On Animal Sacrifice

Edred Thorsson

​ 33, Fall 1997, pp. 24-25

Source: ​Iduuna #

This article was written in response to a question posed on the esoteric significance of animal
sacrifice.

Our ancestors practiced animal sacrifice. This is true. Indeed, in an ideal world, with a fully
restored Troth, we would revive the practice… But in such a world of the future it would have to
be done right. The Edda abounds with injunctions against incorrect modes of sacrifice. This was
not for “moral” reasons, as might be understood by many today, but for practical reasons of
effectiveness. Doing a “bloody” blessing incorrectly is much worse than not doing it at all.

More on this question can be found in A Book of Troth, pages 45-49.

To understand what will be said in conclusion two important definitions must be established:

1) To our ancestors “sacrifice” was a mode of ​gift giving ​between divinities and humans.
Through giving of such gifts, between two humans, or between Gods and humans,
bonds​ are forged- - this is the purpose of re-ligion (this reconnection). To sacrifice is to
give.
2) The animal in the process is really an original ​gift​ from the God (corresponding to that
animal) to humans. In slaughtering the animal the officiating priest is returning the right
portion of the God’s own manifestation to its place of origin with the God. The animal is a
true physical manifestation of the power or quality that the God is: the sow of Freyja, the
boar of Freyr, the goat or ram of Thórr, and so on. This meaning of the animal must be
borne in mind at every step of the way when considering the correctness of the practice
of animal sacrifice. It will be noted that our way of considering this is very different from
that of the ancient Hebrews or modern practitioners of Santería-- their attitudes are
irrelevant to our considerations.

The most important​ technical ​aim of the form of the practice of animal sacrifice is that the
animal should suffer no fear and no pain in the process of being hallowed to the Gods and
Goddesses. This is because if, as we have seen, the animal is a virtual ​part​ of the God or
Goddess we are bound to honor and with whom we want to make a connection, the last thing
we want to do is cause the God or Goddess pain or discomfort through our botching of the
sacrificial process. It would be rather like going to a brothers’ Yule-Fest and kicking the man’s
hound as a way of saying “Thank you”! But this is what one does, and worse, when one causes
fear and pain to be inflicted on the sacrificial animal. As you can imagine, the God’s return
payment-- for a gift always looks for gain-- would not be pleasant in such a case.
It takes years of training to become an Elder in the Lore-- or so it should. But Elders or​ godhar,
let’s be honest, can deal in interpretation and subjective “hedges.” This is not so of one who
would perform a “bloody” blessing. Any one who would dare such an act would have to be
trained extensively in the art and craft of “hallowing” the animal-- that is, killing it-- in a manner
which caused the animal/divine representation no fear or pain. Our ancestors had technologies
for this, such as lightning quick strokes of weapons, or the slow release of blood, or even slow
methods of suffocating the animal-- “to put it to sleep:” (Old Norse ​sóa ​or Old English ​swebban​).
But who can teach these technologies today? If it is done incorrectly, which will be obvious to all
who would witness such an event, the would-be blessing becomes a curse. Although it may
take extensive training to learn this craft, the witnesses need no more training than they get right
here in this article. As a witness, the moment you see any sacrificial animal bolt in fear, or
scream in pain-- at that moment the would-be blessing becomes a curse. Most of all the curse
falls upon the head of the one who is inflicting the fear and pain on this very manifestation of our
Gods and Goddesses, but those witnessing it are not free of the mark either. Once this whole
process is truly understood, I think there will be very few, who are not really prepared, to step
forward and claim that they can perform such blessings. Who would dare, before the gathered
folk, try his (or her) hand at this sacred craft?

At the time when someone can step forward and so perform blessings in this manner, then, and
only then, can the practice of animal sacrifice be reintroduced into the Troth with any benefit.