Rites of passage

Beside the official sacrifices there were a great number of rites connected with the stages of human life. A newborn child was accepted into the society by means of a ritual in which it was given a name, sometimes accompanied by pouring water over (ausa vatn d) its head.

Nothing is known of puberty rites in Old Norse society, although such rituals undoubtedly existed. In some old and unreliable stories we can read about a young man’s troubles in being accepted into the warrior’s world. In one of these narratives the young and timid Hatt is helped by a hero called Bbddvar Bjarke to kill a dangerous bear. After that event, Hatt was honoured as a hero by the berserks and changed his name into the more heroic Hjalti, meaning “sword hilt”. The berserks belong to a complex of warrior bands. They were depicted as an enigmatic class who carried bear symbols and were seized by furious rage during battle (Hrolfs saga krdka ch. 62-9).

Weddings were usually confirmed by a simple ritual. The groom took the bride’s hand, in what seems to have been an ancient custom. The late Prymskvida deals with a marriage rite consecrated by means of a hammer, though it is uncertain whether this was a genuine ceremony or was merely an element of the story. The description of the bride’s dress, brudar Uni, seems more authentic (Prm 12, 15). Wedding toasts were dedicated to Odinn, E>6rr and other gods with the last toast before the wedding night directed to Freyja (Bosa saga ok Herrauds ch. 12).

Death and the ensuing funeral were imagined as a journey into another world. People of substance were buried in ships (for men) and wagons (for women) (Roesdahl 1989: 91-109). There were other conceptions of the state after death, such as the idea that the dead remained in the grave mound, and it would receive sacrifices, usually in the form of food and beer.