Roman bronze figurine depicting a Germanic man adorned with a Suebian knot engaged in prayer. The Suebian knot (Suebenknoten is a historical male Hairstyle ascribed to the tribe of the Suebi. (Bibliothèque Nationale, Paris)

Germanic paganism refers to the religious traditions of the Germanic peoples preceding Christianization. A religion is a set of Tenets and practices often centered upon specific Supernatural and moral claims about Reality, the Cosmos The Germanic peoples are a historical group of Indo-European -speaking peoples originating in Northern Europe and identified by their use of the Germanic The historical phenomenon of Christianization (or Christianisation &mdash see spelling differences) the conversion of individuals to Christianity The best documented of the Germanic Pagan religions is 10th and 11th century Norse paganism. Norse paganism is a term used to describe the religious traditions which were common amongst the Germanic tribes living in Nordic countries prior to and Scattered references are also found in the earliest writings of other Germanic peoples and Roman descriptions. The information can be supplemented with archaeological finds and remnants of pre-Christian beliefs in later folklore. History The concept of folklore developed as part of the 19th century ideology of Romantic nationalism, leading to the reshaping of oral traditions to serve modern ideological

The Germanic religion was a polytheistic religion with some underlying similarities to other Indo-European traditions. Polytheism is belief in or worship of multiple Gods (usually assembled in a pantheon) together with associated Mythology and Rituals The existence of similarities among the deities and religious practices of the Indo-European (IE peoples allows glimpses of a common Proto-Indo-European The principal gods of Viking Age Norse paganism were Odin (ON: Óðinn, OHG: Wodan, OE: Wōden) and Thor (North Germanic: Þórr, OHG: Donar, OE: Þunor). Viking Age is the term denoting the years from about 700 to 1066 in European history. Norse paganism is a term used to describe the religious traditions which were common amongst the Germanic tribes living in Nordic countries prior to and Odin (ˈoʊdɪn from Old Norse Óðinn) is considered the chief god in Norse paganism. Old Norse is the North Germanic language that was spoken by inhabitants of Scandinavia and inhabitants of their overseas settlements during the Viking Age Thor ( Old Norse: Þórr) is the red-haired and bearded God of Thunder in Germanic paganism and its subset Norse paganism Old Norse is the North Germanic language that was spoken by inhabitants of Scandinavia and inhabitants of their overseas settlements during the Viking Age At an earlier stage, the principal god may have been Tiwaz (North Germanic: Týr, OHG: Ziu, OE: Tiw). Old Norse is the North Germanic language that was spoken by inhabitants of Scandinavia and inhabitants of their overseas settlements during the Viking Age

Sources

Most sources documenting Germanic paganism have presumably been lost. From Iceland there is a substantial literature, namely the Nordic Sagas and the Eddas, relating to the pagan period, but most of this was written long after Iceland's conversion to Christianity. Iceland, officially the Republic of Iceland ( ( Ísland or Lýðveldið Ísland ( The sagas (from Icelandic saga, plural sögur) are stories about ancient Scandinavian and Germanic history about early Viking voyages This page refers to the Eddur poems and tales of Norse Mythology Some information is found in the Nibelungenlied. The Nibelungenlied, translated as The Song of the Nibelungs, is an epic poem in Middle High German. The literary source closest to the pagan period is probably Beowulf, which seems to have been composed about 680-730 AD, and therefore within the lifetime of pagans from the Anglo-Saxon kingdom of Suffolk, which remained officially pagan until 680. Beowulf is an Old English Heroic epic poem of anonymous authorship dating as recorded in the Nowell Codex manuscript from between Limited information also exists in Tacitus' ethnographic work Germania. Publius (or Gaius) Cornelius Tacitus (ca 56 &ndash ca 117 was a senator and a Historian of the Roman Empire. The Germania ( Latin title De Origine et situ Germanorum, English for the Origin and Situation of the Germans) written by Gaius

Further material has been deduced from folk customs found in surviving rural folk traditions that have either been mildly superficially Christianized or lightly modified, including surviving laws and legislature (Althing, Anglo-Saxon law, the Grágás), calendar dates, customary folktales and traditional symbolism found in folk art. The Alþingi, Anglicized variously as Althing or Althingi, is the national Parliament —literally “(the all- thing ”—of While there is virtually no evidence of Anglo-Saxon Law per se (i See also Medieval Scandinavian laws The Gray Goose Laws (Icelandic Grágás) were a collection of laws from the Icelandic Commonwealth period consisting History The concept of folklore developed as part of the 19th century ideology of Romantic nationalism, leading to the reshaping of oral traditions to serve modern ideological Religious symbolism is the use of Symbols including Archetypes, acts artwork events or natural phenomena, by a religion Folk art describes a wide range of objects that reflect the Craft traditions and traditional social values of various social groups

A great deal of information has been unearthed by recent archaeology, including the pagan Sutton Hoo royal funerary site in East Anglia and the royal pagan temple at Gefren/Yeavering in Northumberland.

The traditional ballads of the Northumbrian/Scottish borders, and their European counterparts, have also preserved many aspects of Germanic pagan belief. As York Powell wrote, "The very scheme on which the ballads and lays are alike built, the hapless innocent death of a hero or heroine, is as heathen as the plot of any Athenian tragedy can be. "

The majority of the literary evidence for Germanic paganism was likely intentionally destroyed when Christianity slowly gained dominant political power in Anglo-Saxon England, then Germania and later Scandinavia throughout the mediæval period. Germania was the Latin Exonym for Terminology and usage As a cultural term "Scandinavia" has no official definition and is subject to usage by those who identify with the culture in question as well

Although perhaps singularly most responsible for the destruction of pagan sites, including purported massacres such as the Bloody Verdict of Verden and the subsequent dismantling of ancient tribal ruling systems, the Frankish emperor Charlemagne of The Holy Roman Empire is said to have acquired a substantial collection of Germanic pre-Christian writings, which was deliberately destroyed after his death. The Massacre of Verden (Blutgericht von Verden was an alleged massacre of Saxons in 782 near the present town of Verden in Lower Saxony, Francia or Frankia, later also called the Frankish Empire (imperium Francorum Frankish Kingdom (Latin regnum Francorum, "Kingdom of the Charlemagne (ˈʃɑrlɨmeɪn Carolus Magnus or Karolus Magnus meaning Charles the Great) (747 – 28 January 814 was King of the Franks from 768 to his The Holy Roman Empire ( HRE; German Heiliges Römisches Reich (HRR, Latin Sacrum Romanum Imperium (SRI was a union of territories in

Pre-Migration Period

Caesar

The earliest forms of the Germanic religion can only be speculated on based on archaeological evidence and comparative religion. The first written description is in Julius Caesar's Commentarii de Bello Gallico. Commentarii de Bello Gallico is Julius Caesar 's third-person account of his nine years of war in Gaul. He contrasts the elaborate religious custom of the Gauls with the "primitive" Germanic traditions.

The Germans differ much from these usages, for they have neither Druids to preside over sacred offices, nor do they pay great regard to sacrifices. They rank in the number of the gods those alone whom they behold, and by whose instrumentality they are obviously benefited, namely, the sun, fire, and the moon; they have not heard of the other deities even by report. — The Gallic War - 6.21 (or in Latin)

Caesar's description contrasts with other information on the early Germanic tribes and is not given much weight by modern scholars. It is worth mentioning his note that Mercury is the principal god of the Gauls:

They worship as their divinity, Mercury in particular, and have many images of him, and regard him as the inventor of all arts, they consider him the guide of their journeys and marches, and believe him to have great influence over the acquisition of gain and mercantile transactions. "Alipes" redirects here For the Centipede Genus, see Alipes (centipede. — The Gallic War (6. The Gallic Wars were a series of Military campaigns waged by the Roman proconsul Julius Caesar against several Gallic tribes, lasting from 17)^[1]

The worship of deities identified by the Romans with Mercury seems to have been prominent among the northerly tribes.

Tacitus

A much more detailed description of Germanic religion is Tacitus' Germania, dating to the 1st century. Publius (or Gaius) Cornelius Tacitus (ca 56 &ndash ca 117 was a senator and a Historian of the Roman Empire. The Germania ( Latin title De Origine et situ Germanorum, English for the Origin and Situation of the Germans) written by Gaius The 1st century was the Century that lasted from 1 to 100 according the Julian calendar.

Tacitus describes both animal and human sacrifice. Animal Sacrifice is the Ritual killing of an Animal as part of a Religion. Human sacrifice is the act of Homicide (the Killing of one or several Human beings in the context of a Religious ritual ( ritual killing He identifies the chief Germanic god with the Roman Mercury, who on certain days receives human sacrifices, while gods identified by Tacitus with Hercules and Mars receive animal sacrifice. "Alipes" redirects here For the Centipede Genus, see Alipes (centipede. Hercules is the Roman name for the Mythical Greek hero Heracles, son of Zeus and the mortal Alcmena. The largest Germanic tribe, Suebians, also make sacrifices to a goddess--by burning captured Roman soldiers--who is identified by Tacitus with Isis. The Suebi or Suevi (from Proto-Germanic * swēbaz based on the Proto-Germanic root * swē- meaning "one's own" A goddess is a Female Deity. Many Cultures have goddesses Often deities are part of a polytheistic system that includes several deities Isis is a goddess in Ancient Egyptian religious beliefs and is celebrated in their mythology as the ideal mother and wife patron of nature and magic friend of slaves sinners

Another goddess, Nerthus, is revered as the Earth Mother by Reudignians, Aviones, Angles, Varinians, Eudoses, Suardones and Nuithones. Nerthus is a Goddess in Germanic paganism associated with fertility. A mother goddess is a Goddess, often portrayed as the Earth Mother who serves as a general Fertility deity the bountiful embodiment of the Earth. The Reudigni were one of the Nerthus -worshipping Germanic tribes mentioned by Tacitus in Germania. The Aviones or Auiones (* Awioniz meaning "island people" were one of the Nerthus -worshipping Germanic tribes mentioned by Tacitus The Angles is a modern English word for a Germanic-speaking people who took their name from the cultural ancestral region of Angeln, a modern district located in The Jutes, Iuti, or Iutae were a Germanic people who according to Bede were one of the three most powerful Germanic peoples of the time The Suarines (or Suardones) were one of the Nerthus -worshipping Germanic tribes mentioned by Tacitus in Germania. The Nuithones were one of the Nerthus -worshipping Germanic tribes mentioned by Tacitus in Germania. Nerthus is believed to directly interpose in human affairs. Her sanctuary is on an island, specifically in a wood called Castum. A chariot covered with a curtain is dedicated to the goddess, and only the high priest may touch it. The chariot is the earliest and simplest type of Carriage, used in both peace and war as the chief vehicle of many ancient peoples The priest is capable of seeing the goddess enter the chariot. Drawn by cows, the chariot travels around the countryside and wherever the goddess visits, a great feast is held. During the travel of the goddess, these tribes do not go to war and touch no arms. When the priest declares that the goddess is tired of conversation with mortals, the chariot returns and is washed, together with the curtains, in a secret lake. The goddess is also washed. The slaves who administer this purification are afterwards thrown into the lake. ^[2]

According to Tacitus, the Germanic tribes think of temples as being unsuitable habitations for gods, and they do not represent them as idols in human shape. Instead of temples, they consecrate woods or groves to individual gods.

Divination and augury was very popular:

To the use of lots and auguries, they are addicted beyond all other nations. Divination (from Latin divinare "to be inspired by a god" related to Divine, Diva and Deus) is the attempt of ascertaining The Augur was a priest and official in the classical world especially Ancient Rome and Etruria. Their method of divining by lots is exceedingly simple. From a tree which bears fruit they cut a twig, and divide it into two small pieces. These they distinguish by so many several marks, and throw them at random and without order upon a white garment. Then the Priest of the community, if for the public the lots are consulted, or the father of a family about a private concern, after he has solemnly invoked the Gods, with eyes lifted up to heaven, takes up every piece thrice, and having done thus forms a judgment according to the marks before made. If the chances have proved forbidding, they are no more consulted upon the same affair during the same day: even when they are inviting, yet, for confirmation, the faith of auguries too is tried. Yea, here also is the known practice of divining events from the voices and flight of birds. But to this nation it is peculiar, to learn presages and admonitions divine from horses also. These are nourished by the State in the same sacred woods and groves, all milk-white and employed in no earthly labour. These yoked in the holy chariot, are accompanied by the Priest and the King, or the Chief of the Community, who both carefully observed his actions and neighing. Nor in any sort of augury is more faith and assurance reposed, not by the populace only, but even by the nobles, even by the Priests. These account themselves the ministers of the Gods, and the horses privy to his will. They have likewise another method of divination, whence to learn the issue of great and mighty wars. From the nation with whom they are at war they contrive, it avails not how, to gain a captive: him they engage in combat with one selected from amongst themselves, each armed after the manner of his country, and according as the victory falls to this or to the other, gather a presage of the whole.

The reputation of Tacitus' Germania is somewhat marred as a historical source by the writer's rhetorical tendencies. The main purpose of his writing seems to be to hold up examples of virtue and vice for his fellow Romans rather than give a truthful ethnographic or historical account, although modern day scholars are reverting this point of view as unholdable. ^[3] But while Tacitus' interpretations are sometimes dubious, the names and basic facts he reports are credible; Tacitus touches on several elements of Germanic culture known from later sources. Human and animal sacrifice is attested by archaeological evidence and medieval sources. Rituals tied to natural features are found both in medieval sources and in Nordic folklore. A ritual chariot or wagon as described by Tacitus was excavated in the Oseberg find. The Oseberg ship is a well-preserved Viking ship discovered in a large Burial mound at the Oseberg farm near Tønsberg in Vestfold Sources from medieval times until the 19th century point to divination by making predictions or finding the will of the gods from randomized phenomena as an obsession of Germanic cultures. Or as Tacitus puts it "To the use of lots and auguries, they are addicted beyond all other nations. "

While there is rich archaeological and linguistic evidence of earlier Germanic religious ideas, these sources are all mute, and cannot be interpreted with much confidence. Seen in light of what we know about the medieval survival of the Germanic religions as practiced by the Nordic nations, some educated guesses may be made. However, the presence of marked regional differences make generalization of any such reconstructed belief or practice a risky venture.

Reconstruction

Elements of common Germanic mythology and religion may be reconstructed from elements common to North and West Germanic, see common Germanic deities. The article lists gods and Goddesses ( Ansewez, Wanizaz) that may be reconstructed for Proto-Germanic or Common Germanic Migration period

Migration Period

Further information: Anglo-Saxon paganism and Continental Germanic mythology

During the Migration Period, Germanic religion was subject to syncretic influence from Christianity and Mediterranean culture (see also Runes, Erilaz). Anglo-Saxon paganism refers to the Migration Period religion practiced by the English in 5th to 7th century England. Continental Germanic mythology is a subset of Germanic mythology, going back to South Germanic polytheism as practiced in parts of Central Europe before The Migration Period, also called Barbarian Invasions, or sometimes Völkerwanderung ( German for "wandering of peoples" is the English name Syncretism consists of the attempt to reconcile disparate or contradictory beliefs often while melding practices of various schools of thought Christianity ( Greek Χριστιανισμός from the word Xριστός ( Christ)is a monotheistic Religion centered on the life and teachings Erilaz is a Migration period Proto-Norse word attested on various Elder Futhark inscriptions which has often been interpreted to mean "magician"

Jordanes' Getica is a 6th century account of the Goths, written a century and a half after Christianity largely replaced the older religions among the Goths. Jordanes (also Jordanis or even Iornandes) was a 6th century Roman Bureaucrat, who turned his hand to History later in life De origine actibusque Getarum (lit The Origin and Deeds of the Getae but referring to the Goths whom Jordanes considered Getae or the Getica The 6th century is the period from 501 to 600 in accordance with the Julian calendar in the Christian / Common Era. The Goths ( Gothic: Gothic usvg|14px|u]]Gothic asvg|14px|a]]Gothic s According to the Getica, the chief god of the Goths was Mars, who they believed was born among them:

Now Mars has always been worshipped by the Goths with cruel rites, and captives were slain as his victims. De origine actibusque Getarum (lit The Origin and Deeds of the Getae but referring to the Goths whom Jordanes considered Getae or the Getica Mars was the Roman Warrior god, the son of Juno and Jupiter, husband of Bellona, and the lover of Venus. They thought that he who is the lord of war ought to be appeased by the shedding of human blood. To him they devoted the first share of the spoil, and in his honor arms stripped from the foe were suspended from trees. And they had more than all other races a deep spirit of religion, since the worship of this god seemed to be really bestowed upon their ancestor. — Getica

Saint Columbanus in the 6th century encountered a beer sacrifice to Woden in Bregenz. Not to be confused with St Columba, also Irish and partly his contemporary The 6th century is the period from 501 to 600 in accordance with the Julian calendar in the Christian / Common Era. See Symbel (band for the British band Symbel ( OE) or sumbel ( ON) was an important Germanic drinking Wōden is a god in Anglo-Saxon paganism, together with Norse Odin representing a development of a Proto-Germanic god * Wōdanaz Bregenz is the capital of Vorarlberg, the westernmost federal state of Austria. In the 8th century, the Germanic Saxons venerated an Irminsul (see also Donar's Oak). The 8th century is the period from 701 to 800 in accordance with the Julian calendar in the Christian / Common Era. The Saxons or Saxon people were a Confederation of Old Germanic tribes. An Irminsul ( Old Saxon, probably "great/mighty pillar" or "arising pillar" was a kind of Pillar which is attested as playing an important role Thor's Oak was an ancient tree sacred to the Germanic tribe of the Chatti, ancestors of the Hessians and one of the most important sacred sites of the Pagan Charlemagne is reported to have destroyed the Saxon Irminsul in 772. Charlemagne (ˈʃɑrlɨmeɪn Carolus Magnus or Karolus Magnus meaning Charles the Great) (747 – 28 January 814 was King of the Franks from 768 to his Events By Place Europe Charlemagne starts fighting the Saxons and the Frisians; Saxony is subdued and converted

In the Old High German Merseburg Incantations, the only pre-Christian testimony in the German language, appears a Sinhtgunt who is the sister of the sun maiden Sunna (Sol). The Merseburg Incantations (die Merseburger Zaubersprüche are two medieval magic spells charms or Incantations written in Old High German. She is not known by name in Nordic mythology, and if she refers to the moon, she is then different from the Scandinavian (Mani), who is male. In Norse mythology, Máni ( Old Norse "moon" is the Moon personified Further, Nanna is mentioned.

The Goths were converted to Arianism in the 4th century, contemporaneous to the adoption of Christianity by the Roman Empire itself (see Constantinian shift). Arianism is the theological teaching of Arius (c AD 250-336 who was ruled a heretic by the Christian church at the Council of Nicea. The Roman Empire was the post-Republican phase of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial Constantinian shift is a term used by Anabaptist and Post-Christendom theologians to describe the political and theological aspects of the 4th century

Unfortunately, due to their early conversion to Christianity, little is known about the particulars of the religion of the East Germanic peoples, separated from the remaining Germanic tribes during the Migration period. The Germanic tribes referred to as East Germanic constitute a wave of Migrants who may have moved from Scandinavia into the area between the Oder Such knowledge would be suited to distinguish Proto-Germanic elements from later developments present in both North and West Germanic.

The Franks, Alamanni, Anglo-Saxons, Saxons, and Frisians were Christianized between the 6th and the 8th century. The Franks or Frankish people (Franci or gens Francorum) were West Germanic tribes first identified in the 3rd century as an Ethnic group The Alamanni, Allemanni, or Alemanni were originally an alliance of Germanic tribes located around the upper Main river ( Germany For their language see Anglo-Saxon language. Anglo-Saxon is the term usually used to describe the invading Tribes in the south The Saxons or Saxon people were a Confederation of Old Germanic tribes. The Frisians are an ethnic group of Germanic people living in coastal parts of The Netherlands and Germany. The Germanic peoples underwent gradual Christianization in the course of Late Antiquity and the Early Middle Ages. By the end of the Migration period, only the Scandinavians remained pagan.

Viking Age

Main article: Norse paganism

Mjolnir, the hammer of Thor, became a badge of paganism worn by pagans during the final stages of Norse paganism, a form of Germanic paganism. Norse paganism is a term used to describe the religious traditions which were common amongst the Germanic tribes living in Nordic countries prior to and Thor ( Old Norse: Þórr) is the red-haired and bearded God of Thunder in Germanic paganism and its subset Norse paganism Norse paganism is a term used to describe the religious traditions which were common amongst the Germanic tribes living in Nordic countries prior to and

Early medieval North Germanic Scandinavian (Viking Age) paganism is much better documented than its predecessors, notably via the records of Norse mythology in the Prose Edda and the Poetic Edda, as well as the sagas, written in Iceland during 1150 - 1400. The North Germanic languages or Scandinavian languages make up one of the three branches of the Germanic languages, a sub-family of the Indo-European languages Viking Age is the term denoting the years from about 700 to 1066 in European history. Norse mythology comprises the indigenous pre-Christian religion, beliefs and Legends of the Scandinavian peoples including those who settled on Iceland The Prose Edda, also known as the Younger Edda, Snorri's Edda ( Snorra Edda) or simply Edda, is an The Poetic Edda is a collection of Old Norse poems primarily preserved in the Icelandic mediaeval Manuscript Codex Regius. The sagas (from Icelandic saga, plural sögur) are stories about ancient Scandinavian and Germanic history about early Viking voyages Iceland, officially the Republic of Iceland ( ( Ísland or Lýðveldið Ísland (

Sacrifices were known as blót, seasonal celebrations where gifts were offered to appropriate gods, and attempts were made to predict the coming season. The blót ( Old Norse plural same as singular refers to Norse pagan sacrifice to the Norse gods and Elves. Similar events were sometimes arranged in times of crisis, for much the same reasons. ^[4][5]

The goddess Frijja seems to have split into the two different, clearly related goddesses Frigg and Freyja. Frīge ( Anglo-Saxon) Friia ( German) or Frea ( Langobard) was a love goddess in Germanic paganism, and the wife of Frigg (or Frigga) is a major goddess in Norse paganism, a subset of Germanic paganism. Freyja (sometimes anglicized as Freya) is a major goddess in Norse Paganism, a subset of Germanic Paganism. In Nordic mythology there are certain vestiges of an early stage where they were one and the same, e. g. husbands Óðr/Óðinn, their shamanistic skills and Freyja/Frigg's infidelity. In Norse mythology, Óðr ( Old Norse "Frenzy" or Óð, sometimes angliziced as Odr, is a figure associated with the major goddess Odin (ˈoʊdɪn from Old Norse Óðinn) is considered the chief god in Norse paganism. ^[6]

Middle Ages

In 1000 AD, Iceland became nominally Christian, although continuation of pagan worship in private was tolerated. Most of Scandinavia was Christianized during the 11th century. Adam von Bremen gives the last report of vigorous Norse paganism. Adam of Bremen (also Adam Bremensis) was one of the most important German Medieval Chroniclers He lived and worked in the second half of the ^[5] Sometimes, the subjects of a lord who converted to Christianity refused to follow his lead (this happened to the Swedish kings Olof of Sweden, Anund Gårdske and Ingold I) and would sometimes force the lord to rescind his conversion (e. Anund of Gardarike, in Swedish Anund Gårdske, was the King of Sweden c Inge Stenkilsson ( Old Norse Ingi Steinkelsson) was a King of Sweden. g. Haakon the Good). Haakon I ( Old Norse: Hákon Aðalsteinsfóstri, Norwegian: Håkon Adalsteinsfostre) (c ^[7] The attempt of the deposed Christian monarch Olaf II of Norway to retake the throne resulted in a bloody civil war in Norway, which ended in the battle of Stiklestad (1030). The Battle of Stiklestad ( Old Norse Stiklarstaðir) in 1030 is one of the most famous battles in the history of Norway. In Sweden, in the early 1080s, Inge I was deposed by popular vote for not wanting to sacrifice to the gods, and replaced by his brother-in-law Blot-Sweyn (literally "Sweyn the Sacrificer"). Inge Stenkilsson ( Old Norse Ingi Steinkelsson) was a King of Sweden. Blot-Sven (Blot-Sven "Sweyn the Sacrificer" was a Swedish king c ^[8] After three years of exile, Inge returned in secret to Old Uppsala and during the night the Christians surrounded the royal hall with Blot-Sweyn inside and set it on fire. Gamla Uppsala ("Old Uppsala" is a parish and a village outside Uppsala in Sweden. ^[9][10] However, Inge did not immediately regain his throne and the pagan Eirik Arsale briefly came into power^[8] before being usurped by Inge. Eric of Good Harvests or Eirik Arsale ( Swedish: Erik Årsäll, Old Norse: Eiríkr hinn ársæli) was a semi-historical king of

During the High Middle Ages, Scandinavian paganism became marginalized and blended into rural folklore. The High Middle Ages was the period of European history in the 11th 12th and 13th centuries (AD 1000&ndash1299 History The concept of folklore developed as part of the 19th century ideology of Romantic nationalism, leading to the reshaping of oral traditions to serve modern ideological In folklore and legend, elements of Germanic mythology survived, and appears in the guise of fairy tales such as those collected by the Brothers Grimm and other folk tales and customs (see Walpurgis Night, Holda, Berchta, Weyland, Krampus, Lorelei, Nix), as well as in medieval courtly literature (Nibelungs). The Brothers Grimm ( German: Die Gebrüder Grimm) Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm, Walpurgis Night is a traditional religious holiday (celebrated by Pagans Roman Catholics and Satanists ref> About the Church of Satan alike celebrated In Germanic folklore as established by Jacob Grimm, Frau Holda or Holle is the supernatural matron of spinning, Childbirth and domestic Perchta or Berchta (English Bertha) also commonly known as Percht and other variations was once known as a Goddess in Southern Wayland (also spelled Weyland, Wieland, Weland, Welent and Watlende) is a smith of Germanic legend The central and eastern Alps of Europe are rich in traditions dating back to Pre-Christian ( pagan) times with surviving elements amalgamated from Germanic The Loreley (also written as Lorelei) is a rock on the eastern bank of the Rhine near St Wagner's Rhinemaidens The Neck ( English) or the Nix/Nixe ( German) refer to Shapeshifting water spirits who usually appear in human form The German Nibelungen and the corresponding Old Norse form Niflung ( Niflungr) is the name in Germanic and Norse mythology

Modern Influence

The Germanic gods have affected elements of every day western life in most countries that speak Germanic languages. An example is some of the names of the days of the week. The days were named after Roman gods in Latin (named after Sun, Moon, Mars, Mercury, Jupiter, Venus, Saturn). Roman mythology, or more appropriately Latin mythology, refers to the mythological beliefs of the Italic people inhabiting the region of Latium and its Latin ( lingua Latīna, laˈtiːna is an Italic language, historically spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. The names for Tuesday through Friday were replaced with Germanic versions of the Roman gods. In English and Dutch, Saturn was not replaced. Saturday is named after the Sabbath in German, and is called "washing day" in Scandinavia. A Sabbath or sabbath is generally a weekly day of rest and/or time of Worship that is observed in any of several faiths

Also, many place names such as Woodway House, Wansdyke, Thundersley and Frigedene are named after the old deities of the English people. Woodway House is in Teignmouth, South Devon, England. It was at one time a farm on lands held by the Bishops of Exeter. Thundersley is a town in the north west of the Castle Point Borough in south east Essex, England about 35 miles east of London.

See also

• Germanic mysticism
• Germanic neopaganism

West Germanic

• West Germanic deities
• Anglo-Saxon polytheism
• Dutch mythology

North Germanic

• Norse paganism
• Norse mythology
• Norse gods

South Germanic

• Paganism in the Alpine region

Paganism

• Finnish paganism
• Sami religion
• Slavic paganism
• Baltic paganism
• Roman paganism
• Greek paganism
• Historical Vedic religion

Notes

References

External links

• Viktor Rydberg's "Teutonic Mythology: Gods and Goddesses of the Northland" e-book
• W. Wagner's "Asgard and the Home of the Gods" e-book
• "Myths of Northern Lands" e-book by H. A. Guerber
• Peter Andreas Munch's "Norse Mythology: Legends of Gods and Heroes" e-book