The Temple at Uppsala was a religious site in Gamla Uppsala (Old Uppsala), near modern Uppsala, Sweden, that was created to worship the Norse gods of prehistoric times. Gamla Uppsala ("Old Uppsala" is a parish and a village outside Uppsala in Sweden. Uppsala ˈɵpˌsɑːla (older spelling Upsala) is the capital of Uppsala County ( Uppsala län) and the fourth largest city of "Sverige" redirects here For other uses see Sweden (disambiguation and Sverige (disambiguation. Divided between the Æsir and the Vanir, and sometimes including the jötnar (giants the dividing line between these groups is less Stone Age Paleolithic See also Paleolithic, Recent African Origin, Early Homo sapiens, Early human migrations "Paleolithic" The cult site is sparsely documented, but it is referenced in the Norse sagas and Saxo Grammaticus' Gesta Danorum, and most notably as a gilded temple in the work of Adam of Bremen. The sagas (from Icelandic saga, plural sögur) are stories about ancient Scandinavian and Germanic history about early Viking voyages Gesta Danorum ("Deeds of the Danes" is a work of Danish history by the 12th century author Saxo Grammaticus ("Saxo the Literate" 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

Surviving accounts

Adam of Bremen

Image showing the golden chain on the temple, the well and the tree, from Olaus Magnus' Historia de Gentibus Septentrionalibus (1555)

Adam of Bremen wrote ^[1] that the Swedes had a famous temple named Ubsola near which there was a large tree with wide branches. Olaus Magnus ( Olaus Magni or Olaus Magni Gothus) was a Swedish Ecclesiastic and Writer, who did pioneering work for the interest of The Historia de Gentibus Septentrionalibus was a monumental work by Olaus Magnus on the Nordic countries, printed in Rome 1555. 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 It was always green, and no one knew what species it was. There was also a well where they apparently used to perform the sacrifices. One of these was to immerse a living man in the well. If the man disappeared the gods would answer the prayers. It was not far from the towns of Sigtuna and Birka. Sigtuna is a city in the Uppland part of Stockholm County, central Sweden. For a group of islands in the Gulf of Finland, see Berezovye Islands.

A golden chain was around the temple hanging over its gables. The chain could be seen glittering far and wide for those who approached. It stood on flat ground surrounded by mounds like a theatre. A mound is a general term for an artificial heaped Pile of Earth, Gravel, Sand, rocks Inside the temple, which was richly decorated with gold, there were three statues of gods. The most important god, Thor sat on a throne in the centre and beside him sat the gods Odin (called Wotan by Adam) and Frey (called Fricco by Adam). Thor ( Old Norse: Þórr) is the red-haired and bearded God of Thunder in Germanic paganism and its subset Norse paganism Odin (ˈoʊdɪn from Old Norse Óðinn) is considered the chief god in Norse paganism. "Frey" redirects here For other uses of Frey and Freyr, see Frey (disambiguation. Thor was said to govern the air, thunder, lightning, winds, rain, good weather and harvests. Odin, which meant the furious, brought war and gave strength against enemies. Frey who gave peace and pleasure was represented by a statue with an immense phallos. The word phallus can refer to an erect Penis, or to an object shaped like a penis Odin's statue was armed, and was likened to Mars and Thor was likened by Adam to Jupiter. Mars was the Roman Warrior god, the son of Juno and Jupiter, husband of Bellona, and the lover of Venus. In Roman mythology, Jupiter was the king of the gods and the god of Sky and Thunder. The people also worshipped heroes who had been elevated to gods, such as king Erik about whom it is told in Vita Ansgari. Erik Refilsson was a Semi-legendary king of Sweden of the House of Munsö, who would have lived in the early 9th century. Vita Ansgari is the biography of Ansgar, written by Rimbert, his successor as archbishop in Hamburg-Bremen.

There were priests appointed for the gods, and if plague or famine threatened they sacrificed to Thor, whereas they sacrificed to Odin for war and to Frey for marriages.

The tradition was that every ninth year, there was a great feast at the vernal equinox which was attended obligatorily by all Swedes. An equinox is the event of the Sun passing over the Earth's equator in its annual cycle Not long ago, a Christian king named Anund (Anund Gårdske) had refused to sacrifice to the gods and had left gladly for his faith. Anund of Gardarike, in Swedish Anund Gårdske, was the King of Sweden c

All the kings and the people brought gifts to Uppsala and even the Christians had to redeem themselves by attending, which Adam found to be distressing. There were feasts and sacrifices for nine days and each day they sacrificed a man and animals so that when the nine days had passed seventy-two men and animals had been sacrificed.

They offered nine male heads of every living thing that was used in sacrifices, even dogs and horses together with the men (the remaining were probably rams, cocks, pigs, goats and bulls) and the bodies hanged in the sacred grove adjoining the temple. A major event leading to the eventual formation of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, took place in what is commonly referred to within the Church as The Every tree in the grove was sacred due to the death and decomposition of the corpses.

A 72-year-old Christian had seen the corpses hanging arbitrarily from the branches and reported that the songs sung were many and improper. A cadaver or corpse is a dead Body. "Cadaver" is normally used as a more formal term for a body being used in medical training or research Adam considered it best not to be more specific about their content.

Heimskringla

Freyr constructs the Temple at Uppsala, by Hugo Hamilton (1830)

13th Century Icelandic historian and mythographer Snorri Sturluson tells of a temple that was built in Uppsala by the god Freyr:

Odin took up his residence at the Maelare lake (Mälaren), at the place now called Old Sigtun. "Frey" redirects here For other uses of Frey and Freyr, see Frey (disambiguation. Odin (ˈoʊdɪn from Old Norse Óðinn) is considered the chief god in Norse paganism. Lake Mälaren ( (historically occasionally referred to as Lake Malar in English is the third-largest Lake in Sweden, after Lakes Vänern and Fornsigtuna ( forn means ancient) Old Sigtun, Sithun, Sign(hildsberg or Signesberg ( is located in the parish of There he erected a large temple, where there were sacrifices according to the customs of the Asaland people. According to Snorri Sturluson 's Prose Edda, Ásaland corresponds to Asia and is the origin for the Æsir emperors that conquered regions and territories He appropriated to himself the whole of that district, and called it Sigtun (by some suggested to be the same as Tacitus's Sitones). Publius (or Gaius) Cornelius Tacitus (ca 56 &ndash ca 117 was a senator and a Historian of the Roman Empire. Sitones were a people living somewhere in Northern Europe in the 1st century CE. To the temple priests he gave also domains. Njord dwelt in Noatun, Frey in Upsal, Heimdal in the Himinbergs, Thor in Thrudvang, Balder in Breidablik; to all of them he gave good estates. Njörðr is a Vanir god in Norse mythology. In surviving sources Njörðr is the father of the major deities Freyr and Freyja by his unnamed History of Tillerbyen The area where Tillerbyen has been built was initially Swamp, but it was drained in the 1930s as an Airport was planned here Thor ( Old Norse: Þórr) is the red-haired and bearded God of Thunder in Germanic paganism and its subset Norse paganism In Norse mythology, Þrúðvangar (anglicized Thrúdvangar or Thrudvangar or Þrúðvangr (anglicized Thrúdvang or Thrudvang, which means "Plain(s / Field(s In Norse mythology, Breiðablik ( Broad-gleaming) is the home of Baldr. ^[2]

Frey built a great temple at Upsal, made it his chief seat, and gave it all his taxes, his land, and goods. Then began the Upsal domains, which have remained ever since. Uppsala öd, Old Norse: Uppsala auðr or Uppsala øðr ( Uppsala domains or wealth of Uppsala) was the name given to the collection ^[2]

But after Frey was buried under a cairn at Upsala, many chiefs raised cairns, as commonly as stones, to the memory of their relatives. A cairn ( carn in Irish is an artificial pile of stones often in a conical form ^[2]

He also relates that there were human sacrifices in Uppsala, which may have taken place at the temple:

Domald took the heritage after his father Visbur, and ruled over the land. In Norse mythology Domalde, Dómaldi or Dómaldr was a Swedish king of the House of Ynglings cursed by his stepmother according to In Scandinavian mythology, Visbur was a king of the House of Ynglings and the son of Vanlandi. As in his time there was great famine and distress, the Swedes made great offerings of sacrifice at Upsal. The first autumn they sacrificed oxen, but the succeeding season was not improved thereby. The following autumn they sacrificed men, but the succeeding year was rather worse. The third autumn, when the offer of sacrifices should begin, a great multitude of Swedes came to Upsal; and now the chiefs held consultations with each other, and all agreed that the times of scarcity were on account of their king Domald, and they resolved to offer him for good seasons, and to assault and kill him, and sprinkle the stalle of the gods with his blood. And they did so. ^[2]

After Ole's fall, On returned to Upsal, and ruled the kingdom for twenty-five years. In Scandinavian legend Ale the Strong ( Heimskringla) belonged to the House of Skjöldung ( Scylding) and he was the son of king Fridleif of For the village in Azerbaijan see Avun; for the airport with the IATA location identifier "AUN" see Auburn Municipal Airport (California. Then he made a great sacrifice again for long life, in which he sacrificed his second son, and received the answer from Odin, that he should live as long as he gave him one of his sons every tenth year, and also that he should name one of the districts of his country after the number of sons he should offer to Odin. ^[2]

Moreover, he writes that many people gathered in Uppsala for these sacrifices:

Onund's district-kings were at that time spread widely over Sweden, and Svipdag the Blind ruled over Tiundaland, in which Upsal is situated, and where all the Swedish Things are held. Brøt-Anundr ( Old East Norse) or Braut-Önundr ( Old West Norse) (meaning trail-blazer Anund or Anund the land-clearer) was a legendary Tiundaland is a historic region Folkland, and since 1296 part of the modern province of Uppland. See also Medieval Scandinavian laws A thing or ting ( Old Norse, Old English and Icelandic: þing; other modern There also were held the mid-winter sacrifices, at which many kings attended. Yule is a winter festival historically celebrated primarily in northern Europe but now celebrated in many other countries in various forms One year at midwinter there was a great assembly of people at Upsal, and King Yngvar had also come there with his sons. Alf, King Yngvar's son, and Ingjald, King Onund's son, were there -- both about six years old. Ingjaldr hinn illráði or Ingjald illråde ("ill-ruler" was a legendary Swedish king of the House of Ynglings Ingjald may have ruled sometime They amused themselves with child's play, in which each should be leading on his army. ^[2]

According to Snorri, there was a main blót at the Temple at Uppsala in February, and they sacrificed for peace and for the victories of the king. Then the Thing of all Swedes was conducted and there was a grand fair. Thing of all Swedes ( allra Svía þing, Þing allra Svía, or Disaþing, Kyndilþing) was the thing (general assembly which was held This continued even after Sweden had been Christianized. The Dísablót was performed to see how large the next harvest would be. The Dísablót was the Blót (sacrificial holiday which was held in honour of the female powers called Dísir (they include the Norns ref name="nordisk">The ^[3]

Gesta Danorum

Like Snorri, Saxo writes of Frey's sacrifices in Uppsala:

Also Frey, the regent of the gods, took his abode not far from Upsala, where he exchanged for a ghastly and infamous sin-offering the old custom of prayer by sacrifice, which had been used by so many ages and generations. For he paid to the gods abominable offerings, by beginning to slaughter human victims. ^[4]

He also writes that there were assemblies of people entertaining themselves:

And when he (Starkad) had done many noteworthy deeds among them, he went into the land of the Swedes, where he lived at leisure for seven years' space with the sons of Frey (House of Yngling). Starkad, Old Norse: Starkaðr or Störkuðr, Latin: Starcaterus, and during the late Middle Ages, also known as Starkodder Ynglings were the oldest known Scandinavian dynasty It can refer to the following clans: The Scylfings ( Old Norse: Skilfingar) the At last he left them and betook himself to Hakon, the tyrant of Denmark, because when stationed at Upsala, at the time of the sacrifices, he was disgusted by the effeminate gestures and the clapping of the mimes on the stage, and by the unmanly clatter of the bells. ' ^[4]

Destruction

According to the written sources, Olof Skötkonung, the first baptised king of Sweden (ca. Olof Skötkonung ( Old Icelandic: Óláfr sænski, Old Swedish: Olawær skotkonongær) was the son of Eric the Victorious and 1008 AD) wanted to have it destroyed, but other sources indicate that the Temple at Uppsala was probably destroyed by king Ingold I in 1087 during the last battle between the pagans and the Christians. Inge Stenkilsson ( Old Norse Ingi Steinkelsson) was a King of Sweden.

Discussion

The popular image of Uppsala is mainly based on Adam of Bremens’ detailed description in his history of the Archbishops of Hamburg-Bremen. 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 His account of the famous pagan centre has been studied and discussed vividly for centuries, and has stimulated the fantasy of many historians and laymen. Paganism (from Latin paganus, meaning "country dweller rustic" is a word used to refer to various religions and religious beliefs from across the world In spite of the great risks involved in interpreting written sources like this clearly political and Augustinian work, Adam’s account has served and, perhaps unconsciously, still serves as a model for understanding ritual places and cultic acts elsewhere in Sweden, and even in Scandinavia as a whole.

Some scholars believe that the temple was confused with the mead hall of the Swedish kings (located some tens of metres to the north of the present church). ancient Scandinavia a Mead hall or Feasting hall was initially simply a large building with a single room In 2003 and 2004, scientists Neil Price and Magnus Alkarp, using ground penetrating radar and other geophysical methods, found the remains of what they interpreted as a wooden construction located directly under the northern transept of the medieval cathedral, and two other buildings, one of them a Bronze Age building, and the other possibly a Viking-age feasting hall. Magnus Alkarp (born March 31, 1959) is a Swedish Archaeologist, Author and Screenwriter from Uppsala, Ground-penetrating radar ( GPR) is a geophysical method that uses Radar pulses to image the subsurface ancient Scandinavia a Mead hall or Feasting hall was initially simply a large building with a single room ^[5]

Swedish archaeologist Magnus Alkarp has pointed out that Adam of Bremen at one point uses the word triclinio to describe the temple - which may indicate that the "temple" in fact was a hall-building rather than a temple. Magnus Alkarp (born March 31, 1959) is a Swedish Archaeologist, Author and Screenwriter from Uppsala, A triclinium (plural triclinia) is a formal dining room in a Roman building He also claims that Adams' description has its analogy in the Eddic poetry. All the elements in Adam's description – the golden chain, the grove, the idols, the well - appears word for word in descriptions of mythological sanctuaries in Grímnismál, Fjolsvinsmál, Voluspa and Gylfaginning. Grímnismál ( Sayings of Grímnir) is one of the mythological poems of the Poetic Edda. Völuspá ( Prophecy of the Völva) is the first and best known poem of the Poetic Edda. Gylfaginning, or the Tricking of Gylfi (c 20000 words is the first part of Snorri Sturluson 's Prose Edda after Alkarp has questioned the credibility of the Christian descriptions of the practice of human sacrifice as a cultic act in Viking-age Scandinavia.

References

See also

• Fyrisvellir

External links

• Section of History of Hamburg's Bishops in English at Northvegr. Fyrisvellir, Fyris Wolds or Fyrisvallarna was the marshy plain ( vellir) south of Gamla Uppsala where travellers had to leave the ships and walk
• The Gesta Danorum in Latin (Olrik, 1931)
• The Gesta Danorum in English (Elton, 1905)
• Heimskringla, eText on Project Gutenberg
• Current archaeological research on Gamla Uppsala