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12.02.2020
Innangard and Utangard In Norse mythology and religion, geographical spaces and psychological states are often classified as being either innangard (pronounced “INN-ann-guard”; Old Norse innangarðr, “within the enclosure”) or utangard (pronounced...
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11.02.2020
Rebirth Some sources speak of the dead, reborn in one of their descendants, although never in anyone outside their family line. Here as well, the sources are unclear as to how exactly this would happen, but oftentimes the dead person is reincarnated in someone who is named after him or...
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11.02.2020
Death and the afterlife The Vikings’ religion never contained any formal doctrines concerning what happens to someone when he or she dies. In the words of historian H.R. Ellis Davidson, “There is no consistent picture in Norse literary tradition of the fate of the dead,” and “to...
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11.02.2020
The paradox of individualism and social embeddedness There’s a fascinating paradox in the Norse view of the self. On the one hand, Norse culture was strikingly individualistic in the sense of placing a very high value on individual accomplishment (although this particular brand of individualism didn’t have much of a place for...
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11.02.2020
The self and its parts Today, we tend to think of the self as having two or three components: a body, a mind, and perhaps a soul. These few parts form a coherent single whole that can be clearly and cleanly separated from its environment, at least conceptually. The line that separates self and other is...
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10.02.2020
Totemism Totemism involves a spiritual kinship between humans or a group of humans and a specific species of animal or plant. The totem animal or plant is often regarded as an ancestor, guardian, and benefactor of the individuals involved, and in some cases, it is believed to have a connection...
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10.02.2020
Shamanism in Seidr, Warrior Magic and Religion "Shamanism," much like "love," is a term notoriously challenging to define. However, for our purposes here, we can consider shamanism as the practice of entering an ecstatic trance state with the aim of contacting spirits, traveling through spiritual realms, and...
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