Sonargöltr
Encyclopedia
The sonargǫltr or sónargǫltr was the boar
sacrificed as part of the celebration of Yule
in Germanic paganism
, on whose bristles solemn vows were made, a tradition known as heitstrenging
.
Hervarar saga ok Heiðreks refers to the tradition of swearing oaths on Yule Eve by laying hands on the bristles of the boar, who was then sacrificed in the sonar-blót
:
" adds that the oaths were sworn while drinking the bragarfull toast:
the sonarblót is used for divination
(til frettar).
The association with the Yule blót and with the ceremonial bragarfull gives the vows great solemnity, so that they have the force of oath
s. This becomes a recurring topos in later sagas. The choice of a boar indicates a connection with Freyr
, whose mount is the gold-bristled boar Gullinbursti
, and the continuing Swedish tradition of eating pig-shaped cakes at Christmas recalls the heathen custom. According to Olaus Verelius' notes in his 1672 edition of Hervarar saga ok Heiðreks, part of this jula-galt would then be saved for mixing with the seed-corn and giving to the plough-horses and ploughmen at spring planting. As Jacob Grimm
pointed out, the serving of a boar's head
at banquets and particularly at Queen's College, Oxford may also be a reminiscence of the Yule boar-blót.
It was formerly usual to spell the word sónargǫltr and to interpret it as "atonement-boar" (the rare element sónar- can also mean "sacrifice"). However, following Eduard Sievers
, it is usually now spelled with a short o and taken as meaning "herd boar, leading boar", as Lombard
sonarþair is defined in the Edictus Rothari
as the boar "which fights and beats all other boars in the herd".
Boar
Wild boar, also wild pig, is a species of the pig genus Sus, part of the biological family Suidae. The species includes many subspecies. It is the wild ancestor of the domestic pig, an animal with which it freely hybridises...
sacrificed as part of the celebration of Yule
Yule
Yule or Yuletide is a winter festival that was initially celebrated by the historical Germanic people as a pagan religious festival, though it was later absorbed into, and equated with, the Christian festival of Christmas. The festival was originally celebrated from late December to early January...
in Germanic paganism
Germanic paganism
Germanic paganism refers to the theology and religious practices of the Germanic peoples of north-western Europe from the Iron Age until their Christianization during the Medieval period...
, on whose bristles solemn vows were made, a tradition known as heitstrenging
Heitstrenging
Heitstrenging, also known as Hietstrenja, Heitstrengingar or Strengdir, was the Norse ritual of making solemn vows, particularly at Yule...
.
Hervarar saga ok Heiðreks refers to the tradition of swearing oaths on Yule Eve by laying hands on the bristles of the boar, who was then sacrificed in the sonar-blót
Blót
The blót was Norse pagan sacrifice to the Norse gods and the spirits of the land. The sacrifice often took the form of a sacramental meal or feast. Related religious practices were performed by other Germanic peoples, such as the pagan Anglo-Saxons...
:
[O]k skyldi þeim gelti blóta at sónarblóti. Jólaaptan skyldi leiða sónargöltinn í höll fyrir konúng; lögðu menn þá hendr yfir burst hans ok strengja heit.One of the prose segments in "Helgakviða Hjörvarðssonar
[A]nd they would sacrifice a boar in the sonarblót. On Yule Eve the sonar-boar was led into the hall before the king; then people laid their hands on its bristles and made vows.
Helgakviða Hjörvarðssonar
Helgakviða Hjörvarðssonar is a poem collected in the Poetic Edda, found in the Codex Regius manuscript where it follows Helgakviða Hundingsbana I and precedes Helgakviða Hundingsbana II...
" adds that the oaths were sworn while drinking the bragarfull toast:
Um kveldit [jólaaftan] óru heitstrengingar. Var fram leiddr sónargöltr. Lögðu menn þar á hendr sínar ok strengðu menn þá heit at bragarfulli.In Ynglinga saga
That evening [of Yule Eve] the great vows were taken; the sacred boar was brought in, the men laid their hands thereon, and took their vows at the king's toast.
Ynglinga saga
Ynglinga saga is a legendary saga, originally written in Old Norse by the Icelandic poet Snorri Sturluson about 1225. It was first translated into English and published in 1844....
the sonarblót is used for divination
Divination
Divination is the attempt to gain insight into a question or situation by way of an occultic standardized process or ritual...
(til frettar).
The association with the Yule blót and with the ceremonial bragarfull gives the vows great solemnity, so that they have the force of oath
Oath
An oath is either a statement of fact or a promise calling upon something or someone that the oath maker considers sacred, usually God, as a witness to the binding nature of the promise or the truth of the statement of fact. To swear is to take an oath, to make a solemn vow...
s. This becomes a recurring topos in later sagas. The choice of a boar indicates a connection with Freyr
Freyr
Freyr is one of the most important gods of Norse paganism. Freyr was highly associated with farming, weather and, as a phallic fertility god, Freyr "bestows peace and pleasure on mortals"...
, whose mount is the gold-bristled boar Gullinbursti
Gullinbursti
Gullinbursti is a boar in Norse mythology.When Loki had Sif's hair, Freyr's ship Skíðblaðnir and Odin's spear Gungnir fashioned by the Sons of Ivaldi, he bet his own head with Brokkr that his brother Eitri wouldn't have been able to make items to match the quality of those mentioned above.So to...
, and the continuing Swedish tradition of eating pig-shaped cakes at Christmas recalls the heathen custom. According to Olaus Verelius' notes in his 1672 edition of Hervarar saga ok Heiðreks, part of this jula-galt would then be saved for mixing with the seed-corn and giving to the plough-horses and ploughmen at spring planting. As Jacob Grimm
Jacob Grimm
Jacob Ludwig Carl Grimm was a German philologist, jurist and mythologist. He is best known as the discoverer of Grimm's Law, the author of the monumental Deutsches Wörterbuch, the author of Deutsche Mythologie and, more popularly, as one of the Brothers Grimm, as the editor of Grimm's Fairy...
pointed out, the serving of a boar's head
Boar's Head Feast
The Boar's Head Feast is probably the oldest continuing festival of the Christmas season.-History:This pageant is rooted in ancient times when the boar was sovereign of the forest. A ferocious beast, and menace to humans, it was hunted as a public enemy. At Roman feasts, boar was the first dish...
at banquets and particularly at Queen's College, Oxford may also be a reminiscence of the Yule boar-blót.
It was formerly usual to spell the word sónargǫltr and to interpret it as "atonement-boar" (the rare element sónar- can also mean "sacrifice"). However, following Eduard Sievers
Eduard Sievers
Eduard Sievers was a philologist of the classical and Germanic languages. Sievers was one of the Junggrammatiker of the so-called "Leipzig School"...
, it is usually now spelled with a short o and taken as meaning "herd boar, leading boar", as Lombard
Lombards
The Lombards , also referred to as Longobards, were a Germanic tribe of Scandinavian origin, who from 568 to 774 ruled a Kingdom in Italy...
sonarþair is defined in the Edictus Rothari
Edictum Rothari
The Edictum Rothari was the first written compilation of Lombard law, codified and promulgated 22 November 643 by King Rothari. The custom of the Lombards, according to Paul the Deacon, the Lombard historian, had been held in memory before this...
as the boar "which fights and beats all other boars in the herd".
Sources
- Eduard SieversEduard SieversEduard Sievers was a philologist of the classical and Germanic languages. Sievers was one of the Junggrammatiker of the so-called "Leipzig School"...
. "Sonargǫltr". PBBBeiträge zur Geschichte der deutschen Sprache und LiteraturThe Beiträge zur Geschichte der deutschen Sprache und Literatur is a German academic journal publishing articles on German language and literature...
16 (1892) 540–44. - Anne HoltsmarkAnne HoltsmarkAnne Elisabeth Holtsmark was a Norwegian philologist.-Personal life:She was born in Kristiania, the second of five children of Gabriel Gabrielsen Holtsmark and Margrete Weisse , and grew up in Kristiania and Ås...
. "Sonargǫltr". Kulturhistorisk Leksikon for Nordisk Middelalder Volume 16, 1971. p. 433