Blod och blót : Blodets betydelse och funktion vid fornskandinaviska offerriter

In this article, Snorri Sturluson’s description of the pre-Christian sacrifice of Hákonar saga góða 14–18 is discussed from a source-critical perspective with a focus on the sacrificial terminology, the bloody rites and the ritual objects used. In addition to this, I broaden my documentation to other sources that inform about the ancient Scandinavian sacrifices in order to investigate whether Snorri’s description is based on old traditions. In this context I also establish a broader comparative perspective, including Greek and Roman sources. During the latter part of the article the significance and function of sacrificial blood in the Viking Age religion is discussed, in which earlier interpretations are also taken into ac­count. The overall hypothesis is that the blood had an important significance in the Viking Age calendrical rituals in Scandinavia, just as Snorri suggests. In the kind of rites depicted by Snorri the blood was perceived as a sacrificial gift (i.e. “the divine part”) of a communion meal