In the following account of the ancient Scandinavian religion, an attempt has been made to exhibit what is really known of the religious beliefs and practices of the people as distinct from the mythological fancies of the poets. With the evidence which we possess, it is impossible to determine how far the latter ever formed any part of a real popular religion: in some respects there seems to be a decided opposition between the two. The mythology, as it is found in the old poems and in the Prose Edda, has been the subject of much learned speculation, and various theories as to the original functions of the different gods and goddesses have from time to time been advanced, and have met with more or less acceptance. Much has also been written on the question how far the original conceptions had been modified under classic and Christian influences even before Christianity was finally accepted in the north. All discussion of these matters is here omitted in favour of a more direct investigation into the purely religious aspect of the old faith, so far as the existing materials admit of this. CONTENTS CHAP. PAGE FOREWORD, v I. THE GREAT GODS: THOR AND ODIN, 1 II. THE REMAINING GODS AND OTHER OBJECTS OF WORSHIP, 24 III. TEMPLES AND IMAGES, 39 IV. CEREMONIES AND MINISTERS OF RELIGION, 53 SELECTED WORKS, 71 THE ANCIENT SCANDINAVIAN RELIGION CHAPTER I THE GREAT GODS: THOR AND ODIN