Get the look: Álfablót, Viking Halloween, man

We all know that modern Halloween has drifted over from America and that this celebration has its origins in the Irish Samhain. But what does this mean in a broader Indo-European context? What do these festivals tell us about our form of ancestor worship? In this blog, we try to place the álfablót, the Germanic/Viking equivalent, in a broader context in an accessible way. 

Indo-European Paganism is a Dharmic nature religion; we speak of Dharmic because there were prescriptions and rules that maintained and supported the cosmic order. 

In this, ancestors play an important role. For thousands of years, the Proto-Indo-European peoples buried high-ranking deceased in burial mounds. On the steppes, these mounds were visible from afar. They were sacred places that emphasized the status of the ancestor. Tribes, which were predominantly nomadic, regularly returned to these places to offer in honor of the ancestors. The people who lay in these burial mounds were also a personification of the semi-mythological ancestors of the tribe. Their heroic deeds and achievements were passed down and revered for generations. Their deeds were immortalized in the bardic oral traditions of the people. Peoples of Indo-European descent, such as the Greeks, Romans, Germans, Celts, Balto Slavs, Indo-Iranians, Indo-Aryans kept this tradition alive. 

In this context, we must consider the Celtic Samhain, the Slavic Dziady, and also the Germanic Álfablót. 

All these festivals have one thing in common: the commemoration of deceased ancestors. These can be both one's own ancestors and the mythological ancestors of the tribe or clan. Ancestor worship is a very important practice in Indo-European cultures. It connects the people and creates a bond of honor and pride. 

Almost all Indo-European cultures have holidays around May 1, midsummer, October 31, and midwinter. The pagan festivals that fall in between differ among various Indo-European cultures. 

The Celts celebrated Samhain. In ancient Germany and Scandinavia, people probably celebrated Álfablót, literally: elf sacrifice.

The Dutch word elf, English elf, is developed from the Proto-Germanic *albiz. This likely comes from the Proto-Indo-European *h₂elbʰós, white. In this way, it is distantly related to the Latin albus, ‘white’ and the Proto-Slavic *ȏlbǭdь, ‘swan’. The Proto-Germanic word probably originally meant 'white', perhaps as a euphemism.

The first to use the term 'elf' in written sources were the Anglo-Saxons, particularly in medical texts, such as Wið færstice and Bald's Leechbook. It was believed that elves could make both people and cattle sick. This often manifested in sharp, internal pains and psychological problems. This belief persisted during the Middle English period.

The Anglo-Saxons thought that the elves used magical weapons to cause diseases, but they are also associated with a form of magic referred to as sīden and sīdsa, similar to the Old Norse seiðr. 

The Prose Edda from the 13th century tells of the dökkálfar and ljósálfar, dark and light elves. The ljósálfar live in Álfheimr or Ljósálfheimr, a world often described as bright, airy, and beautiful. This was one of the nine worlds of Norse cosmology. The ljósálfar are described as beings that radiate light and beauty. Although the Edda itself does not provide many details about specific deeds or characters among the ljósálfar, it is often assumed that they brought positive energy and good fortune.

The dökkálfar lived underground and were pitch black. They were possibly the basic for later dwarves.

In the Poetic Edda the poem Völundarkviða is about Völundr, the álfar ljóði, 'prince of the elves'. Interestingly, this text was likely influenced by Old English poetry.

The smith-artist Völundr and his two brothers are visited by three supernatural women in the form of swans, possible valkyries. They marry, and after nine years, the women leave. When his brothers go searching for the women, Völundr is captured by the neighboring king Níðuðr, who cuts his tendons to keep him imprisoned. Through cunning, Völundr takes revenge and escapes.

Elves are often mentioned in the alliterative phrase Æsir ok Álfar ('Æsir and elves'), which was a fixed poetic formula in, for example, blessings and oath formulas. The Æsir were the main group of Scandinavian gods, alongside the Vanir. Snorri Sturluson writes in the Poetic Edda that Freyr, one of the Vanir, received the elven realm of Álfheimr. Possibly, the Álfar were his subjects, Vanir, or lesser gods. In any case, they were closely associated with the Æsir. 

This connection with the gods is also seen in the Old English poem Wið færstice and in Germanic personal names. In skaldic poetry, the word elf is sometimes even used in the same way as terms for gods.

Völundr the lame smith has parallels with the Greek/Roman god Hephaistos/Hephaestus. The Ugaritic pantheon, not Indo-European but influenced by the Hittite religion, also knows a similar figure, the divine craftsman Kothar-wa-Khasis.

In the Irish story Serglige Con Culaind, the hero Cú Chulainn wounds a bird from the Otherworld and then becomes ill. This is similar to the Anglo-Saxon magic of sīden/sīdsa, and it's interesting that here too the women from the Otherworld have transformed into waterfowl. It was believed that the Otherworld was located beneath the water's surface.

How elves were seen in the past is thus not entirely clear. They may have been gods, or the line between gods and elves was vague. They might have been messengers of the gods, or they symbolized the souls of the deceased.

In Scandinavia and probably the broader early Germanic world, álfablót, elf sacrifice, was the moment when ancestors were likely commemorated. By the end of October, the harvest was gathered, the animals were fattened, and it was time to thank the ancestors for what they had done for the family. It was presumably performed to ask the Álfar for fertility, both for the land and the people themselves.

In the poem Austrfararvísur, the Norwegian skald Sigvatr Þórðarson describes his negative experience with a holiday in Sweden in 1019, while he was on a diplomatic mission to Västergötland. He and his companions needed to stay overnight somewhere and expected to be hospitably received, which was considered sacred among Indo-European peoples. They were refused at the first farm, and the residents said the place was sacred. At the second farm, they were turned away, and the lady of the house said they feared the wrath of Odin and were engaged in an elf sacrifice.

After several unsuccessful attempts to find shelter, where the men of the farms were all named Ölvir, they arrived at a man known as the most hospitable in the region, but even he received them unfriendly and called himself the "guardian of the axe". Sigvatr was disappointed in the hospitality of the Swedes and concluded that if this man was the "best", the others were likely even more terrible.

In contrast to the Irish Samhain festivals and the blóts from Uppsala and Mære, álfablót was thus mainly held in family settings and the ritual was led by the woman of the household. Nothing is known about the specific rituals because they were held in domestic circles and remained secret to the outside world. It also appears that Odin was invoked and that the master of the household was called Ǫlvir when performing the rituals. The first element of Ǫlvir means 'beer', which was generally an important element in the offerings of the North Germanic peoples. 

As with other forms of blót, food and drink were likely offered to the elves, such as meat, beer, or other agricultural products, depending on what was available. The idea was that these offerings would win the favor and protection of the elves. The Icelandic Kormáks saga from the 13th century provides instructions on sacrificing a bull at an elf hill to heal a war wound. Unlike the offerings described by Sigvatr, this seems to have been an offering that could be performed at any time of the year.

With the arrival of Christianity, the álfablót, like many other pagan rituals, was displaced or banned. The fact that it was a domestic and individual ritual made it more difficult to control and eradicate by missionaries and Christian rulers. This type of offering and ritual eventually disappeared, although some aspects of it survived in later folklore, such as the belief in elves, giving small offerings, or respecting certain places associated with elves.

The gods symbolize structure and beauty, and that's why we have dressed these characters in their best. Both the man and the woman belong to the lower nobility, the class of the Jarls. The characters are named Harald and Astrid here. Harald means "army leader" or "ruler of the army," while Astrid means "divine beauty" or "loving." As the head of a small court, Harald and Astrid celebrate the ritual of Álfablót together with their immediate family and servants. See here the composition of jarlkona Astrid.

In this context, Astrid fulfills the leading role, as she takes on the role of priestess as a woman. In many Viking rituals, it was the woman who performed ritual actions, especially in domestic or familial ceremonies. Harald is the patriarch of the family and has oath-bound warriors under his command as the chieftain. These warriors, originating from the free class of karls, however, celebrate Álfablót with their own families, separate from the court.

The servants of Harald and Astrid are thralls, or members of the unfree class or slaves. Because they belong to the court, they participate in the festivities and celebrate Álfablót together with the Jarl and his wife. This emphasizes the layered social structure in Viking society, in which even the unfree class played a role within the rituals and customs of the elite.

Harald wears an undertunic and an overtunic. The undertunic is made of undyed fabric. The overtunic is richer and the edges are trimmed with simple embroidery. By dressing in layers, Harald's clothing could be adapted to all seasons. Additionally, he could remove the overtunic when indoors. Many wealthier men also had tunics made of wool that they wore over their undertunic.

Although we have not found complete kaftans, multiple sources refer to the use of woolen coats that we today consider as caftan. The runestones of Etelhem and Lärbro in Gotland likely depict kaftans, as does the 9th-century tapestry found in the Oseberg ship burial.

The typical Viking puff pants were popular between the 8th and 11th centuries. They were wide at the thighs and hips, making them comfortable to move in. The trousers was usually tapered at the bottom and tied at the ankles or knees or worn inside boots. Vikings might have also worn linen pants under the woolen trousers. Around his lower legs, Harald wears leg wrappings.

Vikings often wore turn shoes, a type of footwear that was made inside out and then reversed, causing the seams to be on the inside. These shoes fit well to the shape of the foot, providing a comfortable fit. 

In contrast to modern shoes, turn shoes offered less support to the ankles, making them less suitable for prolonged or intensive physical activities. For this festive occasion, of course, this did not matter.

Harald's sword was an absolute status symbol, because swords were expensive and time-consuming to make. To forge a sword, blacksmiths used 'twists' of different types of steel, which they twisted together to achieve functional strengths. By combining steel with a higher carbon content with steel that contained less carbon, blacksmiths could create a balance between hardness and flexibility. 

The sax was a short, single-edged knife worn by various Germanic peoples, including the Vikings. It had both practical and ceremonial functions.

It was mandatory to wash yourself before participating in a ritual or visiting a sacred place. This practice can be seen as a form of respect towards the gods. The Christian ritual of baptism and the use of holy water may have derived from this. 

Medieval sources mention that Viking men washed themselves above average often, indicating a culture that valued personal hygiene. Combs, ear spoons, awls, and nail cleaners have been found in both women's and men's graves.

In contrast to the Celtic torque, a Viking torque often consisted of multiple strands twisted together. Torques, along with oath rings and upper arm bands, represent the making of an oath and entering into commitments. This is particularly relevant, as Indo-European society had a strongly oath-bound structure, where fidelity and loyalty were crucial. The álfablót was the moment to renew the bond with the ancestors.

https://www.celticwebmerchant.com/nl/viking-torque-zweden-bronze.html 

Harald's bracelet is made like the torque, from various interwoven strands. The heads at the ends are dragons, which could protect against evil. More broadly, dragons also symbolized wisdom, power, and a strong connection with the forces of nature, which were positive aspects of the Vikings' spiritual and daily life.

The Thor's hammer or Mjölnir that Harald wears is also symbolic. These amulets were worn to protect the wearer from evil and to seek Thor's blessing in battle or daily life.

Only wealthy Vikings could afford fur, which was an important status symbol in society. Fur was widely traded in the Viking world and the choice of specific types of fur, especially from expensive animals, contributed to the social status of the wearer.

It was not only a status symbol but also kept the torso warm in the cold winter that followed the álfablót.

The belt played a multifunctional role in Viking culture. It not only helped to keep clothing in place and in shape but also served as a status symbol. Belts were often adorned with belt ends, decorative buckles, and belt fitting, to emphasize the wearer's value and wealth.

Additionally, belts served as convenient carriers for various everyday items. Many utensils, such as knives, pouches, axes, and other items, were worn on the belt, making them easily accessible. This made the belt not only functional but also an important part of Viking clothing and style, which was both practical and aesthetically appealing.