The Hörg

Another type of holy site was known as the Hörg which is defined as "a heathen place of worship, cairn or altar of stone." (31) This could have also included the many stone circles that can be found all over Northern Europe. The hörg was considered as distinct from the stalli. (32) Although the stalli was an altar and might be made of stone it was distinguished from the hörg because the hörg was under the open sky and surrounded by an enclosure of stones. (33) In modern Norwegian and Icelandic the word hörg is used for "mountain top." When hörgs were destroyed they were described as being "broken" instead of burned as is used when describing the destruction of hofs. (34) They were often dedicated to particular deities as we see was the case of Ottar's hörg described in the lay from the Poetic Edda called Hyndluljoth. (35) There it is said of Ottar by Freyja that:

10. "For me a shrine of stones he made,-
And now to glass the rock has grown;-
Oft with the blood of beasts was it red;
In the goddesses ever did Ottar trust. (36)

The Old Norse word used here and translated as "shrine of stones" was hörg. Various sagas in the Fornaldr Sögur and others support the view that the hörg was in the open air. (37) There were other terms for open air holy sites (some of which we will examine below) such as 'lundr' meaning 'grove' or 'field' which is similar to the word vé which means 'temple or sanctuary' (38) and is generally taken to refer to groves and similar holy areas. (39)

The altar of the hörg was one that was sacrificial in nature. As is seen in the strophe from Hyndluljoth, the hörg was reddened with the blood of sacrifice so much that is was as shiney as glass from fires. That they were often dedicated to particular gods or goddesses is seen from the descriptions in the lore and by place names, such as Þörshörgr and Oðinshögr. (40) Sacrifices to the Dísir are mentioned as being given on hörgrs such as the one in Hervarar Saga. In that saga, the princess Alfhild is acting as gythja and conducting the sacrifice to the dísir by reddening the hörg at night when Starkard kidnaps her.
So from the evidence we have it is clear that the hörg could be considered any open air altar that is made of stone and/or stone circles that enclose a holy area.

Holy Groves

The oldest form of holy space we have record of is the holy grove. The various terms for holy enclosures of natural origin, such as groves was "lundr" meaning 'grove' (41) and vé meaning 'holy field or sacrificial site'. (42) One of the earliest, if not the earliest, mentions of a holy grove comes from Tacitus' Germania. Here he tells us of the practice of the Germans in their worship. They have no images of the gods and goddesses and indeed judged it unsuitable to have them. Their places of worship were whole woods and groves and they called them by the names of their gods. (43) Tacitus also tells us of a pair of gods who are brothers called "Alcis" who are worshiped in a holy grove. Their priests were said to dress as women. Again here he tells us that there were no images present in their worship of these two brother gods. (44) The gods were considered to dwell in these groves among the boughs of the trees. (45)

Even though hofs would become more prevalent as the Viking Age came to an end the vé (pronounced like vay rhyming with hay) was still a place of worship well into the Viking Age and even afterwards. The Christians made it a special point to either build churches in them or cut them down. A song in the Königinhof mentioned a grove from which the Christians scared away the holy sparrow which dwelled there and the bishop, Unwan of Bremen made it his special task to have holy groves cut down. (46)

One tradition connected with holy groves, which I'll examine in more detail later was the hanging of the heads and/or skins/carcasses of animals in the branches of a holy tree or the trees of a holy grove. This practice is attested to having been done at the great temple at Uppsala which had an adjoining holy grove. In this holy grove where hung the bodies and animals and men which had been sacrificed. It is most likely that the animal carcasses were actually the heads and skins of the animals. Perhaps a fine destinction but I'll discuss why that might be so later on when I examine this practice in more detail. (47)

Like hofs, holy groves were some times adjacent to other holy land marks. There is an account of a rivulet in Livonia which originated in a holy grove and which supplied a holy fountain. No one was allowed to cut any of the trees in this grove and if someone even broke a twig there they were said to be sure to die that year. The fountain was kept clean and if anything was thrown in the fountain storms would result. (48) In Hervarar Saga Hlöðr Heiðreksson was said to have been born in a holy wood with weapons and horse. (49) In the Prose Edda Snorri tells us of he holy grove called Glasir:

"Why is gold called the Needles, or leaves, of Glasir? In Ásgard, befor the doors of Valholl, there stands a grove which is called Glasir, and its leafage is all red gold, even as is sung here:
Glasir stands
With golden leafage
Before the High God's halls.
Far and wide, this tree is the fairest known among gods and men. (50)

The Old Norse used here is lundr, which as we showed previously refers to a holy grove or field.

The point to be made from this is that pre-Christian and Viking Age Northmen had a great veneration of groves as places holy to the gods. No tree within a holy grove was to be harmed in any way and the gods and goddesses themselves were some times thought to dwell there. Mention of holy groves could be found throughout Scandinavia. In Romove, Prussia there stood a holy grove in which was a holy oak which was hung with clothing. This grove was considered the most holy spot in the land and to be the seat of the gods. No unconsecrated person could enter nor any beast slain there. There were said to be many groves like this throughout Prussia and Lithuania (51) Another reference comes from an account of a battle between the Franks and the Saxons at Notteln in the year 779. A wounded Saxon had himself conveyed into a holy wood where a deity was thought to dwell. Grimm believes that the word given for this deity was purposely chosen to avoid naming a "well-known Heathen god." It is not clear whether the Saxon wished to die there or if he felt he could be healed there. In either case it is easy to see the veneration that holy groves were held in. (52)

There is some reason to believe that holy groves were, more often than not dedicated to the Vanir or one among their ranks. The holy grove in Uppsala would have most likely been dedicated to Freyr as he was worshipped above all by the Swedes at that time and his grave mound was said to be among the howes of that hof. Tacitus tells us of a holy grove dedicated to the earth mother Nerthus who is thought to be the consort of Njörthr. (53) Elves were also thought to be caretakers of trees and of groves. These groves sometimes found enclosed by silken thread were called elfträd-gårdar by the Swedes. (54) We know from the Prose Edda that Freyr is considered the ruler of the alfs (elves) and that he was given Alfheimr (elf-home) as a tooth fee (footnote):

5. Ydalir call they the place where Ull
A hall for himself hath set;
And Alfheim the gods to Freyr once gave
As a tooth-gift in ancient times. (*)
- Grimnismol, Strophe 5 (55)

Holy Trees

Sacred groves were not the only natural landscape feature that might be considered as holy. Individual trees, either in groves or elsewhere many times were considered holy. There are numerous mentions of holy trees in the lore, especially oaks and the rowan which were considered holy to Thorr. Although oaks were mentioned quite often and considered the most holy according to Grimm, as in the case in Romove mentioned already, there were other trees that were held to be holy as well. The Beech tree and the Ash were considered holy and to this day it is considered dangerous to break the bough of an Ash. (56) The world tree Yggdrasill is said to be an Ash, and it is under this tree that the Regin hold the Thing. (57) In Tacitus' Germania is a description of the method used for consulting the gods and it has been conjectured that this description is of the runes being used. Although it is by no means certain if the description is of the runes it certainly is not beyond the realm of possibility. In the description wood from a certain type of tree is said to be used for the divination. That wood is any wood from a fruit bearing tree. (58) Deitmar describes a grove of Beech wood trees on an island which were venerated as holy. (59) The Vita S. Germani Autisiodorensis written by Constantius (circa 5th century) tells of a pear tree which stood in the middle of Auxerre and was honored by the Northmen. (60) This would lend further support to Tacitus' statements concerning the special nature of fruit bearing trees. Hazels were in olden days used to hedge in a law court and the elder also was held in veneration. (61)