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The Assembly of The Elder Troth would like to welcome you to our website. Please click on the links to the left to enter the relevant area of our site. Just as with many organisations and faiths, the Assembly of The Elder Troth too has special days and events which are celebrated by many Asatruar. The links below provide a list of months and the events that you will find occur during those months. We hope you find the information both informative and useful. Thorrablot Information Package Original ideas
and synthesis © Copyright 2002 Henry Lauer. The author lays no claim
to the information drawn from his sources. Ritual script(s) have been
built around basic structures whose originator the author is ignorant
of. He does not claim ownership of these basic structures. henry@ironwoodsound.com.au This paper sets out to do three things: 1) Provide some historical information on Thorrablót; 2) Provide (at least a partial) interpretation of the meaning of Thorrablót; 3) Provide scripts for a reconstructed Thorrablót Part One In the southern hemisphere, Thorrablót should be celebrated during the last week or two of July. Our knowledge of Thorrablót
comes mainly from Scandinavia. It is mentioned in several sagas. It existed
in various forms of folk tradition up until quite recently. According to Orkneyinga Saga, the Thorrablót and the month of Thorri both get their names from an actual Thorri, a king who made it his custom to hold sacrifice each winter. This myth is populated with animistic characters, such as Frosti (Frost), Snaer (Snow), Kari (wind), Logi (fire), and Aegir (the sea). The Flateyjarbok has a similar story. It is unclear whether these two documents have a common source for the Thorri myth, or whether one influenced the other. The general consensus seems to be that this story was made up by its author to explain the date because s/he did not know the real reason. As Simek puts it, "there is no need to assume a ... god Thorri, as the name of the month is quite adequately explained by 'frost'" (Simek, p. 327). This, of course, means that we must ponder what wight or wights are most central to this date. According to the AET calendar of events(S. McNallen, Living Asatru: A Handbook of Simple Celebrations, edited and adapted by Rurik Grimnisson), tradition held that on Thorrablót morning the farmer of the household rose before all others. Then, dressed only in his sleeping clothes, he hopped on one leg around the perimeter of his property. The theme seems to be of warding the home, although it is probable that this account is an exaggeration or joke upon less comical Thorrablót activities. Thorrablót was a time for feasting and friendship. Some traditions say that this was considered "husband's day", and wives were to be especially good to their spouses. Although the folk practice of Thorrablót in Iceland died out by the 1700s, the Romantic art movement revived it, and by the late 1800's Iceland reignited the old celebration, and does so to this day. Clearly the Icelanders feel the power of the old ways keenly, for each year they raise their drinks to the Aesir and Vanir and celebrate the god Thor - for it is he they see as central to Thorrablót. According to The Troth's online book Our Troth, a song written in 1866 gives some further explanation of Thorrablót's importance. "'Þorraþrælinn' tells of the complaint of a farmer in the depths of winter; Thorri then comes to him and tells him, more or less, that if he does his best in summer, his winters will go better, and he should hold on, because spring is nearly there." Our Troth also notes that herrings, oats, and strong spirits are traditionally associated with Thorrablót. Finally, I refer to Eyrbyggja
Saga. When Thorolf, a Thorsgoði, first comes to Iceland, he decided
to hallow and sanctify his land. He does this by walking its boundaries
with a naked flame. I believe that the mention made above of hopping farmers
is a memory of more ancient practices such as Thorolf's. We will consider
Thor's place in Thorrablót further. Part Two 'Þorraþrælinn' gives us some indication of the function of Thorrablót. It was celebrated as winter was drawing down. Our ancestors were getting thoroughly worn down by the dwindling food, depressing cold weather, and the cabin fever. Scandinavians (Thorrablót seems to be primarily a Scandinavian holiday) are well known for their depressions. It is probably they who inspired the concept of 'Seasonal Affective Disorder', which is to say, depression brought on by winter. Judging from what our Icelandic friends do each winter, it is clear that Thorrablót is about getting happy, having some fun, and driving off the winter blues. This is where the god Thor comes into the picture. There is disagreement as to whether the name Thorri is derived from Thor or not. Certainly the Icelanders have taken Thorri to simply be a diminutive version of Thor. In any case, the name Thorri is our first clue as to the primary god of this celebration. Our second clue is that Thor was the most popular god among the original settlers of Iceland. Therefore, we should not be surprised that modern Icelanders would be drawn to a celebration that was held in Thor's honour. Our third clue comes from Eyrbyggja Saga. Thorolf the priest of Thor hallowed and protected his home in a way that seems to reveal the origin of the tale of the hopping farmer. It seems pretty clear that Thor is the primary god of Thorrablót. It is he who drives off the rime-thurses (frost giants) in the depths of winter. It is his good nature that brings back good cheer. Thorrablót is about healing our relations to one another in the face of cold feelings, subjective distance, and difficult circumstances. It is about letting go some of the pent up frustration or tension that winter, and other things, can bring. It is about renewing our protections against negative emotions and bad fortune. At Thorrablót, Thor stands as a god of protection and combat, and a god of healing and making-whole. Of course, we know that these were two of his major roles, historically. He was protector and guardian. But he was also sanctifier, fertiliser. His power to smash through giants is also a power to smash through stagnation and constriction. I think it is reasonable to suppose that at Thorrablót farmers did carry naked flames about their land early in the morning, in a vein similar to Thorolf's activity. Thorrablót is about reinforcing spirits and home life when things get really thin on the ground. Hence, it seems highly appropriate that our forebears would have re-warded their homes at this time of year. Thor does not just shatter resistance and tension. He is also able to redirect the flow of energies to release bound up stresses and forces, in a fashion not unlike the effect of receiving a really good massage. You might also think of his place as god of lightning. Lightning is the release of friction/tension in the atmosphere through discharge into a different form - electricity. If we are going to celebrate
Thorrablót, then, we need to mark these aspects of the its patron,
Thor:
For the blot I have outlined below, I have chosen to go against the usual custom of invoking Thor by singing the runes that spell his name. Instead I have chosen three runes that seem to express the appropriate meanings of Thorrablót: Kenaz, Thurisaz, and Othala. Kenaz is related to the warding torch that Thorolf bears about his home. It is tied to the renewal of emotional and mental activity, as well as to our sense of kinship and social life. We might think of the 'torch' that Kenaz symbolises as melting the chill ice forces that sometimes threaten to overrun our lives. With Kenaz we try to balance the fire : ice imbalance that brings depression and stasis in winter. This rebalancing occurs at the level of our social needs, rather than at the universal level that the other fire rune, Fehu, operates at. This is an important point, because Thorrablót is not about destroying and rebuilding nature's cycles. It is about weathering them and acting with them. It is about being in sympathetic harmony with them. Thurisaz is Thor's rune, a rune of forceful energy that breaks down barriers and harmful patterns. It is a rune of catharsis, of emotional release that brings relief. Its aspects of combat-defence and regeneration are most appropriate for Thorrablót. Othala is the rune of the stead, of the home that has boundaries that may not be crossed by harmful forces. It is this boundary which Thor patrols and guards from the giants - within this enclosure stands Midgard, our home. With Thorrablót we renew the 'homestead', literally, psychologically, and mythically. We regain our balance. If Yule sees the opening of the unconscious, Thorrablót sees our attempts to deal with what was revealed at Yule. These three runes are numerologically appropriate. There are three runes, which draws up Thurisaz once more. Their total is 3+6+24, which is 33, or 3x11. 3x11 implies Thurisaz interacting with Isa, in this case breaking the ice's threat of total stillness. If we take 33 and add the two digits together we get 6, which is the number of Kenaz. Kenaz and Thurisaz combined make 9, Hagalaz, violence or crisis that leads to renewal and new possibilities. Surely this is the violence that Thor must resort to in order to keep us from being swallowed by the frost giants. It is also the forceful and uncontrollable outpour that Thor may bring us with emotional release and catharsis. As the name implies, we celebrate Thorrablót with a blot - a sacrifice ('making- sacred') of mead shared with Thor. It is also appropriate to celebrate Thorrablót with a sumbel, a practice that seems similar to what is done in modern Iceland. The Assembly of the Elder
Troth's calendar of events (S. McNallen, Living Asatru: A Handbook of
Simple Celebrations, edited and adapted by Rurik Grimnisson) suggests
the following activities for Thorrablót (note I have put them into
my own words):
Thor is something of a party god, when he isn't at work (bringing rain and mashing giants). Thorrablót should therefore be a time of humour and good cheer. References: AET Calendar of Events (S. McNallen, Living Asatru: A Handbook of Simple Celebrations, edited and adapted by Rurik Grimnisson) Thorrablót entry: http://www.aetaustralia.org/thorrablot.htm Oðinnsen, Alfta, "Thorrablót"
in A Book of the Northern Way. Eyrbyggja Saga, tr. H. Palsson and P. Edwards. Penguin, London, New York, 1989. Simek, Rudolf, Dictionary of Northern Mythology (tr. Angela Hall). D.S. Brewer, Cambridge, 1993. (German edition: Alfred Kroner Verlag, Stuttgart, 1984). The Troth, "Chapter XLVIII Feast of Thonar (Þorrablót)" in Our Troth. http://www.thetroth.org/resources/ourtroth/fstthr.html Thorsson, Edred, Futhark: A Handbook of Rune Magic. Weiser, York Beach, 1984. Thorsson, Edred, Runelore. Weiser, York Beach, 1987. Wilson, S., "Thor Blot".
Hammerstead Kindred Blotbook, (ed. Jordsvin). Part Three I have provided two versions of a Thorrablót - the first is more complex and more suitable for larger scale occasions or those more confident with ritual. The second is less complicated and more appropriate for those who are newer to ritual workings. The larger blot has three separate roles: A goði to lead it, a goodman/woman to assist it, and a reader to read. If need dictates, fewer people may be used (the goodperson can also read, for example). It is most appropriately performed indoors or around a fire. 1) Opening: Before the working, place a candle at each of north, south, east and west around the working area. To commence the blot, take up a fifth candle. Walk the perimeter of the working area in a clockwise direction, lighting each candle as in turn starting with the northern candle (assuming that the harrow is to the north). As you light each candle, speak "Hail Thor and well met!". When this is down, place the fifth candle upon the harrow. Take up your hammer or gand and perform the hammer hallowing. 2) Rede: The Goði/Gyðja strikes the Elhaz stance (z) and speaks: Asa-Thorr stands with us Ward our homes 3) Reading: A reader/s(or perhaps actor/s) will read(or play out) the following: The tale of the giant wall
maker from the Prose Edda (section XLII.). 4) Call: The Goði/Gyðja strikes the Elhaz posture (z) once more: Asa-Thorr! Come unto us now!
Asa-Thorr! Stand with us!
5) Loading: The good person then hands the horn to the Goði/Gyðja. While the Goði/Gyðja holds the horn, the good person fills it. The Goði/Gyðja then raises the horn and cries: Thor, this gift we give,
S/he then intones: Kenaz c, Thurisaz T, Othala o, signing each rune over the mead if s/he so desires. Finally, the Goði/Gyðja draws a sun wheel over the mead to sanctify it. 6) Drinking: Mead is passed around, and each person may toast Thorr or the like. When all are finished, the Goði/Gyðja pours the leftovers into the hlaut bowl. Remember, the horn must never be allowed to become completely empty. 7) Blessing: The remaining mead is stirred nine times by the Goði/Gyðja with an evergreen sprig, while singing "Heila Asa-Thor!" Group participation for the singing is recommended. Then the liquid is splashed upon the participants and harrow: May the blessings of Thor
be upon this harrow! 8) Giving: The bright mead is poured into a secondary bowl. Later, it should be poured out at the foot of a tree, with the words, "we give thee Thor this gift in thanks for thy friendship and generosity" or something similar. 9) Leaving: "This deed is done - thus it has been." I have written the less complex version of the Thorrablót as though it were for solitary practice, although it can be adapted to group use in the way that the more complex version can be adapted to solitary use. 1) Opening: Perform the hammer working if you are confident to do so. If not, take up a hammer and say Mjolnir's master ward this
stead Swing the hammer about your head thrice, then speak: This hold stands barred 2) Rede: Strikes the Elhaz stance (z) and speak: Thor, thy arm is strong Aid me/us in the depth of
winter! 3) Reading: Read the following out aloud: The tale of the giant wall
maker from the Prose Edda (section XLII.). 4) Call: The Goði/Gyðja strikes the Elhaz posture (z)once more: Asa-Thorr! I call upon your
mighty presence 5) Loading: Take your horn and fill it with mead. Say the following: Thor we/I share If you are confident, you can then sing the runes Kenaz c, Thurisaz T, Othala o, signing each rune over the mead if you desire. Alternately, speak their names forcefully over the mead while you sign them in the air above the horn. Finally, draw a sun wheel over the mead to sanctify it. 6) Drinking: Raise your horn in a mighty toast to Thor. You might like to say "Hail Thor!" or something similar. After you have drunk your draught, pour the leftovers into the hlaut bowl. 7) Blessing: Stir the mead nine times with an evergreen spring, while singing "Heila Asa-Thor!". Then the liquid is splashed upon the participant(s) and harrow: May the blessings of Thor
be upon this harrow! 8) Giving: The bright mead is poured into a secondary bowl. Later, it should be poured out at the foot of a tree, with the words, "I/we give thee Thor this gift in thanks for thy friendship and generosity" or something similar. 9) Leaving: "This deed is done - thus it has been." HOME
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