Uppsala Part 2: Material Record and Traditions
In the previous post, I presented the literary evidence from mostly medieval authors which illustrated how Uppsala, Sweden was once a great cultural and religious center for the Norse people, particularly those who followed the Vanir gods as well as Odin, Thor, and others as well I am sure. In this post I wanted to examine the archaeological evidence which remains at the site, as well as the cultural traditions of the town itself as a gathering place for both society and economics, many of which still continue on in the modern age.
Material Record
One of the most striking remaining features at the site of Gamla Uppsala are the Royal Mounds, three large burial mounds, or barrows, which have been dated from the 5th and 6th centuries. As one of the oldest archaeological sites in Sweden, these mounds have become symbolic for the Swedish identity, and are often featured in variety of media as a symbol of national pride.
Excavations at the site in the 19th century were undertaken by the Swedish as a response to claims from some scholars of the time that the barrows were natural formations, rather than important burial sites for Swedish royalty. These excavations proved beyond a doubt that the barrows were indeed man made, and were the burial sites of royalty, due to the quality and amount of objects which were burned alongside the human remains found inside the tombs.
Gamla Uppsala has been settled by humans for about 2000 years, since it rose above water. At one point there were 2,000-3,000 burial mounds in the area, though now only about 250 remain due to cultivation and other human changes to the surrounding landscape. Most of these were burials by fire which were covered over, but several graves have also been discovered unburnt, and the area itself has produced a wealth of archeological objects from throughout Swedish history, many of which are now housed at an onsite museum.
A church was built there during the 11th century which still stands, and sonar and core sample excavations beneath the church have revealed the burnt remains of one or more large wooden structures which were once there. It is uncertain whether this is simply the remains of an earlier wooden church, or if it may be the remains of the famous Temple of Uppsala which is evident in the literary record, rumored to have been burnt to the ground during conversion.
Near the current church there is a man made plateau of clay, which is called the Plateau of the Royal Estate (Kungsgårdsplatån), on which excavations has revealed the remains of a large hall which once stood on the spot, perhaps once a residence of the royalty legend holds resided at Uppsala.
Though little remains of the settlement as a whole, the presence of a large human settlement is evident in findings within surviving graves and the cultural traditions which still abound in the area. The evidence clearly shows that Uppsala was a site central to Swedish society during the heyday of the Viking Age and perhaps predating it.
Traditions and Society
One of the most well known cultural functions of Uppsala was it's location as the traditional site for the Thing of all Swedes. The Thing for the Swedish people was held at Gamla Uppsala beginning in prehistoric times and continuing until medieval times, when the Swedes were converted, sometimes forcefully, to Christianity. A thing, for those unfamiliar with the concept, is simply a meeting or assembly to which all free persons were able to attend, and was presided over by lawspeakers. The thing was a meeting in which political and governmental decisions were made collectively, disputes were settled, and religious rites as well as commerce were performed.
According to Snorri Sturlson, well known for his transcription of the Eddas....
In Svithjod it was the old custom, as long as heathenism prevailed, that the chief sacrifice took place in Goe month at Upsala. Then sacrifice was offered for peace, and victory to the king; and thither came people from all parts of Svithjod. All the Things of the Swedes, also, were held there, and markets, and meetings for buying, which continued for a week: and after Christianity was introduced into Svithjod, the Things and fairs were held there as before. After Christianity had taken root in Svithjod, and the kings would no longer dwell in Upsala, the market-time was moved to Candlemas, and it has since continued so, and it lasts only three days. There is then the Swedish Thing also, and people from all quarters come there.
In the Viking age, the Thing at Uppsala coincided with the festival of Disablot, which was held in late February or early March. Disablot was a holiday for the Disir, ancestral feminine spirits that the Norse deified and sought assistance from in a variety of matters. The holiday was a sacrificial one, and it's purpose was to seek the blessing of the feminine spirits in blessing the coming years harvest as well as the year in general. In light of the sacrificial nature of this festival, it may be that some form of human sacrifice was performed yearly at Uppsala as part of an offering to the Disir.
These rites are mentioned briefly in Ynglinga Saga as follows...
King Adils was at a Disa sacrifice; and as he rode around the Disa hall his horse' Raven stumbled and fell, and the king was thrown forward upon his head, and his skull was split, and his brains dashed out against a stone. Adils died at Upsal, and was buried there in a mound. The Swedes called him a great king.
The festival of Disablot was by all accounts a time of great activity at Uppsala, and one of the more important of Swedish gatherings, if not the most important, in the yearly cycle. People traveled from throughout the country to Uppsala at this time, to meet, to trade, and to decide on a wide variety of matters. It was also a time to give offerings to the feminine gods in particular, and a time to celebrate after surviving the often times long and harsh northern winter.
Even in the modern age, yearly festivals are held at this time at Uppsala, in the form of a market and celebration called Disting. Though its official purpose was changed to reflect Christian ideals, the gathering itself never ceased, and it is likely that more and more modern day Swedes enjoy the festival more so because of its long and historic tradition in both pagan and christian paradigms. Regardless of the purpose, it is obvious that both old and new Uppsala will continue to be a revered by both the Swedish people and those who follow the traditions of the Norse far into the future.
In frith
Cena
Material Record
One of the most striking remaining features at the site of Gamla Uppsala are the Royal Mounds, three large burial mounds, or barrows, which have been dated from the 5th and 6th centuries. As one of the oldest archaeological sites in Sweden, these mounds have become symbolic for the Swedish identity, and are often featured in variety of media as a symbol of national pride.
 |
| Royal Mounds at Uppsala |
Excavations at the site in the 19th century were undertaken by the Swedish as a response to claims from some scholars of the time that the barrows were natural formations, rather than important burial sites for Swedish royalty. These excavations proved beyond a doubt that the barrows were indeed man made, and were the burial sites of royalty, due to the quality and amount of objects which were burned alongside the human remains found inside the tombs.
Gamla Uppsala has been settled by humans for about 2000 years, since it rose above water. At one point there were 2,000-3,000 burial mounds in the area, though now only about 250 remain due to cultivation and other human changes to the surrounding landscape. Most of these were burials by fire which were covered over, but several graves have also been discovered unburnt, and the area itself has produced a wealth of archeological objects from throughout Swedish history, many of which are now housed at an onsite museum.
A church was built there during the 11th century which still stands, and sonar and core sample excavations beneath the church have revealed the burnt remains of one or more large wooden structures which were once there. It is uncertain whether this is simply the remains of an earlier wooden church, or if it may be the remains of the famous Temple of Uppsala which is evident in the literary record, rumored to have been burnt to the ground during conversion.
 |
| Decorative Bronze Axe, Gamla Museum |
Near the current church there is a man made plateau of clay, which is called the Plateau of the Royal Estate (Kungsgårdsplatån), on which excavations has revealed the remains of a large hall which once stood on the spot, perhaps once a residence of the royalty legend holds resided at Uppsala.
Though little remains of the settlement as a whole, the presence of a large human settlement is evident in findings within surviving graves and the cultural traditions which still abound in the area. The evidence clearly shows that Uppsala was a site central to Swedish society during the heyday of the Viking Age and perhaps predating it.
Traditions and Society
One of the most well known cultural functions of Uppsala was it's location as the traditional site for the Thing of all Swedes. The Thing for the Swedish people was held at Gamla Uppsala beginning in prehistoric times and continuing until medieval times, when the Swedes were converted, sometimes forcefully, to Christianity. A thing, for those unfamiliar with the concept, is simply a meeting or assembly to which all free persons were able to attend, and was presided over by lawspeakers. The thing was a meeting in which political and governmental decisions were made collectively, disputes were settled, and religious rites as well as commerce were performed.
According to Snorri Sturlson, well known for his transcription of the Eddas....
In Svithjod it was the old custom, as long as heathenism prevailed, that the chief sacrifice took place in Goe month at Upsala. Then sacrifice was offered for peace, and victory to the king; and thither came people from all parts of Svithjod. All the Things of the Swedes, also, were held there, and markets, and meetings for buying, which continued for a week: and after Christianity was introduced into Svithjod, the Things and fairs were held there as before. After Christianity had taken root in Svithjod, and the kings would no longer dwell in Upsala, the market-time was moved to Candlemas, and it has since continued so, and it lasts only three days. There is then the Swedish Thing also, and people from all quarters come there.
In the Viking age, the Thing at Uppsala coincided with the festival of Disablot, which was held in late February or early March. Disablot was a holiday for the Disir, ancestral feminine spirits that the Norse deified and sought assistance from in a variety of matters. The holiday was a sacrificial one, and it's purpose was to seek the blessing of the feminine spirits in blessing the coming years harvest as well as the year in general. In light of the sacrificial nature of this festival, it may be that some form of human sacrifice was performed yearly at Uppsala as part of an offering to the Disir.
These rites are mentioned briefly in Ynglinga Saga as follows...
King Adils was at a Disa sacrifice; and as he rode around the Disa hall his horse' Raven stumbled and fell, and the king was thrown forward upon his head, and his skull was split, and his brains dashed out against a stone. Adils died at Upsal, and was buried there in a mound. The Swedes called him a great king.
The festival of Disablot was by all accounts a time of great activity at Uppsala, and one of the more important of Swedish gatherings, if not the most important, in the yearly cycle. People traveled from throughout the country to Uppsala at this time, to meet, to trade, and to decide on a wide variety of matters. It was also a time to give offerings to the feminine gods in particular, and a time to celebrate after surviving the often times long and harsh northern winter.
 |
| Disting market, 2008 |
Even in the modern age, yearly festivals are held at this time at Uppsala, in the form of a market and celebration called Disting. Though its official purpose was changed to reflect Christian ideals, the gathering itself never ceased, and it is likely that more and more modern day Swedes enjoy the festival more so because of its long and historic tradition in both pagan and christian paradigms. Regardless of the purpose, it is obvious that both old and new Uppsala will continue to be a revered by both the Swedish people and those who follow the traditions of the Norse far into the future.
In frith
Cena
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