Blót, Faining, Sumble, Húsel: A Guide to Ritual Terminology

As there is by now (2008) no shortage of books and websites giving information on the various branches of the Northern religion, you will see a wide variance between individuals and groups as to what terminology they use for ritual.  While I do not claim to be The Ultimate Expert or Authority on this sort of thing, and generally just use the word "offering" to describe... well, an offering... I know that there is a lingua franca among people in the Northern religion and when you are making an offering, it helps to know what kind of offering it is.  Whether you are a n00b or a novice, I hope this article helps to clarify Which Ritual Is Which.


Blót
This is the word used most commonly by Heathens and Nordic Pagans to describe an offering given to the Gods.  However, 9 times out of 10, when you hear a Heathen speak of performing Blót, they are actually not performing Blót but something more conservative reconstructionists (such as the Theodisc) refer to as "Bumble".

Historically, Blót ("bloat", rhymes with "goat") was done by sacrificing a choice livestock.  From my Lore research I find that livestock (cow, usually) was traditionally sacrificed around Winternights, and a boar sacrificed at Yuletide.  Livestock Blót would also be done when the individual or community needed something, exemplified by Thorkel giving a steer to Frey in Viga-Glum's Saga after he had been wrongly accused of crime and driven off his land.  The word Blót is cognate with "blood".  If there was a communal Blót, the blood of the sacrificed animal would be sprinkled on the gathered folk.

Metaphysically speaking, we can see the Blót as being an energy exchange between the Gods and the people.  First of all, the animal has to be given rightly.  Many times the animal would be picked out as being the biggest or healthiest of the litter, and raised with the intent in mind of it being a votary animal, given special diet, special care, etc.  The animal would then be slaughtered, at the appropriate time, in the cleanest and quickest manner possible, and I believe thanks was given to the spirit of the animal (as we see among other peoples).  The first and best part of the animal would be given to the Gods, and the rest of the animal used for food to feed the gathered folk.  The blood of the animal represents the life force of the animal, and if the Gods accepted the offering -- often the meat burnt in a fire -- the blood of the animal would be imbued with the Gods' blessing.

Because of the act of sprinkling, many/most modern Heathens have updated this to feel that sprinkling mead on attendants is acceptable.  I feel they have missed the point.  There is no historical precedence for sprinkling alcohol, for starters.  It is not the act of sprinkling itself, it is the life force of the animal endowed with the Gods' blessing.  Mead does not really serve as the same sort of vessel, besides which, it's a waste of perfectly good mead.  When you get into the act of rounds on the horn followed by sprinkling, you now see why it is called Bumble.

Most Heathens have neither the land nor the knowhow to give an animal rightly, and I have never seen a "lesser" food animal (rabbit) being given as Blót in the Lore (I have heard of some moderns doing it, although that strikes me as feeling a bit "off").  So, how do we offer?  Let's go on to our next category to find that out:


Faining
The word "faining" comes from the Old High German word "fagende" (fah-YEN-dah), meaning "to celebrate".  The most common form of faining is to offer a libation, usually of high-quality mead, beer, or ale, to a Deity.  There is no prescripted formula of faining and it will vary widely from participant to participant, but I will often combine the libation with candles, incense, and poetry or song.  While I have a ritual room in which to hold faining, I sometimes enjoy going into a more natural place to honor specific Deities -- faining Njord at the beach, faining Ullr or Woden in the woods, faining Frey in a park or on farmland.


Sumble
Sumble is most commonly employed by a group, such as a Kindred, or seen at large regional or national moots and Things.  It involves a horn, usually filled with mead, passed around the group in rounds -- no less than three, sometimes more than that -- for toasts, boasts, and oaths: toasts to the Gods and honorable dead, boasts of personal accomplishments, and oaths to make bigger and better accomplishments within a specific time frame.  The words spoken over the communal horn change the luck of the people attending, metaphysically representing runes working upon the layers of Wyrd in the well.  It is needless to say a very serious event, and not every person within the Northern religion/s has ever had a sumble.  Due to its serious nature, it is not mandatory, and certainly should not be forced on those who don't have anyone to sumble with or feel ill-prepared for such an event.  There are other ways to hold ritual, after all.  A more in-depth look at the rite of sumble can be found in this article.


Húsel
Húsel is similar to Blót, but not quite.  While a Blót involves a livestock sacrifice, húsel does involve food, but not necessarily that which you killed yourself.  Húsel is more akin to feasting, with the first portion of food -- meat, sides such as vegetables, bread -- going to the Gods.  Húsel is far more laid back than Blót: Blót seems to have been performed as an annual obligation and in times of need, and is all about the energy exchange of life force, empowering the Gods and recycling back to improved life for the attendants.  Húsel is less about asking and more about enjoying the Gods and the present company.  A greater explanation of both faining and húsel can be found here in this article.


Your mileage will of course vary depending on which group or which individual you are speaking with, but as far as my own write-ups of my ritual practice, this is the terminology as I define it.

(C) 2008 Sigrun Freyskona.