Unusual Viking Rituals That Might Surprise You

After the death of a chief, one of his “slave girls” would volunteer to join him in the afterlife. In order for her to do that, a very disturbing ritual had to take place first. The girl was looked after and continuously intoxicated with various drinks while cremation ceremony preparations were made.

The girl would then partake in “sexual rites,” whereas she would have sex with every man in the village before being strangled. The village matriarch then stabbed her and her body was placed with that of the chief on a wooden ship, set on fire and sent out to sea. This ensured that she would serve her master for ever after in the afterlife. The sexual rites embodied the Viking way of transforming the chieftain's lifeforce.

Every ninth year, during Yule, it was customary for Swedish Kings to sacrifice men at the Temple at Uppsala.

Nine heads would be offered to the gods, with the bodies hanging out in the temple’s sacred grove. This would go on for nine days, totaling 81 sacrifices that would be accompanied by feasts and Yule festivities. 

In Norse literature, the Blood Eagle is described as a ritualized form of execution, a sacrifice to the god Odin. Historians are uncertain whether this execution method was actually performed or if it was spread as a story to strike fear into enemies. What is known is that scholars of the age described the ritual in such great detail that it's hard to believe it didn't happen. Such torturous deaths were typically reserved to punish individuals without honor or to exact vengeance on a mortal enemy. 

The ritual began with restraint of the victim face down as the shape of an eagle with its wings outstretched was cut into his back. Each rib was then meticulously separated from the spine with a sharp instrument. Once all ribs were detached, they were pulled outward to create the illusion of protruding wings. While still alive and in agony, the victim’s lungs were then pulled from the gaping hole and set over his “wings.” This gave the illusion that his wings “fluttered” as he took his final breaths and died.

A draugr is basically the Norse mythology version of a zombie. But not just any zombie: a big, brutal, Viking zombie with fabulously lye-dyed locks and a horrendous stench who likes to wreak havoc by murdering people, killing animals, and destroying property. There are several practices to prevent this being from rising. Hiding twigs in the clothing of the recently deceased is said to work. Placing an open pair of scissors on their chest or driving needles through the bottom of their feet ward off draugrs as well.

There were also ways to try and disorient the creature, which included lifting and lowering the coffin in three different directions and making sure the body’s big toes were tied together.

The Blót was a blood sacrifice to the gods to show gratitude, which is why it was performed publicly multiple times per year.

Typically, animals were sliced over an altar of stones. The blood was collected in a bowl and then passed around and sipped while chanting ensued. Next, they’d pass around the carcass for more chanting, before dousing it with its own blood. The level of gratitude correlated with the size of the kill. 

Berserkers were warrior shamans, but they had to undergo a symbolic death and rebirth to unlock their powers. To achieve this, they were put in dangerous situations in the wild and were expected to live as their totem animal would in the wilderness. Whether bear or wolf, they’d have to hunt and raid nearby towns as a beast would.

They purposely stripped themselves of all humanity and morale to become savages on a physical and emotional level. They went berserk as beasts did on the battlefield with no fear nor armor.