Winter nights or in Old Norse vetrnætr were a specific time of year in medieval Scandinavia. According to Zoega's Concise Dictionary of Old Icelandic, vetr-nætr referred to the "three days that begin the winter season".
Vetrnætr, winter nights
The exact term "winter nights" is not mentioned in Snorri Sturluson's Ynglinga saga where (in chapter 8) the three great sacrifices of the year are prescribed:
Þá skyldi blóta í móti vetri til árs, en at miðjum vetri blóta til gróðrar, hit þriðja at sumri, þat var sigrblót. |
"There was to be a sacrifice at the beginning of winter for a good year, and in the middle of winter for a good harvest, on the third day of summer, that was the sacrifice for victory."
The specific sacrifices held at the beginning of winter during the Old Norse period were álfablót and dísablót. Of these, dísablót became a public sacrifice, according to the Ynglinga saga performed by the Swedish king. In contrast, álfablót was a sacrifice held separately on each farm for local spirits, with the explicit exclusion of any outsiders.
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Today, the Asatrus celebrate Vetrnætr, literally winter nights. According to Zoega, vetr-nætr referred to the three days that begin the winter season. Sacrifices were held on this occasion. #mythology #myth #legend #calendar #15October #winternight #asatru
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