern lives, but it is still possible. I believe that Rán was seen as an almost ominous and aggressive goddess of the sea who required sacrifice for passage. That is why it has been shown that human sacrifices were made to her prior to journey across the sea. I think those who perished at sea long ago may have believed that they would go to Rán’s Hall if they drowned or died during a storm while on a ship in the deep sea. Those who died at sea didn’t typically die in battle so they would not have entered Valhöll or Fólkvangr, apart from those who were followers of Freyja and perished of illness while on a voyage across the sea, which was a common occurrence. I would assume that often, their bodies would have been pushed overboard as a sacrifice to Rán by those who were still on board, but their spirit could have ended up in the hall of Freyja or Hel.

Gimlé is a concept that gets far too little attention. The literature tells us that the righteous or virtuous who die during or after Ragnarök will enter the hall at Gimlé. That would be all of us that come after Ragnarök. If we believe that Ragnarök has already occurred, as I do, then it’s safe to say that when we die, we go to Gimlé. There are few references to Gimlé in the historical records, as Ragnarök had not occurred yet. If we believe that Ragnarök was in fact the conversion of Paganism to Christianity, there would be no indication that the Vikings believed they would go to Gimlé when they died. The fact remains that the literature tells us that those whose perish during or after Ragnarök will go to the hall at Gimlé. It would not make sense for the poets to write about a concept of the afterlife if they did not believe it. During and before the Viking Age, the Scandinavian people were in the golden age as shown by my cyclical theory. The thought of Ragnarök was probably in some of their minds, but they thought of it as some far away prophecy. They would not have been thinking of the concept of Gimlé until they were already Christian. As stated earlier, Gimlé appears to be a mountain or location in Scandinavia that was immune from the fire and destruction of Ragnarök. Here a hall was built with a golden roof that houses the gods who perish in Ragnarök and the virtuous men who come afterwards. A concept many of us Ásatrúar have heard time and time again is that when we die, we will be feasting with the gods. If we are to be feasting with the gods who perished in Ragnarök then we will be feasting in the hall at Gimlé. The events at Ragnarök destroyed the nine realms to include Ásgarðr, which is where Valhöll and Fólkvangr were said to be located. The Einherjar who perished during Ragnarök would have had to go somewhere else after Ragnarök. That place is Gimlé. There is too little literary evidence to know exactly what happens at Gimlé, but I believe that this concept could be the right one. The argument against it would be that this creation of a Pagan Heaven was merely a slight by the Christian authors who wrote the lore. However, there is no mention in any Christian writings that I’m aware of that talk about anything remotely similar to Gimlé.

The last location concept to discuss is Niflhel. I am confident that Niflhel is a Christian construct made to introduce the concept of sin and encourage redemption to the newly converted Pagans. The Norse had no concept of good and evil or sin. I cannot find any story that makes mention of any literary character, even ones with subpar virtue, to be damned to a place called Niflhel. It does not corroborate anything in literature or archaeology. As such, I think it best to dismiss this concept entirely.

Rebirth is the final death concept of Old Norse that I will deliberate. We are repeatedly shown in the literature a concept of rebirth. From the baby naming of dead relatives to the draugr, to the Dísir. We cannot pass over this topic when discussing concepts of death. I do believe that this concept carries much weight. The concept of rebirth is a feeling that is hard to describe with words. When a baby is born and named after a recently deceased relative, the blood of that relative flows within the veins of the new child. A part of that relative lives within the child. When providing the child with the name of the deceased, it seems feasible that the child could in fact take on part of the personality of the deceased. Names are not to be chosen lightly. They have a significant impact on the life of the child. We cannot say for certain that the new child is in fact the living reincarnation of the deceased relative, but a part of their spirit almost certainly resides within the blood of that child. If that is my fate upon death, then I will die happy knowing that I will be able to influence and impact my descendants for generations to come. I would assume that the spirit of the deceased would either reside in Hel or Gimlé prior to the child being born, and then be called out of the afterlife upon the naming of the new baby. I believe that this concept applies to both males and females. The concept of the Dísir is shown to be a feminine concept. Instead of living within the blood of a descendant, the Dísir journey with them. They are the female guardian spirits assigned at birth to care after one of their descendants, either male or female. I have not felt the presence of my Dísir while a practitioner of Asatru. I think this could be because I cannot recall a female ancestor or recently deceased female relative that I had a close connection with. I would like to believe that when my grandmother or mother perish, they will come back to provide their comfort and guidance to one of my descendants. However, as I write this, I get the eerie feeling that I may have just angered the Dísir that is with me. For those females reading that have an inseparable connection to one of their relatives, I wholeheartedly believe that you may come back as one of the Dísir to guide your descendants in their life.

Moving onto the funeral rites of cremation and inhumation, I will provide my sentiment on which practice is best applied to the concepts outlined above. I am leaving ship burial out, as I don’t think it feasible as practice for the majority of modern Ásatrúar.

Cremation as outlined earlier was a funeral rite practiced by those of the Cult of Óðinn or other members of the Æsir. I do not include members of the Æsir that married into it or were sent as hostages at the end of the Æsir Vanir War. My view of the Æsir includes those that are direct descendants of Óðinn. This would be Óðinn, Ϸórr, Baldr, Váli, and Viðarr. There are theories that Heimdallr, Týr, Bragi, Höðr, and Hermóðr are also sons of Óðinn, but I categorically reject these theories. Heimdallr was born from nine mothers of the sea, which is possible are the daughters of Ægir and Rán, but this is difficult to confirm. Heimdallr’s role as the watchman of the gods and clear connection with Freyja in the lore would indicate to me that he was once a member of the Vanir. As teacher of mankind, it is possible that Óðinn taught his son the runes so that he may teach the world of Miðgarðr, but I just don’t buy into this concept. I think Heimdallr’s father is unknown, but the connection with Freyja and the sea could create a link with Njörðr, making Heimdallr the son of Njörðr and the daughters of Ægir, and the sister of Freyja and Freyr. Týr is without a doubt not the son of Óðinn. All the historical records show that at one-point Týr predated Óðinn as the Skyfather. Germanic relics from the Bronze Age show a one-handed god that was revered much like Óðinn. I think that Týr is an honorary member of the Æsir due to his status as a war god but is not Óðinn’s son. Bragi is described one time in the lore as Óðinn’s son and wife of Idunn. He is also described as Óðinn’s wish son in Lokasenna which could indicate that he is the stepson of Óðinn and son of Frigg. Bragi has clear connections with the Vanir rather than the Æsir, but it’s difficult to comprehend. Höðr is said to be the blind brother of Baldr who slays him when tricked by Loki. Other sources say that Höðr is a mortal enemy of Baldr who he constantly battles with for the love of Nanna. I think it is possible that Höðr is Óðinn’s son with the connection to Baldr’s death and being blind like Óðinn is in one eye, but there is not much else to go on. Hermóðr has only one story, when he rides Óðinn’s horse Sleipnir down to Hel to inquire about the release of Baldr. He is called Óðinn’s boy, not Óðinn’s son in the passage. Without any other literary examples for Hermóðr as Óðinn’s son, I believe that he was simply a servant of Óðinn that rides down to Hel to see if Baldr could be released back to Ásgarðr, much as Freyr sends his servant Skírnir to woo the giantess Gerd.

The burial rite of cremation is associated with Óðinn and his direct descendants with the inclusion of Týr. The practice of cremating a body would be to burn the body on a large funeral pyre, then burying all the ashes in a grave, possible with some grave goods. It was also seen to put the ashes of the body, funeral pyre, and grave goods in an urn or buried altogether. Burning the body allowed the body and spirit to enter the hall of Óðinn, which could have been Valhöll or Hel. In modern Ásatrú, burning the body could also be a way for the deceased to reach Óðinn in the hall at Gimlé.

Inhumation or burial was a practice shown by those that worshipped the Vanir, specifically Freyr. The other members of the Vanir are Freyja and Njörðr, with certainty. It can be surmised that Heimdallr, Frigg, and possibly Lóðurr were also members of the Vanir, but there is no definitive evidence to confirm this theory. The connection between these gods and the earth is shown throughout the lore. Their role in fertility provides a significant contradiction to that of the Æsir. As such, the practice of inhumation makes sense to worshippers of the Vanir. Burying the body in the ground would provide a direct connection to the gods of the earth, and as stated early, provide easy access to the realm of Hel. Those with ties to Freyja and Fólkvangr would have more than likely been buried as well.

In closing, it is my belief that modern Ásatrúar require an easier to understand guide on the concept of death and funeral rites. This writing was created to provide that guide. While it’s not perfect, it may provide a base level of knowledge that promotes further research into the god or goddess they relate to. From my research it is evident that there were always three primary gods, with some secondary gods in the mix. The primary gods are Óðinn, Freyr, and Ϸórr, with the secondary gods being Freyja, Týr, Njörðr, Frigg, Heimdallr, and Baldr. There are of course other gods and goddesses described in the lore, but these are the ones that I’m confident most modern Ásatrúar will seek a connection with. Creating a connection is the topic of another article soon to be written.

To summarize, those following the Cult of Óðinn, or the Æsir should strive for Valhöll, Hel, or Gimlé and be cremated to reach the hall of their choosing. Those following the Cult of Freyr, or the Vanir should strive for Hel, Fólkvangr or Gimlé and be buried to reach their chosen hall. Utilizing the lore and archeological evidence, my personal belief is that Gimlé and rebirth are the concepts of the afterlife that most modern Ásatrúar will find comfort in, but a part of me is partial to Hel and occupying a place of importance somewhere within or under the earth. While these thoughts are my own personal theories and beliefs based off my research into the lore and archaeology, I hope that this text has helped shed light into the topic of death and funeral practices of the Old Norse.