Pagans Celebrate in Iceland
Friday December 5, 2008
This is nifty, so thanks to BobTheViking for sending it my way. Ásatrúarfélagid, an Icelandic religious group, held a celebration on Monday in honor of the country's Sovereignty Day. Part of the festival involves paying tribute to the landvaettir, protective spirits which watch over Iceland and protect it from invaders. In Heimskringla, one of the poetic eddas, the landvaettir discover a whale about to swim ashore. It turns out that the whale was actually a wizard in the employ of the Dutch king and sent as a spy, so the spirits prevented the whale from reaching land in four different locations. The spirits are represented by a giant, a dragon, an eagle and a bull. To watch a video of the ceremony led by Ásatrúarfélagid high chieftain Hilmar Örn Hilmarsson, go here: Video of Icelandic Ceremony
Comments
Many thanks Patti, for including this video. I very much enjoyed seeing other pagan brethren and a bit of their celebration.
I was moved to tears by the simple solemness of the ceremony.Thanks for sharing
Very interesting. It is nice to see how Pagans in other countries celebrate and to note the similiarities. Thanks for sharing.