Celebrate this Spooky Season with Álfablót, the Ritual of Elves

Seeing as we’re firmly within spooky season now, we thought we’d let you know about a lesser-known Halloween tradition: the secret Viking celebration of Álfablót.

Get álfa here!

The Álfablót was (and still is!) a celebration that takes place at the end of the harvest season and was generally a sacrifice to the álfar, or elves. These are often thought to be ancestors of any given family, and were therefore deserving of the fattest, juiciest, and most delicious sacrifices the Vikings could offer!

Unlike most other blóts (rituals), the Álfablót was a very personal celebration for each family and, as a result, strangers weren’t allowed anywhere near the farms and homesteads of the usually hospitable Norsemen. It wasn’t at all uncommon for travellers to be left out on the road with no food or shelter while the festivities were going on – as a disgruntled poet by the name of Sigvatr Þórðarson would tell you!

Celebrating the rite way

To tell you the truth, we don’t really know exactly what rites and rituals would have been performed at a traditional Álfblót. It was an extremely personal tradition that likely varied from family to family. We do know that the lady of each household would have led the festivities, and that in all likelihood it was held to celebrate and honour each house’s ancestors (not unlike the Day of the Dead, which is still celebrated today).

We can, however, guess a few other details based on other blóts that took place throughout the year. For one, it’s probably a safe bet that there was some sort of blood sacrifice involved, probably of a very well-fed pig or horse! There would have also been plenty of refreshments provided, likely beer or mead (as is tradition at every major Viking celebration).

Until next blót

So, now that you know what you need to do to celebrate Viking Halloween, why not check out our latest blog about our newest general Davout here? 

And, while you’re at it, sign up for the Total War: ELYSIUM closed beta here!

And finally, take a look at this video from Serious Trivia that shows off how best to use the Shattered Keyword – check it out here.