NationMaster - Encyclopedia: Trollkyrka poem

Trollkyrka ("Troll's church") is a tall and secluded mountain in the heart of the National Park of Tiveden, Sweden, which served until the 19th century as a pagan sacrificial ground (horgr, see also bl�t). Popular tradition held the mountain to be off-limits for Christians.

According to Lidman (1972:52) old people used to say: "No Christian can go there. The mountains of the troll church belong to the heathen trolls. If a Christian ventures there, he will come to grief."

In fact, local tradition relates that the mountain was used not long ago for heathen rites and that anyone who was not initiated and saw it risked either to be buried in a bog in the forest or sworn into the brotherhood. In a time when there was a penalty of death on practising such rituals, this kind of precautions were perhaps considered necessary. The rites are described in a folk poem documented by the folklorist Carlshult (1941):

K�rken smyger p� slingrande stig	The procession creeps on a meandering path
helst osedd till Trollebergen.	preferably unseen to the Troll mountains/hills.
M�ssa skall h�llas i dagarna tre,	A mass shall be held for three days,
det varde b�rjan p� helgen.	this will be the beginning of the holiday.
Kolten �r sid, s� den n�der vid marken,	The frock is long, so it reaches down to the ground,
h�sorna �ro i topparna vassa,	the socks are sharply pointed,
h�ttan dras ned, s� h�len f�r �gonen passa.	the hood is pulled down so that the holes for the eyes fit.
Alla �r lika f�rutom p� l�ngda,	Everybody looks alike except for the height,
prelatus han r�knar p� m�ngda.	the prelate counts their number.

L�sen den gives i l�gm�lder ton,	The password is given in a low voice,
prelatus han bjuder tre st�tar i horn.	the prelate blows three times in a horn.
Elden den "k�llas" av nio slags ved,	The fire is kindled with nine kinds of wood,
det �r gammal sed.	that is old custom.
Offer till andarna sk�nkes,	A sacrifice is offered to the spirits,
med blodet sig allom best�nkes.	everyone is sprinkled with the blood.
Det b�sta till andar f�r�ras,	The best part is gifted to spirits,
det som blir �ver skall av m�nnerna t�ras.	what remains is to be consumed by the men.

Uti midnattens timma	In the midnight hour
d� sj�rnor beglimma,	when stars glitter,
prelatus han tystnaden bjuder	the prelate asks for silence
och m�nnerna alla det lyder.	and this is obeyed by all the men.
De falla till markone ner,	They fall down onto the ground,
prelatus han bistert mot rymderna ser.	the prelate looks grimly at the heavens.
Och sv�rjan och formlar i d�lderna skallar	And incantations and summons echo in the dells
prelatus han kallar p� andar.	the prelate is summoning spirits.

Allom de fick p� sitt sp�rje ett svar,	Everyone received an answer to their question,
ingen av androm fick d� h�ra varom det var.	no one heard from another man what the answer was.

References

Carlshult, B.G. (1941) Unden�sbygden genom tiderna. Lidman, H. (1972) Gudanatt, dagar och n�tter i Tiveden, Askild & K�rnekull, Stockholm.

Internal Links

Blot

External Links

Odinic Rite Blotar (http://www.odinic-rite.org/Blot%20explain.html)

Categories: Germanic paganism | �satr� | Places of worship

Results from FactBites:

Trollkyrka - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (412 words)
	Trollkyrka ("Troll's church") (58°43′N 14°37′E) is a secluded butte-like rock in the heart of the National Park of Tiveden, Sweden, which served as a pagan sacrificial ground (horgr, see also blót).
	These precautions clearly indicate that the rites took place as late as the period 1604-1735, which was a time when there was a penalty of death on practising such rituals.
	The rites are described in a folk poem documented by the folklorist Carlshult (1941) when he documented the traditions on Skaga stave church.

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