Skeletal Remains Of An Entire Army Found In An Ancient Mass Grave In Denmark

[Viking]

This is probably how the Valhalla myth started. Odin needed the dead either as warriors for Ragnarök or to crucify them on oaks representing yggdrasil and having their blood feed the mímirs well granting odin wisdom.

It is pretty clear that germanic and norse traditions included human sacrifice of captives in that period.

It is a practical way to keep your enemies from fighting you again, and holding prisoners isn't very practical if you don't have urban areas or significant permanent political centers.

How cool would it be if these turned out to be Romans from Teutoburg Forest? That was almost exactly 2000 years ago.

The teuotobergerwald has been found and is hundreds of kilometers from that place.

[Viking]

Not to worry, given that Ásatrú doesn't have any (actual) adherents I find nothing objectionable in it.

 

http://www.asatru.org/

I actually know some of these people so, no meri, no.

[Valmy]

I was sort of disappointed by the Teutoberg Forest.  It was hyped as this huge thing but when I actually studied Roman History it looks like the Romans barely broke a sweat.  Heck the real reason it seems they did not take Germany back was more because of Tiberius' paranoia than dispair over the mighty Proto-Franks.

[alfred russel]

The teuotobergerwald has been found and is hundreds of kilometers from that place.

I realize that...presumably it would still be possible to move prisoners, or their bones? The Romans were fairly notorious, I can imagine sacrificing/executing a large group or just their bones would be more impactful for a tribal chief than the yahoos from the next village.

[merithyn]

I actually know some of these people so, no meri, no.

Please to esplain. How does knowing them make them not Asatru?

Besides, I thought of all of the neo-Pagan religions, the Asatru were the closest to the "real deal" because they had the Icelandic epics etc that pretty much spell out what was done, why, and by whom. Admittedly, "closer to the real deal" still may not be very close.

[Viking]

The teuotobergerwald has been found and is hundreds of kilometers from that place.

I realize that...presumably it would still be possible to move prisoners, or their bones? The Romans were fairly notorious, I can imagine sacrificing/executing a large group or just their bones would be more impactful for a tribal chief than the yahoos from the next village.

There are no instances in the sagas of prisoners. Not prisoners being transported, but the concept of prisoners at all. All the impact you really needed to was to come home from a battle with lots and lots of arm rings.

[jimmy olsen]

So good for the low lethality of warfare theory, ah?

Yup. People were hard core back then.

[Valmy]

So good for the low lethality of warfare theory, ah?

Yup. People were hard core back then.

Which is how slavery actually originated as an act of humanitarianism and mercy.

[Viking]

I actually know some of these people so, no meri, no.

Please to esplain. How does knowing them make them not Asatru?

Besides, I thought of all of the neo-Pagan religions, the Asatru were the closest to the "real deal" because they had the Icelandic epics etc that pretty much spell out what was done, why, and by whom. Admittedly, "closer to the real deal" still may not be very close.

The Sagas were all written in the 13th century, over 250 years after iceland converted in 1000 AD. The religious texts (Gylfagynning, Older and Younger Edda and Havamal) are poetic and not concerned with ritual at all.

The whole Ásatrú thing started as a protest against the mandatory tithe to the Lutheran Church we had in our tax code in the 1970s.

[alfred russel]

There are no instances in the sagas of prisoners. Not prisoners being transported, but the concept of prisoners at all.

I don't know that this is correct...at least in the sense that a person wasn't moved from point A to point B as a prisoner prior to execution.

Maybe this evening I'll try to find examples.

[Viking]

There are no instances in the sagas of prisoners. Not prisoners being transported, but the concept of prisoners at all.

I don't know that this is correct...at least in the sense that a person wasn't moved from point A to point B as a prisoner prior to execution.

Maybe this evening I'll try to find examples.

There were slaves being transported, the most important viking trade was in capturing, transporting and selling slavs as slaves (etymology ftw). But enemy warriors were killed at the first opportunity, both out of respect (give them their chance at valhalla) and out of common good sense (they were dangerous to keep around in a world without locks or cages).

[Syt]

Also, Timmay, pray tell what you find so "fucking cool" about human sacrifice on a large scale?

[DGuller]

Here is something I don't understand.  Why would ancient warriors ever surrender, if it was a certainty that they would be slaughtered/executed/sacrificed?

[Viking]

Also, Timmay, pray tell what you find so "fucking cool" about human sacrifice on a large scale?

Other people aren't people to him.

[jimmy olsen]

Also, Timmay, pray tell what you find so "fucking cool" about human sacrifice on a large scale?

The archaeological discovery is what's cool. You can't seriously believe I think massacres are cool.