The first three nights of winter, called Winter Nights or Vetrnætr, are dedicated to Freyr and
those connected with him. This is the festival of Vetr that Óðinn tells us to celebrate in
Ynglingasaga ch. 8. We have a description of the Vetrnætr feast in several sources, including
Gisla Saga ch. 10:
Það var þá margra manna siður að fagna vetri í þann tíma og hafa þá veislur og veturnáttablót en Gísli lét
af blótum síðan hann var í Vébjörgum í Danmörku en hann hélt þó sem áður veislum og allri stórmennsku.
Og nú aflar hann til veislu mikillar þá er svo líður stundum sem áður var getið.
And now the summer is over and we come to winter nights. It was the custom of many men to celebrate
winter at that time, and they held the Vetrnættablót; Gisli still let go of the wet side he was in Verbjargar in
Denmark, still he kept as before all Veizlas and all splendor.
Also, in chapter 15:
Þorgrímur ætlaði að hafa haustblót (haustboð) að veturnóttum og fagna vetri og blóta Frey og býður
þangað Berki bróður sínum og Eyjólfi Þórðarsyni og mörgu öðru stórmenni. Gísli býr og til veislu og
býður til sín mágum sínum úr Arnarfirði og Þorkötlum tveimur og skorti eigi hálft hundrað manna að
Gísla. Drykkja skyldi vera að hvorratveggja og var stráð gólf á Sæbóli af sefinu af Seftjörn.
Þórgrímur was going to have Haustblót (or Haustboð) at Vetrnóttum and celebrate winter and Blót to Freyr
and invite Berki there his brother and Eyjólfur Þórðarson and many other great men. Gisli too made ready a
feast, and bids to it his brothers-in-law from Arnarfirði and the Þorkǫtls; so that there were full sixty men at
his house. There was to be a drinking-bout Sumbl at each house, and the floor at Sæbóli was covered with
sedge won from Seftjǫrn.
We note that Freyr is here the head of the festival, and thus his Blót is the first of the season. In
the accounts that we have he is one of the three Gods that can be seen as havin a procession orReið. His account takes place in the Ǫgmundar Þáttr Dytts:
Líður nú að þeirri stundu er þau búast heiman og skyldu þau Freyr og kona hans sitja í vagni en
þjónustumenn þeirra skyldu ganga fyrir. Þau áttu langt að fara yfir fjallveg nokkurn. Þá gerði að þeim hríð
mikla. Gerðist þá færðin þung en Gunnar var til ætlaður að fylgja vagninum og leiða eykinn.
Now it came to the time that they set out from home, and Freyr and his wife were to sit in a cart while their
retainers walked in front. They had to go over some mountain tracks. Then a great snowstorm came upon
them; the journey became difficult, but Gunnar was ordered to go with the cart and lead the cart horse.
From this we can see that Freyr is joined by his spouse, just as we see with Þórr in his account,
and possibly with Óðinn in his (see above). That the consorts of the Gods would join them on
their sacred procession mimics a sort of divine marriage that allows us to honor them and the
families they represent. With each Blót we recognize that his sister leads the Dísablót, and his
proteges the Álfar are those sacrificed to at the Álfablót. This theme follows the idea that each
Veizla is built around certain deities and their kin. The Vetrnætr demonstrates this more than any
other.
tók var þar glugga.
En er Freyr var dauðr,
báru þar annan eirpenningum.
Þá
There is an interesting account regarding the three nights of the Veizla and the offerings
to Freyr. This comes to us from Ynglingasaga ch. 11. This is a euhemerized account, but it may
possibly refer to the three Blóts of his festival, since we find three offerings to him, and from this
comes peace and good seasons (ár ok friðr):
Freyr tók þá ríki eptir Njörð; var hann kallaðr dróttinn yfir Svíum ok skattgjafir af þeim; hann vinsæll ok ársæll sem faðir hans. Freyr reisti at Uppsölum hof mikit, ok setti þar höfuðstað sinn; lagði til allar skyldir sínar, lönd ok lausa aura; þá hófst Uppsala auðr, ok hefir haldizt æ síðan. Á hans dögum hófst Fróða friðr, þá var ok ár um öll lönd; kendu Svíar þat Frey. Var hann því meir dýrkaðr en önnur goðin, sem á hans dögum varð landsfólkit auðgara en fyrr af friðinum ok ári. Gerðr Gýmis dóttir hét kona hans; sonr þeirra hét Fjölnir. Freyr hét Yngvi öðru nafni; Yngva nafn var lengi síðan haft í hans ætt fyrirtignarnafn, ok Ynglingar váru síðan kallaðir hans ættmenn. Freyr tók sótt; en er at honum leið sóttin, leituðu menn sér ráðs, ok létu fá menn til hans koma, en bjoggu haug mikinn, ok létu dyrr á ok þeir hann leyniliga í hauginn, ok sögðu Svíum at hann lifði, ok varðveittu hann vetr. En skatt öllum heltu þeir í hauginn, í einn glugg gullinu, en í silfrinu, í hinn þriðja hélzt ár ok friðr.
Freyr then took the kingdom after Njǫrðr; he was called the lord of the Swedes, and took tribute from them;
he was as popular and prosperous as his father. Freyr built a great temple at Uppsala, and set up his capital
there; he laid there all his duties, lands and loose money; then the prosperity of Uppsala began, and has
remained ever since. In his days the peace of Froði began, and there were good harvests all over the lands;
the Swedes ascribed it to Freyr. He was therefore more worshiped than the other gods, as the people of the
country became richer than before in peace and harvests. Gerðr, Gýmir’s daughter, was his wife; their son’s
name was Fjǫlnir. Freyr was also called Yngvi; and this name Yngvi was considered long after as a name
of honor in his Ætt, and Ynglingar were then called his descendants. Freyr took ill; but when he was sick,
the men sought counsel, and came to him, they made a large mound, and put in a door and three windows.
But when Freyr was dead, they secretly carried him to the mound, and told the Swedes that he was alive,
and kept him there for three winters. And they poured out tribute upon all, into one a heap of gold, and into
another silver, and into the third a penny of brass. Then good harvests and peace (ár ok friðr) prevailed.
The three windows and the door remind us of the sacred doors we have seen previously, while
the three offerings may have something to do with the three nights of the festival.
That the Veizla lasted over a period of three nights is shown in several sources, including
the old Icelandic Almanacs. In the Sagas, it seems to represent some form of oath to perform an
action “before the third of the Winter Nights,” (hinar þriðju veturnætur), likely due to it
representing the beginning of a new year or new Misseri cycle. In Jómsvikinga Saga ch. 11 it is
stated that:
Og eftir það er Sveinn er konungur orðinn, þótti þá honum það skylt, sem öllum öðrum konungum, að erfa
föður sinn fyrir hinar þriðju veturnætur.
And after Sveinn had become king, he, like all other kings, felt obliged to give his father’s inheritance feast
before the third of the Winter Nights (Veturnætur).
In ch. 26 we find heroes being called upon to make their vows to perform heroic deeds by the
third of the Vetrnætr:
Ek strengi þess heit at ek skal rekit hafa Aðalráð Englakonung af ríki sínu fyrir hinar þriðju vetrnætr eða
feldan hann elligar ok nát svá ríki. Nú áttu, Sigvaldi, ok mæltu eigi minna um.’ Hann kvað svá vera skyldu.
‘Herra, þess strengi ek heit,’ segir hann, ‘at ek skal herja í Nóreg fyrir inar þriðju vetrnætr með því liði er
ek fæ til ok hafa eltan ór landi Hákon jarl eða drepit eða liggja þar eptir.’
I swear that before the third Winter Night has past I shall drive Aðalráð, king of England, from his kingdom
or kill him otherwise and so gain possession of his domain. Now it’s your turn, Sigvaldi, and let your vow
be as far reaching as mine.’ He said that so it should be. ‘Your majesty, I swear,’ he said, ‘that before the
third Winter Night has past I shall ravage Norway with as many men as I can assemble and drive Earl
Hakon out of the land or kill him; or else my lifeless body will remain in Norway.’
Then, in Valla-Ljots Saga ch. 3 the same phrase is found in regards to an oath to an enemy,
stating that before the year ends, “before the third of the Winter Nights,” they will see bloodshed:
“Já,” að þú þykist vel leikið hafa svo segir mér hugur að rautt segir Guðmundur, “sé eg en um mun sjá í
skörina fyrir hinar þriðju veturnætur.”
Yes”, says Guðmundr, “I see, that you think you have played well, yet so says my mind (to me), that (you) shall see red in the hair before the third of the Vetrnætur.”
Freysblót
(Also called Haustblót) As the first rite of the Vetrnætr, it is the Hǫfuðblót of this festival,
focusing upon Freyr. We saw above it’s being mentioned in Gisla Saga, and a sacred Blót to
Freyr is also described in Ǫgmundar þáttr dytts:
Dísablót
There are two types of Dísir in our lore: the female tutelary spirits who are likely women who
have died virgins (Gylfaginning 35), and the greater Goddesses in general. In this case, it is likely
the Goddesses of Freyja’s retinue, which we find described in Fjǫlsvinnsmál 38 (minus Aurboða,
who is Gullveig) who are honored at this rite.
Álfablót
In Kormaks Saga ch. 22 we are told that one should perform the Álfablót for healing. Indeed, this
Blót is to the Álfar, the beings whom in time’s morning helped to create the first forms and the
vegetation of the earth. In the lore the Álfar are divided into two different groups: the Ljósálfar
“Light-Elves,” and the Dǫkkálfar or “Dark-Elves,” and it is likely that the latter are identical to
the Dvergar or “Dwarves” who work in the darkness mining for precious metals. In Vǫluspá 10
we are told that they made “many likenesses of men” which possibly means that they made the
forms the Gods or Sons of Burr brought to life. If this is the case, and they made these forms, it
would only be fitting that they would have a deep relationship with the healing of the human
body.
Excerpt from: Æfinrúnar1 and Æfinrúnar2: A Book of Sedian Rites and Prayers Bk.1:The Sacred Rites– https://a.co/d/8nqOU0W
Æfinrúnar2: A Book of Sedian Rites and Prayers Bk. 2: The Sacred Rites– https://a.co/d/8nqOU0W