48 min listen
Heathen Ritual and Magic: Praying to Thor for a Whale in Vinland
FromThe Sacred Flame
ratings:
Length:
103 minutes
Released:
Jan 14, 2024
Format:
Podcast episode
Description
In this episode I discuss what ritual and magic are. We begin with the story about how Thorhallr procured a whale for Thorfinn Karlsefni's starving crew in Vinland, and what it says about attitudes to ritual and magic in the Icelandic sagas. Then we take a tour through medieval opinions on non-Christian rituals and magic that have influenced Nordic literature. After that, I go deep into the development of concepts around magic in the early modern period, the rise of alchemy, Hermeticism, and Solomonic magic. All this leads to some thoughts on the western esoteric tradition and some thoughts on how modern heathens think about ritual and magic today, not least my own ideas and attitudes to the subject.
Released:
Jan 14, 2024
Format:
Podcast episode
Titles in the series (13)
Yggdrasill: The Tree at the Center by The Sacred Flame