BARBARIAN RITES

Barbarian Rites: the Spiritual World of the Vikings and the Germanic Tribes / by Hans-Peter Hasenfratz; translated and edited by Michael Moynihan. – Inner Traditions International, c2011.

This book introduces ancient Germanic religion and spirituality in a fact-based yet accessible way.  It focuses on ancient people who spoke a Germanic language, and  presents important background on their society and culture.  The author’s scholarship includes cross-cultural investigations into views of ancient Germanic religions by ancient writers from outside cultures.  An overview of the history of Germanic tribes is followed by an investigation into the system of social ties and values held by them, which sheds light on their rites, powers, and myths.  There are explanations about unique features of their culture such as the Männerbund, the retinue, private punishment, public punishment, etc.  Types of religious experience such as rites of passage and magic are explored.  Incantatory, rune, death, divinatory, cursing, and destructive magic are introduced.  The powers confronting the human being, as identified by ancient Germanic society, include entities manifesting in forms that include humans, supernatural beings from mythology, deities, and the powers of fate.  Each of these are examined in depth, and ways of interacting with them are presented.  The structure and conception of the world and time are also described.  This book provides a thorough and clear foundation to further study of Germanic religion.  It is essential reading for anyone attracted to this spiritual path.