CHAPTER XXI. 



RELIGION. ALTARS, TEMPLES, HIGH-SEAT PILLARS, ETC. 



The most primitive form of altar The earliest Asa temple in the North 

 The temples in Norway and Denmark Size and materials of temples 

 Their magnificence Temple priests Support of temple Holiness and 

 sacredness of temples High-seat pillars Sacred pegs. 



THE horg was a sacred altar, built of stones, often mentioned 

 in the Eddas and Sagas, but never described, and was quite 

 distinct from the stalli, or altar. Perhaps it was an enclosed 

 structure, or was built over a sacrificing mound or upon some 

 elevation. Its primitive form makes it undoubtedly of far 

 greater antiquity than the temple, though both were retained 

 as we see in later times by the people in their worship. 

 It seems to have been especially used for sacrifices to the 

 Alfar and Asar ; x and from the words of Freyja to Hyndla, 

 who was her friend, when speaking of Ottar, we find that 

 a horg had been raised to her by the latter, and sacrifices 

 made to her. 



He made me a horg 

 Beared of stones ; 

 Now have these stones 

 Become gler. 2 



He reddened it in 

 Fresh ox blood. 

 Ottar believed 

 Always in Asynjur. 



[Hyndlulj6d, st. 10.] 



The first temple belonging to the Asa creed which Odin 

 is fabled to have established was at Sigtuna ; afterwards the 

 most celebrated of all the temples in the North was that of 

 Upsala, but unfortunately we have no description of it in the 



1 From Vafthrudnir's answer to Odin 

 about Njovd's origin we find that he 

 ruled over temples and horg. (Vafthriid- 

 nismal, 38.) 



2 Shining like glass. Amber is called 

 gler; and in Sigrdrifumal, st. 17, we 

 find that runes were written on gler or 



amber. 



The horg is also mentioned in Vo- 

 luspa, 7 ; Helgakvida Hjorvardssonar, 4 ; 

 Landnama ii. 16 ; Elder Gulathing's Law, 

 ch. 29 ; Orvar Odd, p. 29 ; Hervarar 

 Saga, 1. 



