The Troll Cross takes its name from the word “Trollkors,” which is Swedish for “magic cross.” A traditional troll cross is crafted from a single piece of metal and bent so it has a round body and two overlapping, inward-curving tails.
Álfablót is a Nordic celebration that honors the spirits of a family’s ancestors and the family’s ongoing vitality. The name of this celebration literally means “sacrifice to the elves” because of the role elves are thought to have played both in mythology and society.
The root word Vættir is Old Norse for “spirits,” and Landvættir is the word specially used to identify spirits that are part of the natural landscape. In this way they are culturally similar to the Genius Loci of pre-Christianity Rome or the Kami of the Shinto religion.
Bindrunes, also known as Bind Runes, are ligatures made up of two or more runes. A ligature is created when two or more phonetic symbols (graphemes), or two or more letters from an alphabet, are combined to make a single glyph.
Dísablót is a Nordic festival that honors female spirits or deities. It is referenced in multiple sagas and was celebrated in either the Autumn or the Spring, depending on the country.
The Vikings (Icelandic: víkingar) were seafaring members of the Norse people who lived in Northern Europe, in countries that now make up modern day Scandinavia.
Runes are the symbols that make up the alphabets used to write Germanic languages for many centuries, and were the primary method of written language during the Viking Age.
A Völva is a female Shaman in Old Norse culture, religion, and mythology. This blog provides a brief overview of the history and cultural significance of the Völva in Old Norse society.
