The Hammer Rite, are there any credible alternatives

The Hammer Rite, are there any credible alternatives?

The hammer rite is the most commonly recognised and frequently used method of creating a ritual space when engaged in a blót. Nevertheless, what are its origins and how authentic is it in a Reconstructionist religion?

For the framework of our rituals and practices we are lucky to have a considerable amount of surviving lore, written during or shortly after the mass conversion of heathenism. However, we have no specific blót arrangement to base our rituals on. So therefore we must compose our own format based on what accurate information we can actually gleam.

The hammer rite, as we know it, is generally accepted as being first established by Edred Thorson in his book 'FUTHARK'. His is by no means the sole version and most kindred’s and individuals will have reworked it to their own taste. It usually consists of signing the hammer to the four or eight directions, as well as above and below the signer. This rite has many striking similarities with the wiccan practice of creating a magical circle, however, it does not create a separate sacred space as such and folk can pass freely without any detrimental effects to the rite or the individual. In 'Teutonic Religion', Gundarsson further points out that in Anglo Saxon charm spells the names of the evangelists were set at the quarters (probably in place of our heathen god/esses). Although as this was for a charm spell and not specifically a religious ceremony such as a blót, the quarters theory may well falter again? In addition, it must be said at this stage that although the hammer rite is undoubtable here to stay, it has in fact, no known source what so ever in our heathen lore. Also, while I'm pointing this out I must also remind readers, when's the last time you visited a museum with Viking era artifacts, or A-S or any other Germanic tribe, where a life sized hammer was displayed. This also seems to be a spill over from Wicca and ceremonial magic. I am not casting any dispersions on the use but I feel it's good to question the origin and relevance of practices modern heathen's perform.

So, are there indeed any credible alternatives to the hammer rite? Well I would like to put forward two alternatives that could also be combined into a single more comprehensive alternative if so wished.

I have come across pieces of text in various sources which I believe hint at the alternatives. Firstly, in the Prose Edda (page 18 Everyman Edition) Gangleri asks; "Does fire burn over bifrost" and the reply he receives is "The red you see in the rainbow is burning fire. The frost-giants and mountain-giants would go up into heaven if Bifrost was crossable by everyone that wanted to go. There are many beautiful places in heaven and everywhere there has divine protection around it". Here, I believe, there is an alluding to (a) the existence and indeed need for divine protection around the beautiful places in heaven and (b) the fire burning on Bifrost is what keeps the frost-giants and mountain-giants away, as flames keep the cold night at bay. Therefore, as my maths teacher taught me, (a)+(b)=(c), namely it is this (holy?) fire which protects these divine places. Therefore, when, during a blót, a ritual space is created, this fire would enforce divine protection against the giants and ill meaning wights.

How exactly this divine protection is actually established is a matter for debate and certainly some experimentation. Obviously, the safety of persons and property are to be considered first and foremost. You can't get a can of petrol, pour a ring around you, and strike up a match...! After some consideration, I think some sort of deosil "procession" around the space you intend to use while holding a candlestick, candelabras or a storm lantern (easily bought at outdoor and camping shops) while repeating/chanting appropriate words such as "Æsir ok alfar, helgi vé thetta" ("Aesir and elves, make this vé holy") or perhaps calling/invoking Thor's protection. Then this flame(s) can be set at the center of the harrow, or whatever is being used as the centerpiece for worship. When the blót is finished, the flame may be extinguished, with the appropriate thanks, to return the sacred space to everyday use.

The second alternative is the creation of a temporary sacred space by means of a verbond. Two sources that I have come across allude to this practice. Firstly, Ibn Fadlan when describing the Rus camp said;

"When the ships come to this mooring place, everybody goes ashore with bread, meat, onions, milk and intoxicating drink and betakes himself to a long upright piece of wood that has a face like a man's and is surrounded by little figures, behind which are long stakes in the ground." (Ibn Fadlan, Risala).

The stakes mentioned here were most probably used to demarcate the holy or vé area. Also in 'The Scandinavian Kingdom of Dublin' by Charles Haliday (Irish University Press, 1969), Haliday tells;

"On sudden emergencies an open space was fenced by stakes round which a verbond, a sacred chord, was tied. Sometimes the fence was a circle of stones, the center being reserved for those who were to be "Lagmenn" and who alone were permitted to enter. But all permanent settlements appear to have had fixed places of judicature raised on plains like the Stein (a Viking monument in Dublin, ed) accessible by water, a facility for attending meetings of primary importance with a maritime people in countries where roads were yet unformed or but few. On such plains a mound of earth was sometimes raised whereon the godi sat with his "lagmen", the armed "bonders" and freemen standing around."

Although this recalls the area being used for judicial functions, unlike most religious leaders today, the godi performed many rolls in the Viking era and this fencing off by means of stakes or stones and a verbond was most likely also used in religious ceremonies. Obviously, this is a practice most suited to the outdoors, but with a little imagination and thought, it could be transferred for use indoors. Perhaps chairs could be used instead of stakes?

I hope I have provided enough information to allow you to see that the hammer rite is only one possible method of creating sacred space and that other methods were obviously used by our heathen forebears. I look forward to this topic being taken up by other heathens and other theories and practices being put forward.

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