Having a Sacred Space

“For me a shrine of stones he made,

And now to glass the rock has grown;

Oft with the blood of beasts was it red;

In the Goddesses ever did Ottar trust.”

The Goddess Freja, Speaking to the Devotee Ottar

Poetic Edda, Hyndluljoth

While the Asatru Folk Assemby has established several Hofs (three and counting) in North America, many Asatruar do not have ready access to an officially sanctified holy space in which to pay homage to the Gods. Such spaces/locations can be very helpful in establishing a sense of “connectedness” with the Holy Powers when communing with them.

Our European ancestors understood the value of such hallowed places. In the north, Horgar were created, often by piling stones into an altar, or enclosure. As described in the extract from the Poetic Edda that starts this post, these could be dedicated to a particular Divinity, or to the Gods in general.

In the south, the Romans built shrines, called Larariums, in every household. Here they would worship both their household deities (Lares), as well as the greater gods of their pantheon.

I strongly recommend that every practitioner of Asatru set apart such a space for their spiritual reflections and personal communion with the divine. Not only does having a sacred space set apart and enhance the specialness of your worship and meditation time, but it serves as a visible reminder, at all times, of the presence and importance of our Gods.

Most Horgar in ancient times would have been constructed in the outdoors, and it would be understandable if one wanted to emulate the practice of those Asatru forebears as closely as possible. If you have the land, that’s great. However, many do not have an outdoor area available where they can erect an altar. In addition, if there is a torrential storm raging at the time for your practice, it may be unpleasant, to say the least, to trudge out to the field to worship. This is why I included, above, the description of the Roman Lariums. Everyone has space in their home that can be set aside for the Gods.

Your Horgr (singular of Horgar), or altar, does not need to be huge, or elaborate. A tidy corner table, with candles, an offertory drinking horn/bowl, and perhaps some statuettes or carvings representing Divine Powers should suffice. This is your personal (or family) place for worship, so the manner it is constructed, and the items included in that construction, should be meaningful to you. The key thing to remember is that this space is sanctified and sacred– it is given to the Gods as their place in your home or on your property – and therefore should be used only for holy purposes.