Among the types of animals that were popular for sacrifice were goats, oxen, sheep, swine, horses and various eatable fowls. (332) (333) The boar seemed to have been especially popular. Grimm says that the swine offered to the gods was destined for the king's table among the Welsh. (334) The boar was such an important sacrifice that it was named specially. The blót was called the sónarblót which signified a sacrifice of a boar and the boar itself was called the sónargöltr (sacrificial boar). (335) Oxen and horses were also very popular sacrifices and as has been mentioned it was the eating of horse flesh that was considered a sign of being a Northman. (336) Domesticated fowl were also offered, most popular among these being the cock and the goose. (337) There is also an account of in Kormak's Saga of a seithkona (spell-woman, wise woman, witch) who sacrifices geese in order to work magic for the name sake of the saga. (338)

The color of the animal also had significance for which animal would be sacrificed. White animals were considered favorable. White horses are spoken of as holy in Tacitus' Germania. Later law records pronounce white pigs as inviolable. Other colors were considered desirable as well. Black animals were sacrificed by the sami (339) and later folklore has water spirits demanding a black lamb as sacrifice. Witches (seithkonar, wise women, spell-women) also use animals of a specific color, black lambs or black cats were sacrificed in order to work magic. The Votiaks sacrificed a red stallion and the Tcheremisses a white one. (340) Grimm notes black lambs or goats being offered to fossegrim (waterfall spirit) (341), and that there was a superstition about not killing black oxen or cows for household use. He believed that this may have been because thy were used in sacrifices only. (342)

Although we have many accounts of animals being offered to one or the other of the gods and goddesses, we can't really say that one animal was especially used to offer to one particular deity. For instance we know from accounts describing practices in Hedeby that goats were sacrificed and these may have been sacrificed to Thorr (343) but we also have accounts of bulls being sacrificed to Thorr such as at the Althing held at Thingvellir every year. (344) Oxen were also offered to Freyr as in Víga-Glúms saga. (345) In Saxo's account the name of the blót that was in honor of Freyr was called Fröblót. Oxen were particularly offered to Freyr and his name was used as a poetic kenning for the ox. We also know that the boar was sacrificed to him on New Years eve and that oaths were taken at that time to Freyr with hand laid on the bristles of that sacrificial boar. (346) We also know that horses were sometimes kept on holy ground that were considered holy to Freyr. Ground holy to Freyr in Sweden and Norway had holy horses that were kept on the ground, as we find in Flateyjarbók and in Óláf's Saga Tryggvasonar I. (347) In Hrafnkel's Saga there was a holy horse dedicated to Freyr which no one was allowed to ride on penalty of death. The horse was named Freyfaxi (Freyr's mane). (348) Sacred horses were also used for divination as is described in Tacitus' Germania and in Saxo's account where there was also mentioned a white horse that no one was allowed to ride. (349)

The blood from the sacrifices was many times drank by those present at the blót. Although we do know that blood was consumed we are not told exactly how it was consumed. We may, however, have clues as to how it was consumed. In the account of the Christian king Hákon's attending of the Northern blót-feast at mid-winter that was hosted by Jarl Sigurd we find that, after much hesitation, that the king agreed to eat some of the horse liver from the sacrifice and to drink from the minni bowls. It was important that the king should consume some of the blood of the slain horse to insure the well-being of the land, which was connected intimately with the actions of the king. (350) Now we know that these minni bowls were usually filled with ale, but the implication here is that blood was drank from them. We know that the blood of Kvasir was made into mead after being mixed with honey and this is the origin of the famed mead of poetry. Is it possible that the blood that was drank at feasts in the sources we have was actually mead that was brewed from blood mixed with honey, mirroring the holy mead of poetry? My own personal opinion on the matter is that this is quite possibly the case. A quote from Grimm points to this possibility as well when he says, "Apparently divination was performed by means of the blood, perhaps a part of it was mixed with ale or mead, and drunk. In the North, the blood bowls (hlautbollar, blôtbollar) do not seem to have been large; some nations had big cauldrons made for the purpose (see Suppl.). The Swedes were taunted by Olafr Tryggvason with sitting at home and licking their sacrificial pots, 'at sitja heima ok sleikja blôtbolla sîna,' Fornm. sög. 2, 309." (351) This, I believe, points to the distinct possibility that a portion of the sacrificial blood was, like Kvasir's blood, used to brew mead or ale or mixed with it and drank as part of the holy full. The consuming of blood was used as a means of mocking the Northern Swedes after Iceland converted to Christianity. They mocked them by saying they licked their sacrificial bowls in an attempt to get every last drop of blood from the sacrifice. It is likely this is an exaggeration and that the blood consumed was actually mixed with mead or ale. (352)

Part of the blood from the sacrifice was used to hallow both people and objects. The sacrificial blood was called hlaut. It was poured into the hlautbolli (sacrificial blood bowl) and with the hlautteinn (sacrificial blood twig) it was sprinkled on the altar, the walls of the hof (353) and other holy instruments as well as the people present at the blót. (354) This was called rjóða which meant 'to redden or smear with blood.' (355) Some references say specifically that the hlautbolli was made of copper while others do not specify. (356)

The animals that were sacrificed were treated with the greatest care and were fed well. They were set apart and may have been set apart from birth. Animals set aside for sacrifice were also not allowed to be used in work. Oxen had to be those which had never drawn a plow or wagon. The animals would many times be adorned with garlands and other decorations on the day of the sacrifice and might be led on a procession to the holy site where they would be sacrificed.

The concept of holy fire and holy water are concepts that are strong in Northern tradition. These traditions also lasted well into the Christian conversion and beyond, and in the case of holy water was appropriated by the Christians. The baptizing of children just after birth was a tradition that was most likely taken from a Northern tradition. Before the introduction of Christianity Northmen hallowed their new-borns with water. They called this ausa vatni, sprinkling with water. The similarities between the Northern baptism of infants and the Catholic Christening are so similar that the later must have been appropriated from Northern customs as the custom is attested to and was wide spread long before Christianity came to Northern Europe. (357)

That Northmen considered water as holy can be seen in the large number of instances where lakes, waterfalls, pools, wells and springs were considered holy and therefore the water in them would have been as well. Whirlpools and waterfalls were considered to have been put in motion by river spirits (358) so in some cases it could be water spirits that were being venerated instead of the water itself but in other cases it is specifically the water that is considered holy. The Goths buried king Alaric in the bed of a river. They actually dug the river out of its normal course, buried king Aluric in the river bed then returned the river to its normal course. When crossing the river they would make offerings to him. (359)

Oaths were also sworn on rivers and there are instances in which holy groves were next to holy springs. Near a village in the Odenpä district there is the holy rivulet of Livonia. The source is in a holy grove, which no one dares to break a twig and it is said those who do are sure to die within the year. The brook and fountain are kept clean and are 'put to rights' once every year. If anything is thrown into the spring or the small lake through which it flows, storms are said to be the result. As mentioned earlier the land where "the holy water of a river sweeps round a piece of meadow land, and forms an ea (aue)" is marked as a residence of the gods. (360)

There was also a tradition of drawing water during holy nights which is very likely to be the survival of a Northern custom. During a the holy season water was drawn at midnight in complete silence before sunrise. It is Grimm's opinion that this tradition is deeply rooted in Northern tradition. Also it was a tradition that holy water must be drawn fresh from the spring. There is also a tradition of seithkonar watching the eddies of rivers and from them divining the future. In the Islandinga Sögur the exact expression used is 'worshipped the foss (water spirit of whirlpool).' (361)

Salt Springs

Salt and especially salt springs were considered holy by Northfolk. Salt springs were considered as a direct gift of a nearby divinity and the possessing of this location was considered worthy of going to war over. One account of this comes from Tacitus in his Annals XIII, 57. In the first century, two Germanic tribes , the Hermundari and the Chatti had a dispute over who had the rites to a piece of land beside some salt springs that they considered holy. (362) The Chatti vowed that if they won they would sacrifice their foes to Mars and Mercury (Tiwaz and Woden). The Hermundari ended up winning the battle and felt that they should likewise sacrifice their defeated foes and sacrificed the Chatti after defeating them. (363) Grimm also says that the Burgundians and Alamanns also fought for salt-springs. (364)