Animal Sacrifice in Scandinavian Folklore By Michaela Beckman Analysis Introduction It was common for Norse cultures and ancient cultures like the Sami to practice animal Throughout history, animal sacrifice has been sacrifice. As Christianity became the prominent religion, the practice faded to near practiced for many different reasons and under many extinction. Although, some isolated Sami continued the rituals. However, stories of contexts. Some cultures moved away from sacrificing animal sacrifice were passed down through oral history. animals to less brutal practices, while others simply • How Some Wild Animals Became Tame Ones – Sami Fairytale shifted types of animals. Although it was considered • Kyrkogrim and Church Lambs – and evil by Christianity, animal sacrifice and the Pagan • Thorgeir’s Bull – culture that it was connected to remained important There were a vast spectrum on how evil the animals were in the stories. How Some Wild to magic in Scandinavian folklore and fairytales. Animals Became Tame Ones shows animals as victims of men’s greed as they are tricked https://www.deviantart.com/irenhorrors/art/Church-Grim-796502827 into giving up their freedom after being invited to a wedding, this mainly showed the If this practice was animals having negative traits as pride as a teaching method for children. Kyrkogrim and Church Lambs were slaughtered at churches to protect the church from evil and were revived, how do seen has omens of calamity and death. Thorgeir’s Bull was a famous flayed bull you think this will who hunted down and killed a woman who jilted his creator, the powerful wizard impact modern Thorgeir. In modern times, there are certain sects of Neo- Pagans that are attempting to society? bring ancient Scandinavian animal sacrifice back. Work Cited Burley, M. (2017). “Mountains of Flesh and Seas of Blood”: Reflecting Philosophically on Animal Sacrifice through Dramatic Fiction. Journal of the American Academy of Religion, 85(3), 806-832. Hultkrantz, et al. (1961). The supernatural owners of nature Nordic symposion on the religious conceptions of ruling spirits (genii loci, genii speciei) and allied concepts. Stockholm: Almqvist & Wiksell. Kvideland, R. (1988). Scandinavian folk belief and legend. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press. Lang, A., & Lang, A. (2019, February 5). How Some Wild Animals Became Tame Ones: Andrew Lang's Fairy Books. Retrieved from https://fairytalez.com/how-some-wild- animals-became-tame-ones/. Salmi, A., Aikas, T., Spangen, M., Fjellstrom, M., & Mulk, I. (2018). Tradition and transformation in Sami animal-offering practices. Antiquity, 92(362), 472-489. Simpson, J., and Árnason, J (1972). Icelandic folktales and legends. Berkeley: University of California Press. Smithfield, B. (2018, January 13). Rare photos of indigenous Sami people of The Nordic Areas. Retrieved from https://www.thevintagenews.com/2017/03/14/rare- photos-of-indigenous-sami-people-of-the-nordic-areas/. Strmiska, M. (2007). Putting the Blood Back into Blót: The Revival of Animal Sacrifice in Modern Nordic Paganism. Pomegranate: The International Journal of Pagan Studies, 9(2), 154-189. Thorpe, B. (1851). Northern Mythology, Comprising the Principal Popular Traditions and Superstitions of Scandinavia, North Germany and the Netherlands: Compiled from Original and Other Sources (Vol. 2). London: Lumley. Ullucci, D. C. (2012). The Christian rejection of animal sacrifice. New York: Oxford University Press. Vicary, J. F. (2011). Danish parsonage. Place of publication not identified: Tredition Gmbh. What is Qurbani? (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.islamic-relief.org/what-is-qurbani/. https://thrandur.com/thorgeirsboli-skinned-bull/