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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Yaarel" data-source="post: 6682458" data-attributes="member: 58172">The books that I have on Norse animism are in storage. It is hard tracking down sources online. Nevertheless, even in English scholarship, references to Norse ‘animism’ and Norse ‘shamanism’ are common enough. For example, even the first .pdf I googled across randomly, says this:"Compared with Norse religion, Anglo-Saxon pre-Christian religion has been subject to few in-depthstudies, and only a vague image has been pieced together from the scattered written sources and archaeological material (see e.g. Wilson 1992; Herbert 1994; Davidson 1964 and 1982). One of the few scholars who have provided a more detailed view of Anglo-Saxon religion is Stephen Glosecki (1989). Through his examination of written sources and some archaeological material, he has argued that motifs in Anglo-Saxon poetry, charms and artefacts contain ‘reflexes of shamanism’ identifiable from a number of universal traits, such as animism, ecstasy, therapy (healing), shamanic initiation and assistance (from shamanic guardians). Glosecki argued, as Blomkvist (2002) has for Scandinavia, that the ‘widespread nature of this belief [shamanism] … makes it less difficult to credit its presence in Old English than in its absence’ (Glosecki 1989, 79). Shamanism, like a number of other aspects of religion in the pre-Christian north, is more graphically illustrated in the evidence from Norse culture, including early material culture and later writing. It is now clear that great similarities existed between Norse and Sámi religions, particularly regarding sorcery (seiðr), and within this, shamanism (Dag Strömbäck 2000: 196–206; Price 2002, chapter 3; Sanmark 2004, chapter 4.1)."pure.uhi .ac.uk/portal/files/1047690/Chapter_8.pdfIn this abstract, an archeologist compares Viking Age metal remains in southern Scandinavia as part of a Norse animistic custom, possibly relating to a similar Sami custom. "Possible links [exist] between aspects of animistic world views. ... This opens up the possibility that not only the Sámi, but even the Old Norse world views contained elements of animistic perspectives." The use of these sites among both Sami and Norse appear to be part of an animistic practice.tandfonline .com/doi/abs/10.1080/08003831.2015.1029846The closest thing to a spiritual leader among indigenous Scandinavians is the Volva, a kind of shaman who interacts with nature spirits including Alfar and Jotnar. In the indigenous traditions, there are no priests. They lack temples. The places translated loosely as ‘temples’ are private homes, with a room dedicated to a nature spirit. An exception is a royal temple in Uppsala, but its founders originate from outside of Scandinavia, imported foreign religious beliefs, and Uppsala itself is part of extensive foreign trade connections.Regarding Ivaldi as of the Jotnar: for example, Wikipedia too mentions this: "In the Old Norse sources, the giant [Jotunn] Þjazi is said to be the son of All-valdi [Harbardsljód 19] and Öl-valdi [Skaldskaparmal 42]. I-valdi may be another form of the name." Whence comes the speculation of Idunn relating to Jotnar. Personally, I prefer Occums Razor. Idunn is the daughter of an Alfr and a Dvergr.In any case, the Aesir are mortal. They die, even die by old age. They are nature spirits who need other nature spirits to keep them alive. Norse texts describe various kinds of ‘nature spirits’ (Vaettir) from deadly arctic storms (Jotnar) to helpful summer storms (Aesir). People seem more likely to ask the Alfar for help than the Aesir. In animistic cultures, humans and nature spirits are neighborly, often helping each other out, including sharing food.</blockquote>

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