Altars for the Norse Gods
Altars for the Norse gods differ from, for example, Wiccan altars, which use many different objects. Overall, this is a matter of personal preference and your own sense of the tradition.
It is enough to have figurines or images of the gods on the altar — these make it easier to attune to them during your workings. A candleholder, an incense holder, and a ritual cup for drinks complete the space. Everything else is up to you.
The altar can be made of wood, stone, or metal. An ordinary table, chest of drawers, or storage chest can serve as its base. Cover it with an altar cloth, which you can change, choosing its colour according to the symbolism of the ritual you are performing.
Permanent Altar
A permanent altar is a fixed place of power that is not packed away and remains in the same location.
⚡ An altar in an apartment.
It can be set up on a table, chest of drawers, separate box, or storage chest.
⚡ An outdoor altar (on your property).
Most often, this is a large stone — a hörg — or a tree stump arranged as a sacrificial altar.
Hörg – A Stone Sacrificial Altar
A hörg is a stone sacrificial altar (hátimbraðr). Hörgs were built on elevated ground or at open-air sacrificial sites, without statues; their stones were intended to be sprinkled with blood. Hence expressions such as “breaking down” sacrificial altars and “burning” temples.
In rural Norway, dome-shaped mountains are still called “hörg”.
«Hörg hann mér gerði
hlaðinn steinum;
nú er grjót þat
at gleri orðit; —
rauð hann í nýju
nauta blóði;
æ trúði Óttarr
á ásynjur.»An altar he built for me,
piled up with stones,
and now that stone
has melted into glass;
he reddened the altar
with sacrificial blood:
in the goddesses of the Aesir
Ottar always believed.
(“The Lay of Hyndla”)
“The circle where people were condemned to be sacrificed to the gods can still be seen. Within this circle stands Thor’s stone, against which the heads of those destined for sacrifice were smashed; bloodstains can still be seen on the stone even now.”
(“The Saga of the People of Eyri”)
“Thorstein entered the shrine, fell before the stone that stood there and that he worshipped, and addressed it in prayer. Indridi stood outside. He heard the following words come from the stone…”
(“The Saga of Hord and the Islanders”)
Temporary Altar
A temporary altar most often consists of an altar cloth (less often a small wooden altar) placed wherever you are performing the ritual.
When you have no permanent location, the altar cloth becomes the “magical island” where you work. You can spread it over any flat surface, regardless of where the rite takes place. This option is convenient for those who have no permanent altar space or who want to avoid unnecessary questions from guests and household members.
As in other traditions, the altar is decorated with objects of worship, and offerings are placed upon it. An image of the god and a candle dedicated to them usually stand at its centre.
You can place the following on the altar:
- ritual tools and symbolic objects associated with a particular god or goddess;
- precious or semiprecious stones;
- additional candles;
- flowers and incense;
- gifts already offered (household objects, jewellery);
- non-perishable treats: nuts, honey, candied fruit, and so on.
Photos from the internet.
A Variety of Altars
Online, you can find many options for setting up:
- permanent and portable altars,
- altar boards,
- altar cloths and coverings.
What you choose depends entirely on your preferences and your understanding of your own practice. There are no strict restrictions or standards.
An altar is a place where energies are transformed and your place of power. Power accumulates with every successful ritual, and each object stores the memory of your magic.
The altar can hold tools for your current workings and divination:
- runes,
- crystal balls,
- Tarot and other systems.
If you cannot set up a permanent altar, you can keep all the objects in a dedicated drawer in a desk or chest of drawers, separate from other belongings.
The ideal option is a dedicated space that will accumulate your magical power and absorb your energy.
Key Points for Setting Up an Altar
Based on the authentic examples already mentioned, we can identify the key items.
Essential Items
✔ A place for offerings.
For the ancients, this was a stone, but having a “boulder” at home may be impractical in modern circumstances. Its purpose is to receive gifts offered to the gods. It can be a dish, a large cross-section of a tree trunk, or another surface on which gifts are placed.
During a blood blót, blood was collected at the sacrificial altar, but today such sacrifices are used very rarely. The main thing is to understand its function; beyond that, your resources and imagination come into play.
✔ A cup or vessel for drinks.
There are no special requirements. Archaeological finds include copper bowls, glass vessels decorated with metal, silver goblets with gold trim and stones, and drinking horns.
It is important that the cup be an offering vessel, meaning that it is reserved specifically for the gods.
✔ A sprinkling implement.
A bundle of branches used to sprinkle figurines of the gods and the people present with sacrificial blood. Today, this is far from an essential item, but the principle itself has survived in other religions: Christianity, for example, replaced blood with wine but retained the sprinkling ritual.
✔ Fire — a candleholder with candles.
Here, it is important to distinguish between:
- candles for the gods — these are gifts: one dedicated candle for the gods collectively, or individual candles for each deity;
- ritual candles — these are tied to a specific ritual and “charge” it;
- altar candles — these provide lighting and atmosphere and are optional.
Examples:
- you simply want to honour the gods without making requests — use a shared candle or individual candles for each deity;
- you perform a ritual for a specific wish while invoking the gods — use two candles: one for the ritual working and the other as a gift to the gods.
✔ Gifts / offerings.
Everything you bring to the gods: drinks, food, jewellery, and individual objects connected with your practice.
Optional Items
Ø Incense
Ø Flowers
Ø Stones
Ø Divination tools (most often runes)
Ø Ritual objects (knives, feathers, wands, etc.)
Ø Figurines
Figurines of the Gods
Originally, if we recall sacred groves and sacrificial stones, images of the gods were not used. Over time, wooden statues began to be erected, followed later by figurines made of metal, bone, and clay.
It is important to understand: the gods do not need images; people do. We perceive the world through material things, and it is easier for us to focus if we “bring the gods to life” rather than address empty space.
You can use the Yggdrasil Oracle to represent the gods: among its 81 cards, you will always find one you want to work with and use in a ritual. This is particularly useful for temporary altars and for those who do not want to “frighten” guests with their tradition.
Helga_V’s Personal Experience
I did not have images (figurines) of the gods right from the beginning either. At present, I have only two — Thor and Odin.
The story of how I acquired them was interesting and unplanned. A difficult situation arose, and without performing any rituals, I simply called upon Odin. At that moment, an advertisement on a website brought up a craftsperson’s page featuring figurines of the gods.
Remarkably, the price of the figurines matched the balance on my card — my last remaining money, incidentally. I took this as a sign 😁 and bought them.
The situation was resolved quickly and in my favour, and my beloved gods have stood on the altar ever since.
May the gods be with you!
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© Helga_V
Master of runic practice, researcher of the Northern tradition
