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The Gods of the Vikings - Exploring the Norse Gods, Myths and Legends Through the Days of the Week
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About the Author

Marion Pearce is the author of numerous articles on Celtic, Norse and Roman history and culture published in magazines in the UK and internationally. She is the editor of Pentacle Magazine, the biggest independent pagan magazine in the UK, which she founded in 2002; and was formerly the editor of Pagan Dawn, the magazine of the Pagan Federation. Emily Carding lives on Dartmoor with her Daughter and three cats known as the Supurrrnal Triad; Kether Kitty, Chokmah Cat and Binah Puss. She has created various offerings, such as The Transparent Tarot, the Transparent Oracle, and The Tarot of the Sidhe for Schiffer Books. She has also contributed book covers, articles and artwork for several works from Avalonia Books. To date these titles include Towards a Wiccan Circle (Cover), Both Sides of Heaven, (Cover and article- "The Salvation of the Sidhe"), From a Drop of Water (Article- "Nimue: The Archetypal Priestess"), Hekate Her Sacred Fires (Cover, Article- "Painting Hekate" and internal illustrations), and VS. (Cover, Articles- "Sun and Moon" and "Painting Polarity"). Her most recent work is Faery Craft, a faery lifestyle and magical practice book which was published by Llewellyn in Autumn 2012. Recent years have seen Emily return to her work in theatre, but a new book on the magical content of Shakespeare is in the works.

Reviews

Extracts from reviews:

"In "The Gods of the Vikings" Marion Pearce has done a good job of providing this. Using the days of the week as the context and structure of the book, she examines the Norse Gods, their myths, their worship in ancient times, their meaning for the Scandinavians, and also what they mean for today's Asatru worshiper. The first section of the book looks at the days of the week themselves, providing an excellent background full of interesting information about how the days got their names, when, and where. It also touches upon subjects such as hours and calendars in the ancient world, which proved fascinating reading! Part 2, "Anglo-Saxon, Norse and Christian Worldviews" offers the reader the cultural contexts that these deities are found in, including the relationship and interplay between Pagan and Christian in that era. I was delighted to read this section, as I often find books on mythology completely ignoring the cultural contexts. Part 3 takes us through some of the eschatological and chronological ideas and beliefs held by the Norse, including Ragnarok and ideas of the beginning of the world. Again, this served to provide context, but also gives the reader an idea of how the Scandinavians viewed time and how their Gods fit into that chronological universe." Kim Huggens, Author of Tarot 101

"But my favorite part of the book was actually the appendices which covered the festival days practiced by the Norse. The discussion of May Day, summer solstice and Yule traditions and the reasons behind them were intriguing and covered such things as the Puritanical banning of May Poles and the practice of burning Yule logs. I wish the appendices had been longer. To me, this was the portion of the book I could really sink my teeth into, because I like to find ways to live the Old Ways." Cliff Seruntine, Author & Amazon Reviewer

"The book also covers the Norse conversion to Christianity. Olaf and his magicians was the one was in charge of that conversion. It was not an easy conversion in fact it was rather swift and violent. Prior to Olaf's forced conversion it was noted that practitioner of the old religion were quite able to coexist with Christians. Burial customs are covered as are the system of sacrifices. Animals and sometimes the king and people were sacrificed to the Gods. Usually the sacrifice was performed with a spear. The carcass of the sacrifice was hung from a tree. Sacrifices of animals were eaten especially the liver. The entrails were used for divination. When a warrior died in battle he was claimed by either odin or Freya's Valkyries. Viking had all their stuff loaded in a ship that was then set a fire amidst the sea. Sometimes even the wife was sent along. this is true even of the chieftain. Sometimes a girl volunteered or was chosen. Everyone took turns making love to her and then she was sent off with the chieftain." Steve Cran, Goodreads Reviewer

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