Cultic Worship to Loki – Revised & Expanded
Did you know we have possible evidence of cultic worship to Loki from antiquity?
Al-Tartuschi (also known as Ibrahim ibn Yaqub) hailed from the Cordoba Caliphate (specifically the Al-Andalus area from the Iberian peninsula), and wrote of his travels abroad in Europe in 961 – 962 CE. He records seeing worship connected to the Sirius star in Hedeby, Denmark. The population size is estimated to have been around 1500-2000 people. Hedeby of the time was a commercial center populated by a range of groups: Danes, Frisians, Franks, Germans, Swedes, and Slavs. So that suggests to me the possibility for a much wider dispersion of the practice outside of Hedeby.
The inhabitants worship Sirius, except for a minority of Christians who have a church of their own there. They celebrate a feast at which all get together to honor their god and to eat and drink. He who slaughters a sacrificial animal puts up poles at the door to his courtyard and impales the animal on them, be it a piece of cattle, a ram, billygoat or a pig so that his neighbors will be aware that he is making a sacrifice in honor of his god.
Al-Tartuschi (Ibrahim ibn Yaqub) translation from Factsheet/Vikings, published by the Royal Danish Consulate General New York (2001).
In the source we don’t know who was specifically being worshipped, but thanks to Danish born folklorist Finnur Magnússon we know that the Sirius star is known as Lokabrenna (Loki’s Torch). Considering both of these facts together we thus may have evidence of cultic worship to Loki. Jacob Grimm mentions Lokabrenna in his Teutonic Mythology, but we also have Axel Olrik discussing Lokabrenna/Sirius in Part I of his Loke i Nyere Folkeoverlevering. Olrik states that “it stands in connection with the extreme late summer heat”.
While Sirius is visible in the sky at certain times of the year, we see its heliacal rising in the summer months of either July or August (with additional variance based on the latitude of the viewer on Earth). These tend to be the warmest months of the year in the Northern Hemisphere. In cultures across the ancient world (Egypt, Greece, Rome, etc.) the heliacal rising of the star of Sirius (found in the constellation of Canis Major) was associated with the summer heat. In Egypt it was a sign that the annual Nile flood was coming soon. The Romans coined the colloquial expression of the dog days of summer connecting it’s appearance with the “dog” constellation of Canis Major and the heat of the summer together. Olrik sees connections with Lokabrenna to the “dog days” of summer seen elsewhere across cultures in Europe. He also shares with us that in Danish folklore that the shimmering heat waves visible in the air were connected to Lokke (Loki).
Lokabrenna by Alice FraiFun fact, Sirius is the 7th brightest object visible from the earth (only the Sun, Moon, Venus, Jupiter, Mars & Mercury are brighter). Scholars recently uncovered that the world’s oldest known temple, Göbekli Tepe in southern Turkey, may have been built to worship the Sirius star.
We’ve also found a shared iconography in the archaeological record which appears to reference the story of Loki’s sewn lips from the Skáldskaparmál. The most well known occurrence is on the Snaptun Stone. The stone found in 1950 on a Danish beach has been dated by scientists to the end of the Viking Age, around the year 1000 CE. As precious as any depiction of Loki is, this stone was not just decorative, but was a functioning hearthstone as well. Beneath the depiction of Loki on the stone there is a hole, through which a bellows would be placed and used to stoke the hearth fire. The hearthstone not only protected people from the intensity of the flames, but also acted as a shield protecting the bellows from catching fire as well.
Now, let’s step back and think a moment here. The ancient cultures scattered throughout Europe, which honored the Gods and Goddesses of the Northern Tradition (Odin, Frigga, Freya, Freyr, Thor, Loki, etc.) dwelled in homes known as longhouses. Longhouses are characterized with a central fire pit, or hearth fire in the middle of the dwelling. Life revolved around the hearth, and it was indeed the most important part of the home. At all times of year the hearth fire was kept burning and besides an open door, small holes in the home, and some small task lighting, the hearth provided the only interior lighting in the homes at all times of the year. It was used to cook meals that sustained all who lived there. In the winter, it was a central area where people congregated both for life-giving warmth, as well as a favored area for socialization. The fire would also be used for some level of craft making at its side.
Now, the stone itself is dated in the middle of the period of conversion in the Viking Age. It could be argued that it may have been used as nothing more than a decoration in a Christian household. I personally find it hard to believe that a Christian would have such symbolism in their home, where in some places anything of the like could get you killed. If a pagan did and the God was treated with outright fear, again I find it problematic why they would have this stone present at such a crucial area of the home, as we clearly have Loki depicted in connection with the center of the home. But beyond this mere archaeological remnant, there are other folk customs that connect Loki with the hearth fire. Simek’s Dictionary of Northern Mythology tells us that in Norway there’s a custom of feeding leftovers to Loki into the hearth/kitchen fire. In Norwegian folk belief, just as Thunder is associated with Thor, the crackling in the hearth fire is associated with Loki. While the Snaptun Stone is undoubtedly recognized as a hearthstone–and the most artistic example found to date. The iconography of the sewn lips on the Snaptun Stone have recently been discovered on archaeological finds from other sites too.
Snaptun StoneØster Lindet MaskUlstrup MaskIn 2015 a pendant was discovered that clearly echoes this motif of sewn lips at Øster Lindet, located near modern day Vejen in Denmark. Plus, another mask found in 2011 near Ulstrup in Denmark appears to have sewn lips too. The Ulstrup mask is very similar to a couple of masks found in Sweden: one mask from Härad and another mask pendant found in Uppåkra. The curators of the Sonderskov Museum, Af Nick Schaadt & Lars Grundvad, have an article “Lokemasken – Var Loke en beskytter?” as does Peter Pentz’s article “Viking art, Snorri Sturluson and some recent metal detector finds” that explores some of these and similar pendants, including some that are Odinic in nature as the others have a mutilated eye.
Härad MaskUppåkra Mask
Additionally there’s been a pair of finds from the same boat burial grave in Bitterstad, Norway (the first discovered in 2012, the second in 2013) of more mask pendants (clearly meant to be a matched set). These had garnets for both eyes and the mouth. There is a theory it might be Loki as well, though they lack the sewn lips motif. Scholar Kevin J. Wanner’s article, “Sewn Lips, Propped Jaws, and a Silent Áss (or two): Doing Things with Mouths in Norse Myth“, explores connections between Loki and the mouth, and does so far beyond merely looking at the story in Skáldskaparmál.
In Germany, we have tantalizing food for thought. There is an Alammanic fibula (dated to the 6th or 7th century) that was found in a woman’s grave, known as the Nordendorf I fibula. (MacLeod & Mees’ Runic Amulets and Magic Objects touches upon it briefly). The fibula has an Elder Futhark runic inscription, the second line of which (logaþore / wodan / wigiþonar) appears to be a divine triad of Germanic Gods consisting of logaþore, Odin, and Thor. While debated, there is a theory that logaþore may be Loki (perhaps a heiti for him).
Nordendorf I fibula (front view), photo by BullenwächterIn modern times some adherents of Northern Tradition forms of polytheism have created some modern rites in honor of Loki. April Fool’s Day (April 1) is the first such date, as modern believers inspired by his creative problem solving (like the story from Þrymskviða of Loki dressing Thor up as a bride to get mjollnir back) have turned the day into a feast day for Loki. The second date is tied to Lokabrenna, but this date is a bit harder to pin down as you have to use astronomy programs to calculate when the heliacal rising of the Sirius star occurs in any given year (sometime in July or August). This later date arose in part as a counter to a push within heathenry to ban veneration of Loki out of the Troth (in particular any major gatherings like Trothmoot) and many other religious groups. In 2012 Galina Krasskova began to dedicate the month of July to Loki to fight back against that larger push within the community at large. She challenged others to join her giving Loki an offering a day, to carve out and take a stand for the veneration of Loki within our religious community. She wasn’t the only one pushing back against this, but her efforts helped to spearhead a movement, and one aspect of the movement by modern believers was in trying to reclaim the cultic worship we believe was tied to Loki with the Sirius star. Today it’s not uncommon to see hashtags like #JulyForLoki trending within our community.
Prayer by Wyrd Dottir, Art by Elena StripeUpdated: November 27, 2023 with reference to the possible Loki Mask pendants found in Sweden at Härad and Uppåkra.
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