Anglo-Saxon Paganism: Gods

 

 What were the pre-Christian religious traditions of England like? This two part series serves as an introduction to Anglo-Saxon paganism. In this podcast we will look at the evidence we have for the pagan gods of the Anglo-Saxons and will compare them to what we know about the Norse equivalents that Vikings worshipped. At times it is also necessary to use Indo-European comparative mythology to understand the gods and goddesses of the Anglo-Saxons. “Anglo-Saxon paganism” refers to the Germanic pagan traditions brought to Britain in the 5th century and which persisted in surprising ways even after the Christianisation of Anglo-Saxon England over the 7th and 8th century. Thanks to Wulfheodenas for modelling their Vendel era Germanic weapons and clothing. 

 

Art: 

Alex Cristi - Erce. 

Andrew Whyte - Nehalennia. 

Christian Sloan Hall - Eastre . 

Gramanh Folcwald - Hengist and Horsa. 

Hungerstein - Tiw. 

Robert Molyneaux - Yeavering temple . 

Ryan Murray - Modra. 

1st Aquarian - Migration map. 

 Sources: 

Chaney, W. A. 1972. The Cult of Kingship in Anglo-Saxon England: The Transition from Paganism to Christianity, The Germanic Review: Literature, Culture, Theory, 47:2, 141-143.

Das, R. et al. 2016. Localizing Ashkenazic Jews to Primeval Villages in the Ancient Iranian Lands of Ashkenaz, Genome Biology and Evolution, Volume 8, Issue 4. 

Dowden, K. 2000. European Paganism: The Realities of Cult from Antiquity to the Middle Ages. London and New York: Routledge. p. 229. 

Dumezil, G. 1988. ‘Mitra-Varuna: An Essay on Two Indo-European Representations of Sovereignty’

Ealdorblotere, T. 2020. To Hold the Holytides. 

Faussett, B. 1856, Inventorium Sepulchrale. An Account of Some Antiquities dug up at Gilton, Kingston, Sibertswold, Bafriston, Beakesbourne, Chartham, and Crundale, in the County of Kent, from A.D. 1757 to A.D. 1773 (London 1856). 

Grimm, J. 1835. Deutsche Mythologie. 

Helmbrecht, M. 2012. A winged figure from Uppåkra.

Kemble, J. M. 1876. The Saxons in England. 

Kershaw, K. 2000. ‘The one-eyed god: Odin and the (Indo-)Germanic Männerbünde’ (Journal of Indo-European studies monograph). 

Nordberg, Andreas. 2006. Jul, disting och förkyrklig tideräkning: Kalendrar och kalendariska riter i det förkristna Norden. Kungl. Gustav Adolfs Akademien för svensk folkkultur: Uppsala. 

North, R. 1997 Heathen gods in Old English literature. Cambridge University Press. 

North, R. Old English 'wopes hring' and the Old Norse myth of Baldr  

Pollington, S. 2011. The Elder Gods: The Otherworld of Early England. 

Reaves, W. 2018. Odin's Wife: Mother Earth in Germanic Mythology. 

Rowsell, T. 2011. Woden and his Roles in Anglo-Saxon Royal Genealogy. 

Schiffels, S., Haak, W., Paajanen, P. et al. Iron Age and Anglo-Saxon genomes from East England reveal British migration history. Nat Commun 7, 10408 (2016). 

Stenton, F. 1943. Anglo-Saxon England. Oxford. 

Werner, J. 1964. Herkuleskeule und Donar-Amulett. Jahrb. RGZM 11, 176–197.