November 7, 2011
-
Pagan art
#Pagan #art
The blot
My son had to do a project about....depicting a ritual through art. Knowing our Nordic and Germanic heritage he chose an Asatru ritual called a #blot, the most common ritual they use to honor the Norse Pagan gods. The blot is a blessing and represent a change of gifts between man and the divine. In this Pagan #heathenism the gods are not above man but rather the god's and man is walking alongside each other...each according his/her own nature. During the blot they will fill a horn with mead, a type of honey wine. The horn is then past around...and each person reflect and/or commit to a Norse gods e.g. Odin, #Thor, Freya, Sif etc. The actual mead is just a symbol of the gift they give to the god or goddess, which is their devotion loyalty and remembrance of the principles represented by the deity. Finally the horn is held up in the air as a final gift before the gods before it is poured into the ground.
In Norse tradition a gift received must be answered with a gift. So the gods will return a gift. In return the god's give them things like courage, inspiration and wisdom etc. To receive the gift the horn is again filled with mead and lifted high so that the gifts of the gods can be poured into the mead. The #mead is then poured into a bowl and sprinkled with a sprig onto the people as symbol of the god's gifts. The mead, that is left, is poured out onto the ground.
In the painting the hand with the Hammer of course represent Thor the Norse War god. The valley in the background is to show that it is a nature religion. The horn with the mead flowing out onto the earth is on the right bottom. Finally the tree on the left with the exposed roots represent the tree of life called Yggdrasil.
What is important for me is that we strive to define the divine....and then to make it part of our life. I am not trying to promote this as an answer or religion but we can certainly learn about humanity's need to feel infused and connected with the divine. We do it in different ways following different rituals. The blot is a lovely ritual irrespective of whether you share the belief or not. The point is that we can look at a religion and respect it and appreciate what the people are trying to do.
Comments (16)
Religious art rituals can take many forms - the pouring of libations is/was a common European one - smashing that champagne bottle on a newly built ship's prow is another. I suppose the origin of the Spanish Bullfight also has its roots in animal sacrifice
the most interesting one I've personally seen is the Balinese Barang dance where the dancers fall into frenzied dances calling forth Ragna - and thus ridding themselves of evil sprits as Ragna is defeated by the Barang - a sort of dragon propelled by several dancers. At the end of the dance a blood sacrifice must be made - usually a bird is killed and the blood sprinkled around.The Christian Mass where the wine and wafer are symbolically turned into the Blood and Body of Christ is probably the most widely practiced ritual of this type currently practiced - it is traditionally surrounded with many forms of art - painting, musical, sculpture, etc.
The art very nicely shows how our creativity shares in the divine, as do your words.
Nice blog and very illuminating. Which shows that within the many branches of religion, all serve their purpose and all one way or another, help the follower find answers to the questions he seeks. Thats why any of us when walking into a temple, no matter what domination, we must do so with upmost respect.
@tychecat - The world of ritual and studying various forms of rituals is a facinating journey. I have not heard about the ritual of the Balinese Barang ...I will look it up and read about it too. I wonder what makes a good ritual... the number of people participating, the symbols, the sense of connection with the divine...many rituals of cause tries to appeal to the subconsciousmind as a path to a deeper understanding of a teaching. Thank you. You are again teaching me new things.
@an_OM_aly - Spirituality, Art, Science and Philosophy is for me the corner stones of a full experience of the creative.
@The_Eyes_Of_A_Painter - Yes, Brother....and as each find answers, each will be drawn towards light, life and love.
Sounds complicated but enlightened.
Very well written definately yet again one of those post that keep ya thinking... I don't like thinking of my faith as a "religion" ... tho To me... Religion is like a set of traditions and doctrine people just do cause their mom did , their mom's mom did it ect. like routine.... But to me I have a Relationship (w/Jesus) and that is far better to of learned vs. religion.... however I do feel in general though even though I have Christian belife systems that ... It is wrong to judge others for their belifes ,rituals , cultral traditions , religions ... Even If I may not personally 100% beleive in them or agree I think it is important for us in society in general to respect one another's belifes and cultures. It is warming when we get as human beings to agree to disagree, and to love unconditionally and to see the differences as beauty that makes the world a better place vs. "everyone should think how I think" In all actuality that is unrealistic. So Beautifully put and very intresting
~ Hugs and Love ~ Leslie -Ms_BeautyExpert
very interesting... old traditions are really beautiful in its honesty and rawness
Awesome post!
If god is but pagan myth what real value can the divine have in our lives? I think the mythology in your post is quaint and the artwork exceptionally beautiful, nevertheless.
@RestlessButterfly - every religion or spiritual direction has its own insight it treasures
@Ms_BeautyExpert - I always say that respect for what other believe nor appreciation for another's believe implies agreement. Thank you for sharing what your relationship with Jesus means to you
@tribong_upos - Most religions are founded on what people believe to be trie and beneficial. Thank you for commenting
@xXxlovelylollipop - Awesome that you took time to comment
@homealivein45 - the divine when embraced almost always uplifted man to an appreciation for beaauty and an eagerness to know more...each must take responsibility for there own belief system and continue to question its validity and impact on sosiety
Interesting. Never heard of a blot.
@ohellino - an internet search will give you much information if you want to learn more.
Comments are closed.