The Afterlife

When one dies the Sál “shatters” freeing the Sálfr, which during its lifetime the sálfr should have superficially absorbed the hugr, minni, and possibly the ódhr. The Sálfr then inhabits the hamr (or continues to inhabit the hamr as the case may be) as it previously inhabited the lik. The fylgja then guides the sálfr to its destination before returning to Midgard to guide another individual, preferably a family member. What remains in Midgard is the lik, hamingja, and ond (which is permanently seperated at death).

Should the deceased be without heirs, the hamingja remains within the lik, and may even animate it (see The Unrestful); otherwise the hamingja is passed on to someone within the family, particularly a child named after him or her (to some this is called a “walk in”).

Depending on the path of the individual, many things can happen after death; but there are certain things that are inescapable. Many of the sálfr find themselves being lead by their fylgja to a realm known as Helgard, if one dies of sickness or natural causes related to sickness this is most certainly where they will dwell. Helgard is the land of the goddess Halja, and is a land full of beauty and enchantment, it is the land of eternal rest and comfort (stasis).

Others, who are followers of the Vanir, may find themselves being lead to Vanaheim, a realm of great forests, lakes, rivers, and natural beauty of all kinds.

For those who are followers of the Aesir, they find themselves following their fylgja to Asgard, home of the Aesir; a marvelous city full of merriment, beauty and wonder.

Those who are slain in battle find themselves following their fylgja, or a Valkyrie, until they find themselves in Vallhall or Folkvang, both great halls in the realm of Asgard, with other soldiers who have died in battle; ther they must fight day in and day out, reborn to fight anew when the new dawn approaches. I would hope that they have the option of leaving, should it arrise, otherwise the sure repitition of it does not tell me that it is desireable. One must keep in mind that these are The Chosen and known as the Einherjar. 

A note: many people try to justify getting into Asgard as Einherjar by citing battles as “battling against cancer” or “battling against AIDS” or any other terminal or mental handicap. Those of us who die of sickness are lead to Helgard, as previously mentioned, there is no shame or discomfort in that and in the end we are blissful. There are more ways to Asgard than dying in a battle.

Those who die at sea find themselves in the clutches of the Vanic goddess Rán, and forever must serve her. This is most undesireable but there is a way to avoid this. When boarding a sea vessel we must consider that we must make payment to her in exchange for our freedom in order to pass beyond her and be lead to the gods and goddesses. I always carry many unique coins (bronze age are good, otherwise silver coins should do nicely). It may even be possible that the dead the become Draugr of the see, tormenting the living whenever they get a chance.

Those who die with debt to the Svartalfar find themselves in Svartalfheim, and cannot be freed until the debt is paid off to their satisfaction. One must consider that in order to pass through to helgard one must first pass through Svartalfheim, and if one has a debt with the Svartalfar they must work it off before being allowed to pass (unless one is really clever but don’t count on it). More on this subject is in Mountains & Cliffs (below).

In some case the sálfr does not absorb the hugr and minni, and in these case are reincarnated, generally in the same family line. They are then reunited with their previous hamingja and fylgja. These individuals have a higher understanding, though often unknown to them, due to the fact that have a deeper subconscious memory and a previous bond with the hamingja and fylgja. These individuals generally become great leaders, and often, heroes.

So then what happens to the “bad people”? Well our religion doesn’t have damnation, though some may think so. To some damnation is being “dishonored” and becoming a “vargr”, or outcast.  That is a form of damnation in this world, but these unfortunate individuals find that there fylgja has long abandoned them. They are then forced to face eternity with no guide and so they wonder Midgard for eternity. This happens with very few people.

Mountains & Cliffs

One of the interesting aspects of life after death in our religion,  is that of the dead dwelling in the mountains. Landnámabók gives a number of references to certain Icelandic families who believe that after death they would pass in to a particular hill or mountain near their home, and to the realm of the dead.

The most detailed account of an entry into the mountains by the dead is given in Eyrbyggja Saga; Thrórólfr Monstræskegg (“Bragging-Beard”), a sincere follower of Thórr, is said to have held one particular mountain near his home in great reverence from the time he entered Iceland. Thórólfr believed that he and his family would dwell in the mountain after their deaths. (1)

Thórólfr was not just a sincere follower of Thórr, he was an ardent one. Before Thórólfr settled in Iceland he was chieftain and Temple Priest on the island of Moster. He was forced to settle in Iceland because he harbored Björn the Easterner, the son of Ketill Flatnefr and enemy of King Harald.

Before leaving Moster, Thórólfr disassembled his Hof and brought the timber to erect a new Hof in Iceland and he dedicated it to Thórr. Thórólfr settled at Hofstadir in Breidhafjord on the western coast, near Helgafell, an isolated mountain at Thorsness. This mountain was regarded so sacred by Thórólfr that no one was allowed to look upon it with an unclean face. No living being on Helgafell should be harmed unless it left the place on its own accord. (2)

After Thórólfr´s death, his son Thorstein Thorskabítr inherited the property. Thorstein became a powerful man, always having thirty freemen about him at all times. Thorstein, like his father before him, was an ardent follower of Thórr. He resided at Helgafell, which became the greatest sanctuary in Pre-Christian Iceland.

Thorstein was later drowned, along with his crew, on a fishing expedition.

Before the news of the drowning reached home, Thorstein´s shepherd was venturing in the mountains when he saw something at Helgafell, he was facing the Northern side of it when he saw that the mountain stood open, and the sounds of merriment could be heard coming from within. As he listened, he heard something that caught his attention, he realized that the company inside were welcoming Thorstein and his crew, and that Thorstein was invited to sit in the High Seat opposite his father. (3)

In Njáls Saga, there is another instance involving the drowning of men during a fishing expedition, whereupon they are seen entering a sacred mountain; however, in this instance the mountain is Kaldbak. It was said that Svanr, a Vitki, received good welcome as he entered the innermost depths of Kaldbakhorn Mountain, this was witnessed by several fishermen, all of whom stated that they saw only Svanr, none of Svanr´s crew accompanied him. Others stated that the fishermen were lying, though it was unlikely. Svanr was never seen again, alive or dead. (4)

Aud the Deepminded (5), the famous daughter of Ketill Flatnefr, converted to Christianity before she came to Iceland; Aud put up a cross in the hills to mark the spot where she would pray, this place was known as Krossholar. This place was afterwards held in great reverance, her kinsmen and descendants regarded it as a sanctuary, and later built an altar to the gods after reclaiming their faith “they believed that they would die into these hills.”

If this tradition is reliable, it seems to indicate that the belief in the dead entering the mountains may be an unpracticed aspect of other like-minded traditions, and their is evidence in the Fornalder Sogur and the Flateyjarbok, and in Bardar Saga Snarfellsass, which seems to be based on memories of this aspect. (6) From Landnámabók again we learn that similar beliefs were connected with both Thorasbjorg and Millifell Mountains into which the kinsmen of Selthorir, who were followers of our gods (7), and Heidarr (8) wished to dwell after their deaths.

The belief that the soul of the dead passes into certain holy mountains is one that has continued in Old Lappish Faiths up to modern times, and is part of the Skertru belief. (9) It is not uncommon that we may fare-forth to these mountains. (10) These Hamr-farers may commune with the dead, while those gifted in the art of Seidh may allow the dead to speak through them. In other words, they use the mountain as a gateway to the other worlds to find the deceased in question, as opposed to visiting its grave directly. In the account in the Eyrbyggja Saga the mountain, like the burial mound is represented inside like a hall, and their is probably some connection between the grave, and the mountain in which the dead dwell. (11)

It may be noted that in order for one to pass on to Helgard after they die they must pass through Svaralfheim beforehand. You will notice that you cannot venture directly to Helgard from Midgard (see section on the Nine Worlds, and illustration therein). Also note that it is not uncommon for one to venture to Svartalfheim by way of mountains, after all the Svart Alfs and Dark Alfs are said to live in the mountains. I believe that when one is seen going “into the mountains” that what is actually being seen is that person beginning their journey to Helgard. It is also possible that the mountains in question are a gateway directly to Helgard itself. One should also note that Holde is often related to cliffs and one may be inspired by “cliff-sitting” (sker-setja).

The denizens of Svaralfheim, Dark Alfs and Svart Alfs, are different from one another. (12) The Dark Alfs are the ghosts of the dead, whereas the Svart Alfs are none other than the skilled dwarves themselves. The Dark Alfs that are said to dwell in the mountains may actually be searching for this gateway to Helgard. However, the mountains are not their only home, they are also the ghosts of barrow-mounds, and blessings were often left for them so that they would watch over the lands, and even come to aid those in need. It is also possible that the Dark Alfs are the ghosts of the men who dealt with the Svart Alfs extensively and may possibly owe them favors before passing on to Helgard.

The Svart Alfs are also the dwellers of Svartalfheim and the mountains. In the beginning the Svart Alfs created themselves, the Aesir then discovered them and gave them humanoid shape. The Svart Alfs had come alive as maggots do in meat. (13) Therefore they were not created from maggots, but instead lived as moggots would by “eating” their home; I interpret the words “as maggots” to mean that the Svart Alfs lived off Ymir, in other words, they lived within the earth and mined its riches. In this way they eat their home as a maggot would. It should also be noted that some of the Svart Alfs are not living beings as we know it, Daín (Dead One) for example. It is probable that after they have lived their extremely long lives that they continue to “live” and never leave Svartalfheim at all, continuing to dwell (and work) even after their death.

This supports the idea of the mountains acting as gateways to Svartalfheim and therfore Helgard. It is well known that some dead go to Helgard, although they are not limited to Halja´s realm. However, there is ample proof that our dead may become Dark Alfs and simply dwell in sacred mountains, or their grave, before they cross the threshold into Helja´s realm. Undoubtedly the mountains act as gateways in one way or another.

 The Unrestful 

In modern times there has been much discomfort with the possibility of the living dead. Many individuals may feel an eerie desire to ask for protection while walking through a cemetery or visiting a grave mound; their religion, or lack thereof,  may deny the possibility of the undead, but this doesn’t explain the feelings of fear or the emotions that they may feel.

Accepting the possibility, and even dealing with, the undead has been a part of other societies for thousands of years. After close examination of the Sagas and Folktales of what were once Asatru and Vanatru societies one eventually finds reference to the undead, more commonly known as Draugr.

The Icelandic Dictionary defines Draugr as:

DRAUGR, m [Lat. truncus is perhaps akin]: I. a dry log, Edda (GI.); this sense, however, only occurs in old poets, in compounds such as el-draugr, ben-dr., hirði-dr., her-dr., óðal-dr., jó-dr., gervi-dr., in poetical circumlocutions of a man, cp. Edda 68, 85. II. metaph. in prose (as it is now used), a ghost, spirit, esp. the dead inhabitant of a cairn was called draugr, Ld. 326, Fms. iii. 200, Bs. i. 256, Stj. 492. I Sam. xxviii. 15, Róm.  186, 217, Orkn. 210 (in a verse), Fas. (Hervar. S.) i. 436-438, Hkv. 2. 49, Ísl. (Harð.S.) ii 47 (in a verse); it also occurs in the verse on the Runic stone in Schonen, quoted and explained in Rafn Antiq. Orient. 178, but it is uncertain whether it is here used in the first or second sense. a sluggard, a drone who walks about as a ghost; draugs-ligr, adj.; drauga-skapr, m.;  draugast, að, to walk about like a ghost. metric., vide draughentr above. COMPNDS: drauga-drottin, m. the lord of ghosts is one of the names of Odin, Hkr. i. 11. drauga-fé, n. boards in cairns or tombs, Fas. ii. 368. drauga-gangr, m. a gang of ghosts. drauga-sögur, f. pl. ghost stories in nursery tales, for a collection of such, vide Ísl. þjóðs. i. 222-354.

The Draugr are not supernatural individuals, the Draugr are however superhuman. The Draugr are known to have superhuman strength and use this to their advantage whenever possible. They use their strength to wrestle their opponents, and overtake them; in some cases they don’t resort to wrestling.

The more intelligent Draugr wait for an unsuspecting individual to approach them whereupon they slap them in the head, killing the victim instantly as seen in the Icelandic story White Cap.

.........there is a boy and a girl, the boy being more mischievious of the two; one day the girls mother sent her to fetch the linen, and she saw a figure (a Draugr) sitting on it’s Howe. The girl thought it was the boy playing a trick on her so she ran up to it and stole his cap exclaiming “you shall not frighten me this time”. When she arrived at home the boy was waiting for her. The cap she then noticed was half full of earth. The Draugr remained at his Howe and eventually the village wanted to do something about it. The village elder proclaimed that the girl must put the cap back on its head while everyone watched in complete silence. The girl approached the Draugr, put the cap back on its head and said, “are you satisfied now?” The Draugr raised its hand and gave her a fearful blow to the head and exclaimed “Yes, but are you now satisfied?”; the little girl fell down dead, and the Draugr sank into the earth.

A Draugr is created when someone who was not among the kindest of sorts dies; this person, being of ill will and full of spite would have “unfinished business” in the world of the living. At this person’s death some parts of the soul remain within the lik (body), the hamr (hide), remains within the lik and keeps the Draugr in its undead state, the hamr also contains the hamingja (personal power) that acts as a form of sustenance for the Draugr. In all instances the fylgja has abandoned the individual.

The vehicles of hamingja are flesh and blood, and the Draugr hungers for these, but this does not make it a vampire (a vampire possibly being a romanticized Draugr). The Draugr can drain hamingja, and courage, with its icy-cold touch.

Draugr occur naturally when the hamingja, for unknown reasons, doesn’t leave the lik; this is why some Draugr are simply mindless “walkers.” Draugr occur unnaturally when a powerful Vitki or Seidhster dies and by force of will, the mind also remains within the lich. The body does not decay, but does show signs of recent death, such as swelling or a bluish-black color; this would in effect be the equivalent of “physical immortality.”

Draugr occur in nature although they are often regarded as non-existent, especially among those with the most fear of them. The Draugr appear more commonly within cultures who have not [totally] converted to Christianity, in other words, societies that use, and believe in Magickal Arts, especially Necromancy.

The most recent account of a Draugr sighting (that has been made public) occured in 1911. Teutonic Religion refers to a case recorded in Old Lore and Miscellany. This case stated how a farmer disturbed a grave mound and the inhabitant appeared wearing Hel-shoes (“of horse or cowhide tied on with strips of skin on his feet”) and warned the farmer that if he took another shovelful that there would be six cattle deaths in his cornyard and six deaths in his household; the Draugr was never seen afterwars but it’s proclamation came true. There were six cattle dead, along with six deaths in the household. Should an individual receive a warning from a Draugr it should be taken more seriously than the above example. Draugr have no emotion, or pity and may often test those who have no respect for them, as in the example set in the Icelandic Tale: A Ghost’s Vengeance.

...........two friends are talking about corpses. The first friend says that if he saw one that he would do his best for it and bury it; the second says “I shall take no such trouble, but pass it by like any other carrion.” The second friend later finds the body of an old woman lying in the road, but passes it by paying no attention to it. The next night the old woman came to him and said. “No thanks to you for your neglect of me: for you did me neither good nor evil.” She was quite unsightly, the man grabbed a knife and chased her out of the house while screaming. “Shall I stab you, you old witch!?” He went back to bed and saw the Draugr a second time; in her hand she held her bloody lungs, all clotted with blood and acted as though she would strike him with them. He jumped out of bed but before he could reach her, she disappeared. He got into bed and she appeared a third time and tried to strangle him, he got up to attack her, she disappeared. This went on until his untimely death.

Another trait of the Draugr is that they are unusually heavy. An example being the following from the Flateyjarbók:

...........Now it was not long before sickness came to Thorstein’s home, and was taken ill his wife first, whose name was Grimhild. She was most robust and strong as a man, and yet the sickness overpowered her.....and died Grimhild. But when she was dead, Thorstein went out of the room for a board to lay the corpse on. ...for now she raises herself up on her elbow, and stretches her feet out from the bedside, and grasps for her shoes. At the same time Thorstein the Housemaster came in, and Grimhild laid down, and creaked there by every timber in the room. Now Thorstein makes a coffin for Grimhild’s body, and brought it away, and buried it. He was both a very tall and strong man, but he needed all of that before he got her away from the house.......

In the case of particularly strong and troublesome personalities the lik will no longer consent to confine its energies within the grave mound, but takes offense and leaves it to cause trouble elsewhere. These Draugr are just as individual after death as they were in life.

One of the more sinister Draugr was Thórólfr Bægifotr. Thórólfr was a strong and sinister person, he went into a fit of rage at being bested by his son in one of his evil designs. The Draugr killed both men and cattle, he also battered the roof of his former home by ‘riding’ upon it until the people who lived there were driven to the point of insanity, and abandoned the farm (this is a very common thing for Draugr to do). After some time his son, Arnkell, the only person that Thórólfr feared in his life, dug up his body and buried it on a lonely hill. There was peace for some time, until the death of Arnkell, then the draugr killed men and cattle as he had done in the past.

Another man was found to dig him up once more. The Draugr’s body was still undecayed, and was “as black as Hel and as huge as an ox.” “Afterwards the Draugr was burned (an effective way to kill Draugr), however the man responsible for the deed paid for it with his life.

NOTES:

1. Eyrbyggja Saga IV; “and he believed that he thither would go when he died, and all his kindred Lain the Ness”.

2. History of Iceland, Gjerset.

3. Landnámabók doesn´t contain this reference, but states, “it was the belief  of the kinsmen of Thórólfr that they would all die into the fell”.

4. Njáls Saga XIV. The fact that Svanr´s crew were not seen entering the mountain could be that they were not of the Norse Faith (Asatru).

5. Aud the Deepminded was a very influencial woman in Iceland. Aud was the widow of King Olaf the White of Dublin. After her later husband Thorstein died, and her father as well, she became the recognised head of the family since both of her brothers (Bjorn the Easterner and Helgi) had left Norway. She became lonely and decided to join her brothers in Iceland. With her came her grandchildren, slaves, servants and twenty freemen (colonists). She stayed with Bjorn for a while and later settled in Hvam in Hvamsfjord. Aud then liberated her slaves and gave the settlers, and former slaves, land to settle. All where Christian, their descendants reverted to Asatru. 

6. Fostering by Giants in Saga Literature, H.R. Ellis-Davidson.

7. Landnámabók, II.

8. Landnámabók, III.

9. They are known as Seidhmenn or Seidhkonur respectively, if they use the Runes to fare-forth they are known as Vitkis.

10. The Road to Hel, by Hilda R. E. Davidson refers to Utersuchungen ü. Totenkult und Odinnverehrung bei Nordgermanen und Lappen, Unwerth.

11. Note that Thórólfr is not buried at Helgafell; Haugsness is nearby.

12. Teutonic Religion, Kveldúlf Gundarsson.

13. Teutonic Mythology Vol. II, Grimm.

Glossary

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