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Baltic Finnic pagans were polytheistic, believing in a number of different deities.Most of the deities ruled over a specific aspect of nature; for instance, Ukko was the god of the sky and thunder (ukkonen and ukonilma ["Ukko's air"] are still used in modern Finnish as terms for thunderstorms).
Yngvi is a name of the god Freyr, perhaps Freyr's true name, as freyr means 'lord' and has probably evolved from a common invocation of the god. In the Íslendingabók (written in the early twelfth century by the Icelandic priest Ari Þorgilsson ) Yngvi Tyrkja konungr 'Yngvi king of Turkey ' appears as the father of Njörðr who in turn is the ...
Most of the sagas known today, the Ynglinga saga included, were composed during a relatively brief period, from the 12th to 13th century, a time when royal power was being consolidated in Norway, Denmark and Sweden. Their creation might thus stem from political and social needs (i. e. justifying the rule of a dynasty), rather than a desire to ...
Swedish culture is an offshoot of the Norse culture which dominated southern Scandinavia in prehistory.Sweden was the last of the Scandinavian countries to be Christianised, with pagan resistance apparently strongest in Svealand, where Uppsala was an old and important ritual site as evidenced by the tales of Uppsala temple.
The Gutes were the leading tradesmen in the Baltic sea until the rise of the Hanseatic League. [9] The Gutes were both yeomen farmers and traveling merchants at the same time: so-called farmenn. This was an exceptionally dangerous occupation during the Middle Ages, since the Baltic Sea was full of pirates.
The conversion to Christianity of the Scandinavian people required more time, since it took additional efforts to establish a network of churches. The earliest signs of Christianization were in the 830s with Ansgar's construction of churches in Birka and Hedeby. [1] The conversion of Scandinavian kings occurred over the period 960–1020. [1]
At the tree is also a spring where sacrifices are also held. According to Adam, a custom exists where a man, alive, is thrown into the spring, and if he fails to return to the surface, "the wish of the people will be fulfilled." [1] Adam writes that a golden chain surrounds the temple that hangs from the gables of the building.
The god Baldr is attested from Scandinavia, England, and Germany; except for the Old High German Second Merseburg Charm (9th century CE), all literary references to the god are from Scandinavia and nothing is known of his worship. [233] The god Freyr was the most important fertility god of the Viking Age. [234] He is sometimes known as Yngvi ...