The Gothi Thread mk. I: Blót out with your gut out!

[DanishCrow]

So I've been asked to officiate my first blót, and since it will probably not be my last, I thought I'd make a thread to discuss the officiation and design of sacrifices, sumbels and other communal heathen rites.

My blót guild has an annual midwinter party, which always includes a blót.

Since we're closing on the rebirth of the Sun goddess, I plan on reading from Vafthrudnismál, memorizing the trek of Sol and Sol's daughter, and the seasonal wheel.

There will be four rounds of sacrifice, and in the corners I probably will include Sun, Ulrr, Freya and Idunn.

If you have any feedback or ideas, they're heartily welcome. I will update once I've taken my blueprint to the seasoned goder/gydjer in my blót guild.

Apart from that, we can use this thread to shoot the breeze about rituals, discuss the significane of gods and corners, or share pictures and other merriment from completed blóts.

 

[DanishCrow]

After due sparring with an experienced gydje from my guild, I have decided on a blueprint for the midwinter blót!

The four corners will be Sol (the Sun) in the east, Freja in the south, Måne (the Moon) in the west and Ulr in the north.

Once the circle is consecrated and the powers called upon, there wil be seven rounds of prayers and toasts:

1. Toasts for Sol
2. Toasts for Freja
3. Toasts for Måne
4. Toasts for Ulr
5. A round of toasts for the ancestors
6. A round of sacrifices. As we're having a party, I'll be serving up small portions of our food on a patch of bark. Essentially, inviting the powers and ancestors into our celebration.
7. A "free round", where people can call upon and honour the God or entity they feel they need to.

After this, the circle will be opened again, and the feast begin!

 

[DanishCrow]

It is done with, I have officiated my first blót!

At our great midwinter feast, I led a blót to the forces of old and the forces of new, that is:

- East (where I stood) was Sun
- West was Moon
- South was Freja (
- North was Ullr

We were only a small party (7 and one child) standing right next to Roskilde fyord in brisk wind on around 0 degrees celsius, so each round was wrapped up quickly, but were:
A round for Sun, Moon, Freyr and Ullr each,
A round for ancestors, family and coming generations
A round for sacrifice,
and a round for free choice of god or entity.

A round consists of being passed a horn (through which mead is first poured into a earthware jug, then poured from the jug through our blot guild silver ring for consecration.), speaking aloud what one wishes to say to the gods, then saying "Hil (diety)", to which the circle replies "hil" (The English world would be "hail"). At the sacrifice round, objects are sacrificed, and can be anything from natural objects and plants to eggs, crafts and distilled spirits (one particularly foul brew was here given unto a malicious and evil force as thanks for not blowing up the supplicant with firepower on new year's eve, which had apparently been close to happening). As we were having a huge feast afterwards, I had placed sausages, potato, cookie, truffle cake, kale and pomegranate salad and other morsels on a large wooden plate for our sacrifice, calling in our ancestors and all the friendly spirits of the place to our party and good will.

Before anything starts, the ealdorman (formal 'handyman' of the ceremony) normally reads aloud the peace-calling, though I did it here. Essentially, I speak for the congregation in promising that no one abuses the peace of the ritual to hurt others, on pain of outlawry and being dispelled from the land of the Gods, Hel excepted. Then a handshake is "sent" around as I squeeze the hand of the member next to me, they the hand of the one next to them, until it reaches me again, whisper game style. Our particular peace-calling is very poetic, explaining the width and breadth of the peace in terms of where fire serves, the eagle flies and so on, and is heavily inspired by a similar text in the saga of Grettir the Strong.

Before the rounds I "set (sometimes called "opening") the circle" walking with-suns (clockwise) and loudly calling the name of the diety of the corner, inviting them into the blót space, and after I did to counter-sun to "close" or "annul" the circle, formally ending the ceremony, though it is always followed by a round of hugs and thanksgiving.

I was nervous on account of never having done it before, but I didn't mess up any lines, and folks said I did really good and should look at being a gódi in the future!