Sacrifice or Gifting?

by A. Óðinssen

© 2000 A. Óðinssen

            sacrifice- "The act of offering something to a deity
            in propitiation or homage, especially the ritual slaughter
            of an animal or a person."

            gift- "Something that is bestowed voluntarily and without
            compensation."

       When one mentions the word "sacrifice" to most it will bring up the picture of animals slaughtered and burned on an alter to a certain deity or the human sacrifices of the Aztecs to appease their gods. As you can see from the definition from the American Heritage dictionary above they would have good cause to think that. Is what we do, when we blóta, sacrifice? This word sacrifice is based on a Latin word sacrificium which comes from the two root words sacer, meaning 'sacred' and the root facere, meaning 'to make', in other words 'to make sacred. Now that surely does play a part in the act but I am more inclined to use another word because the word sacrifice often carries with it too many negative connotations and because it is not a word of Germanic origin. For these reasons a word that has an Old Norse or Old English base would be better. Such a word would be "gift" or to "give". The word "give" comes from the Old Norse gefa having the same meaning. The word gift comes from the same root. As you can see from the second definition above, "gifting" would be a much better word for what we do when we do what is commonly called "sacrificing".

            "If you find a friend you fully trust And wish for his
            good-will, exchange thoughts, exchange gifts, Go
            often to his house." -(Havamal 44)

       This is how we should view our relationship with our Holy Kin, with the Lady. To come before her with a gift and not expect anything in return, to have as your sole purpose that of expressing your love and friendship to the Lady.
      So what kind of gifts should we give to the Lady? There is of course the traditional amber as it is considered sacred to her because as she searches for her lost love Odhr she weeps tears that turn to amber when they strike a tree or gold when striking the ground or water. The Lady loves beautiful jewelry as well as can be evidenced by her lending her power of birth and generation to the dwarfs for four days in exchange for the necklace Brisingamen. You will also find in the UPG section of this site, certain foods/drinks that others have found to be preferred by her. I am also of the opinion that what is appropriate for gifting to the lady depends on what value you yourself put on that which is gifted. To gift something to the Lady something that you would more than likely throw out, is not to be considered a worthy gift. But suppose you give something that is very valuable to you. This kind of gift I believe would be much more appreciated because it is a symbol of just how much you value her friendship. This does not have to be something very valuable monetarily and could be something such as that last bit of your favorite sweets that you were saving for yourself, or perhaps a portion of that expensive wine that you have been saving for a special occasion. These are of course only suggestions and in the end you must decide what is appropriate. And always remember that even if you do not expect a return gift it is traditional in the old ways to always return gift for gift.

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This page last updated on Wednesday, 13 August, 2003 3:30 PM .