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Gods and Worshippers: In the Viking and Germanic World
What was paganism really like? Who were the gods and how were they worshipped? These are the questions Thor Ewing addresses in this fresh perspective on the pagan beliefs and rituals of the Viking and the Germanic world, a world which encompasses not only Scandanavia and Germany, but also Anglo-Saxon England. Gods and Worshippers explores ancient cult sites and religious gatherings, as well as burial customs and the rites of the dead, and it reveals the intimate links between religious and secular power. Using the surviving archaeological evidence as well as the recorded myths and poetry from the various regions, Ewing explores the realities of day-to-day worship, such as sacrifices and sacred space, as well as arguing that traditional magical-religious societies operated in parallel to mainstream society, according to their own distinctive morality and laws. The picture that emerges is that of a complex pattern of powers which are respected, honoured, propitiated or even cajoled. It is in this relationship between powers and people that the religion exists, and though it takes many forms it is fundamentally one of respect, honour and worship - a relationship between gods and worshippers.
- GenresHistory
160 pages, Paperback
First published November 1, 2008
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
August 12, 2016
This is an unexpectedly provocative book. I first learned of it courtesy of one of Jordsvin's posts to troth-members and promptly placed a pre-order on Thor Ewing's website (back in 2008). My wife had recently read his earlier book, Viking Clothing, and was quite pleased with it, so I had high expectations. These were enhanced when the signed copy of the book arrived at the end of June, five months earlier than I thought it would.
Reading through the first part of the book, I had in mind to strongly recommend it to folks new to Heathenry, as a good place to start in learning about our pagan ancestors’ customs. Ewing's style is very accessible, and he cites evidence both concisely and comprehensively so that it does not take long to absorb the information in the book. The arrangement of the book is wonderful, making it very easy to consult as a reference work. For instance, Chapter 4 is 'Temples, Priests, and Festivals' and has the following sub-sections: Temples; Temple Buildings; Enclosures and Boundaries; Priests; Temple Tolls; Priestesses; Kings; Central Places; Sacrifice, Law Court, Parliament, Fair; Social Significance.
For those who have already read quite a bit about our ancestors’ customs, there are still new pieces of information to be found. For myself, the following details caught my attention: archaeologists have found the remains of a sacrificial tree at the Sutton Hoo complex, akin to that described by Adam of Bremen for Uppsala; there is a persistent representation of the Germanic Matronae as two 'matrons' (mature women) and one maiden/virgin, which is echoed in how norns are sometimes described in the sagas and eddas; many of the small idols and decorative figures that seem to represent Odin were made first with two intact eyes, then one eye was scratched out or damaged. Such are the benefits of a recent book that can take into account the latest research (though I did notice that Ewing doesn't seem to be aware of the latest findings on the so-called "Windeby Girl" bog body, which was found to be male by Heather Gill-Robinson; c.f.: http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/200...).
I hesitate, however, to whole-heartedly recommend the book to newcomers to Heathenry now that I've finished reading it. The first part of the book (and the epilogue) I definitely will recommend. As mentioned above, Ewing's style is accessible and consistently of a pattern where evidence is cited first, then Ewing's ideas are briefly mentioned. He definitely leans towards a more liberal, rather than skeptical, interpretation of the evidence, but the reader can always tell Ewing's opinion from the facts of the evidence. So far, so good. As the book proceeds into 'Part 2: Another Society', however, Ewing goes beyond the liberal interpretation of the evidence to using his ideas to support a larger, comprehensive theory about seiðr-workers, rune magicians, and other magical practitioners on the edges of mainstream Viking society. I was disturbed when I noticed that the style of his conclusions had shifted from "...probably that..." to "...must be that..." in a few places – usually a sign (for me) that the author is leaving evidence behind in pursuit of their theory.
Ewing does cite evidence for all of his ideas, and in each case the evidence can fit into his interpretation, but this works better in some instances than others--and each piece of evidence that fits into his theory can be accounted for with other, simpler theories. The overall premise of Part 2 is that the magical practitioners in Old Norse culture formed a society somewhat removed from the mainstream and that these magico-religious specialists embodied the gods or wights with whom they worked, under specific circumstances. Thus, when we read about a valkyrie, a norn, or Odin in the literature, the reality may have been that a divinely inspired (or driven) human being was present in the unfolding events, rather than a spirit or supernatural creature. Unfortunately, Ewing supports his theory with speculations about what the evidence could mean, then with suppositions based on the speculation, and I found the overall effort unconvincing.
For those of us in the Heathen / Asatru community, the first part of the book is an excellent resource for any and all – especially because Ewing is most concerned with custom, culture, and the actual practice of religion more than the myths preserved in the literature. The second part is equally valuable, though probably better picked up after, or while, reading other secondary sources like Hilda Davidson's books.
Reading through the first part of the book, I had in mind to strongly recommend it to folks new to Heathenry, as a good place to start in learning about our pagan ancestors’ customs. Ewing's style is very accessible, and he cites evidence both concisely and comprehensively so that it does not take long to absorb the information in the book. The arrangement of the book is wonderful, making it very easy to consult as a reference work. For instance, Chapter 4 is 'Temples, Priests, and Festivals' and has the following sub-sections: Temples; Temple Buildings; Enclosures and Boundaries; Priests; Temple Tolls; Priestesses; Kings; Central Places; Sacrifice, Law Court, Parliament, Fair; Social Significance.
For those who have already read quite a bit about our ancestors’ customs, there are still new pieces of information to be found. For myself, the following details caught my attention: archaeologists have found the remains of a sacrificial tree at the Sutton Hoo complex, akin to that described by Adam of Bremen for Uppsala; there is a persistent representation of the Germanic Matronae as two 'matrons' (mature women) and one maiden/virgin, which is echoed in how norns are sometimes described in the sagas and eddas; many of the small idols and decorative figures that seem to represent Odin were made first with two intact eyes, then one eye was scratched out or damaged. Such are the benefits of a recent book that can take into account the latest research (though I did notice that Ewing doesn't seem to be aware of the latest findings on the so-called "Windeby Girl" bog body, which was found to be male by Heather Gill-Robinson; c.f.: http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/200...).
I hesitate, however, to whole-heartedly recommend the book to newcomers to Heathenry now that I've finished reading it. The first part of the book (and the epilogue) I definitely will recommend. As mentioned above, Ewing's style is accessible and consistently of a pattern where evidence is cited first, then Ewing's ideas are briefly mentioned. He definitely leans towards a more liberal, rather than skeptical, interpretation of the evidence, but the reader can always tell Ewing's opinion from the facts of the evidence. So far, so good. As the book proceeds into 'Part 2: Another Society', however, Ewing goes beyond the liberal interpretation of the evidence to using his ideas to support a larger, comprehensive theory about seiðr-workers, rune magicians, and other magical practitioners on the edges of mainstream Viking society. I was disturbed when I noticed that the style of his conclusions had shifted from "...probably that..." to "...must be that..." in a few places – usually a sign (for me) that the author is leaving evidence behind in pursuit of their theory.
Ewing does cite evidence for all of his ideas, and in each case the evidence can fit into his interpretation, but this works better in some instances than others--and each piece of evidence that fits into his theory can be accounted for with other, simpler theories. The overall premise of Part 2 is that the magical practitioners in Old Norse culture formed a society somewhat removed from the mainstream and that these magico-religious specialists embodied the gods or wights with whom they worked, under specific circumstances. Thus, when we read about a valkyrie, a norn, or Odin in the literature, the reality may have been that a divinely inspired (or driven) human being was present in the unfolding events, rather than a spirit or supernatural creature. Unfortunately, Ewing supports his theory with speculations about what the evidence could mean, then with suppositions based on the speculation, and I found the overall effort unconvincing.
For those of us in the Heathen / Asatru community, the first part of the book is an excellent resource for any and all – especially because Ewing is most concerned with custom, culture, and the actual practice of religion more than the myths preserved in the literature. The second part is equally valuable, though probably better picked up after, or while, reading other secondary sources like Hilda Davidson's books.
December 15, 2014
Gods & Worshippers is a very engaging and interesting read that combines surviving writings with archeological evidence to present a picture of how worship may have been conducted in the Viking world. Very approachable, with plenty of references for further reading, this book will appeal to scholars, casual readers and practicing heathens alike.
April 25, 2017
This book offers an interesting perspective on the role of the religious and magical aspects of germanic and viking society's. It gives a good impression of how the mythical/magical world was intertwined with reality, based on what he derived of archeological findings, saga's and other historical scources. While i did not think all of his theory's were equally believable, I enjoyed the book very much.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews