Trollkyrka (Trolls church) is a secluded butte-like rock in the heart of the National Park of Tiveden, Sweden, which served as a pagan sacrificial ground for centuries after Christianity became the dominant religion in Scandinavia. It may have been used as late as the 19th century, when popular tradition still held the mountain to be off-limits for Christians. According to legend, No Christian can go there. The mountains of the troll church belong to the heathen trolls. If a Christian ventures there, he will come to grief. In fact, local tradition relates that the mountain was used not long ago for heathen rites and that anyone who was not initiated and saw it risked either to be buried in a bog in the forest or sworn into the brotherhood. These precautions clearly indicate that the rites took place as late as the period 1604–1735, which was a time when there was a penalty of death on practicing such rituals. The rites are described in a folk poem documented by the folklorist Carshult in 1941. The poem follows in English. In Swedish it rhymes, but in cant be translated into English in rhyme. The procession creeps on a meandering path preferably unseen to the Troll mountains/hills. A mass shall be held for three days, this will be the beginning of the holiday. The frock is long, so it reaches down to the ground, the socks are sharply pointed, the hood is pulled down so that the holes for the eyes fit. Everybody looks alike except for the height, the prelate counts their number. The password is given in a low voice, the prelate blows three times in a horn. The fire is kindled with nine kinds of wood, that is old custom. A sacrifice is offered to the spirits, everyone is sprinkled with the blood. The best part is gifted to spirits, what remains is to be consumed by the men. In the midnight hour when stars glitter, the prelate asks for silence and this is obeyed by all the men. They fall down onto the ground, the prelate looks grimly at the heavens. And incantations and summons echo in the dells the prelate is summoning spirits. Everyone received an answer to their question, no one heard from another man what the answer was. via facebook/ThisIsScandinavia
Posted on: Tue, 18 Mar 2014 12:41:08 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015