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Subscribe to this list via RSS Blog posts tagged in history

Posted by on in Paths Blogs

Heathens were known for high grooming standards, in comparison to other European peoples. They even had a day of the week set aside for ritual bathing, Laugrdagr, which later became Saturday. How much this custom was influenced by Rome and Byzantium is an open question, but the question that intrigues me right now is: what did they use for fragrances? Or did they not use them?

My new fascination with perfumes and my lifelong study of heathen history intersect here. I didn't recall ever seeing any mention of what perfumes the ancient heathens made or wore, either in the Viking Age or before. But I thought that possibly it was because I was not seeking that information when I read about those times.

When Germanic mercenaries served the Emperor of Byzantium, they lived among his courtiers in Constantinople, and were seen at his palace enough for historical accounts of their doings to have been written by Emperors and Imperial courtiers. They were effectively a mercenary royal guard, not front line troops. They would surely have had access to the same grooming and luxury items as other senior servants and hired courtiers.
 
The court of the Byzantine Empire, also called the Eastern Roman Empire, had access to an amazing variety of luxury goods. They had perfumes from Cypress, Egypt, and India. We don't know if the Germanic people at the Byzantine court used them or not. 
 
The later Viking obsession with wearing silk may have started with an association between being a successful mercenary and wearing Byzantine luxuries. By the Viking Age, cloth was the major export of the northern countries. Yet, wearing cloth of obvious foreign make was a status item.
 
And of course the Vikings raided all over Europe and traded much farther. Silk Road type items appeared in the far north. I'm familiar with the cloth and jewelry finds, because I studied that intentionally. 
 
Were there perfumes found? Either of foreign manufacture or local? No, it appears that none have been found. They did have ritualized bathing and could have used soap or locally sourced materials, possibly even fragrant herbs, but if they did, we don't know what it was. Since grooming objects such as combs are common finds, it seems likely that if they did regularly use something for bathing that needed to be manufactured and stored in containers, some would have been found.
 
Perhaps they were minimalist about their ritual bathing. They may have used local materials that dissolved such as salt or clay, but it's possible they used nothing at all. The goal of a ritual bath is to be both physically and spiritually clean. They may have considered adding things to be bath to be counter to the goal of becoming as pure and clean as possible. 
 
It's an interesting question. Like so many other questions, it is something we can only speculate about. The written materials we have on historical heathenry was largely about the concerns of the writers' patrons, who were kings. So we have tales about great deeds of arms. Stories about adventures, and conquering heroes. The small details of everyday life like bathing were things no one bothered to record because everyone knew. 
 
I have one final thought on this subject. One of the great attractions in the capitol of Iceland is a natural hot springs which feeds a large pool. It was undoubtedly one of the things that attracted people to settle there. When supplied with such a wonderful natural hot bath, perhaps historical heathens felt they did not need to add anything to the experience. Just go right in the way it came from nature. Using perfumes or bath products may have seemed unnecessary when supplied with such perfection.
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Recent Comments - Show all comments
  • Erin Lale
    Erin Lale says #
    Steven, there is a sauna tradition across northern Europe, from Norway to Russia, centering on Finland, which may have been its or
  • Steven Posch
    Steven Posch says #
    Erin, can you think of any references to the sauna/sweat-bath in the Norse lore? I've always thought it a circumpolar tradition ge

Posted by on in Culture Blogs
With Harm to None

Cooped up at home, feeling nostalgic? Jump in my vegetarian time machine and take it back. Way back. I wrote and delivered this sermon for a contest held by the Unitarian Universalist Animal Ministry. I had to pare it down for delivery time, but enough of the history section includes "Pagan" vegetarian forebears that I think it deserves a spot here. Also included are modern reasons for a plant-based diet, such as personal health and environmentalism. For more info on the Unitarian Universalist Society (which also includes a covenant for UU Pagans), check out https://www.uua.org/.

 

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Posted by on in SageWoman Blogs
Something from the Oven

There was an advertising phrase that went, "Nothing says loving like something from the oven…" however, I think the advertising agency had it backward. It's the love in the preparation that does this. The oven only helps, as do the ingredients, preferably as clean and fresh as possible. Love helps us to choose them, as well as to guide the utensils used in the preparation. Furthermore, the focus of the mind is an important ingredient as well. If I am angry or upset when I am preparing food, it could affect the way it tastes as well as the way it is digested. Though I can't prove it, it's my belief that thoughts and feelings can be powerful in their effect on food.

A study of this potential would make an interesting experiment for a science project, though it could be difficult to set up. I do really enjoy cooking. Though I've never had any courses or training for it and am completely self-taught, I get great praise from those who taste my cooking. I remember one person saying, "This must be Tasha's kitchen because it smells so good." Another time, I had prepared a tropical entrée made with bananas with other ingredients, baked inside their skins. When I stopped one guest from cutting into his, he said, "Oh, I thought if you had cooked it, I could eat it." I laughed and thanked him.

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My Favorite Incense Books: The Complete Incense Book by Susanne Fischer-Rizzi

There are a lot of useful, and entertaining, books about incense.  One of my favorites is The Complete Incense Book.  Published in 1998, this was one of the first additions to my personal incense library.  It is organized geographically and takes the reader on a tour of incense from around the world.  As the author moves through each region, she discusses the history of incense, as well as the ingredients that originate from that area.  She offers an assortment of incense recipes for each region as well.  While the recipes are all for “loose” incense, they are varied and quite interesting.

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A Brief History of Witchcraft: Part Two

When the Witchcraft Act was repealed in 1951, people started to come out of the broom closet. Gerald Gardner was one of the first, who was mentioned earlier. Gardner was the one who came up with the word, Wica, to denote his spiritual path.

Naturism was a big fashion in the 1920s and 30s, and Gerald was a naturist (hence the skyclad part of his particular tradition of witchcraft). There was even a naturist camp that opened up near his home. He became involved in the Rosicrucian Theatre, and later came across Masonic (Fellowship of Crotona) practices and the work of Margaret Murray, which he incorporated into his ideas for this spiritual path. With the help of Alistair Crowley, he came up with beautiful poetry for his tradition, which was also a contentious point for one of Gardener’s High Priestesses, the aforementioned Doreen Valiente. Gardener created the witch tradition that he was seeking, and Valiente wrote it down eloquently and made sense of it all.[1]

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Lemons are Lucious when Sweetened

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Liquid Glow: A Brief History and Myths Surrounding Mulled Wine

Mulled wine is a staple beverage throughout Europe during the winter season. I remember Christmas shopping in Wϋrzburg as a kid and passing by vendors selling the beverage, the blend of cinnamon, cloves, orange peel, and other spices wafting through the crisp, cold air.

Mulled wine has a long history, dating back to at least as far as the 2nd or 3rd century BCE, when the Greeks and Romans would boil wine, then add honey and spices to the concentrated beverage. They called it by a variety of names, including mulsum, rapa, carenum, and defrutum (Fosbroke).

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