July 13, 2025 • 18 mins
Think offerings and sacrifices are the same thing? Think again. In this deep dive, we explore one of the most fundamental—and misunderstood—practices in pagan traditions: giving gifts to the gods.
From ancient Greek temple ceremonies where entire communities gathered to share sacred meals, to modern pagans leaving apples on kitchen altars, we'll unpack what our ancestors actually did (spoiler: it wasn't all dramatic Hollywood stuff) and how these practices have evolved for the 21st century.
We'll cover the real difference between offerings and sacrifices, explore traditions from Greek thusia to Norse blót, and get practical about modern approaches that won't break your bank or get you weird looks from the neighbors. Plus, we'll tackle the environmental considerations that matter in today's world—because littering isn't honoring nature spirits, it's just littering.
Whether you're looking to deepen your existing practice or just curious about what pagans actually do when nobody's watching, this episode cuts through the mystical jargon to give you practical, grounded information you can actually use.
Topics Covered:
- The crucial difference between offerings and sacrifices
- Historical practices across Greek, Norse, and Celtic traditions
- Modern adaptations for apartment dwellers and budget-conscious practitioners
- Environmental considerations for responsible practice
- Common mistakes and how to avoid them
Content Warning: This episode discusses historical animal sacrifice in an educational context.
"Old Gods and New Pagans" explores ancient wisdom and modern pagan practices with curiosity, respect, and just enough skepticism to keep things interesting. New episodes drop every [frequency] wherever you get your podcasts.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:01):
Hello there and welcome to the Old Gods and New
Pagans podcast.
I'm your host, matt Holloway,your guide through the wild and
wonderful world of pagantraditions.
Whether you're a seasoned pagan, a curious newcomer or just
here for the stories, you're inthe right place.
I'm all about exploring ancientwisdom, modern practices and
everything in between.
I like taking pagan educationand traditions and putting them
(00:23):
into easily understandable andaccessible formats.
So grab a cup of tea, maybe acoffee or beer, get comfortable
and let's dive into today'stopic.
Today we're talking aboutofferings and sacrifices, two
concepts that get thrown arounda lot in pagan circles, often
interchangeably, but they'reactually quite different beasts.
(00:45):
We'll explore what ourancestors did, what we do now
and how to navigate this wholething without accidentally
offending a deity or possiblygetting yourself on a watch list
.
Before we dive in, quickcontent warning we're going to
discuss historical animalsacrifice a little bit Nothing
(01:05):
graphic, but I just want you toknow what you're getting into.
This is educational stuff, nota how-to guide Remember, nobody
has all the answers but askingquestions.
That's where we learn.
All right, let's start with thebasics, because and I cannot
stress this enough because and Icannot stress this enough
offerings and sacrifices are notthe same thing, despite what
(01:29):
that person who read that onebook on witchcraft or paganism
might tell you.
They're not.
An offering is essentially agift.
I like to see them as a guestgift.
You're giving something to adeity, a spirit or nature of the
universe itself as a sign ofrespect, of gratitude or to
build a relationship.
Think of it like bringingflowers to a dinner party You're
(01:52):
not expecting anything specificin return, but you're showing
up with good intentions.
A sacrifice, on the other hand,involves giving up something of
value, and I mean real value,with the understanding that
you're permanently losing it.
The word literally comes fromthe Latin sacrificium, meaning
to make sacred.
You're taking something fromthe mundane world and
(02:16):
consecrating it, often throughdestruction.
Here's the key difference.
Offerings can be retrieved,reused or consumed later.
That apple you left on youraltar, you can eat it tomorrow
if you want, but a sacrificethat's gone forever.
When our ancestors threwweapons into bogs or burned
(02:37):
grain in fires, they weren'tcoming back for that shit.
In modern practice, most of whatwe do are offerings.
We've moved away from thepermanent destruction model for
many obvious reasons, you know,namely it's expensive, it's
often impractical and, let's behonest, most of us can't afford
to burn money in the literalsense.
(03:00):
You know what I mean.
But here's where it getsinteresting.
Some modern pagans practicewhat we might call symbolic
sacrifice.
They'll give up somethingmeaningful, maybe a favorite
piece of jewelry, thrown into ariver, or they may fast for a
day or donate money or itemsthat they'd rather spend or use
themselves.
The key is that genuine senseof loss.
(03:26):
Now there are many types ofofferings, so we're going to
talk about a few differentthings.
So much as like the bread andbutter of modern pagan practice,
you know offerings.
These come in differentvarieties.
They come in more varietiesthan, let's say, craft beer at a
Portland festival.
So let's break them all down.
(03:46):
First we have food and drink.
They're probably the mostcommon Bread, fruit, wine, milk,
honey, mead, beer, etc.
Basically, anything you'd serveto a guest.
The logic is prettystraightforward If you'd offer
it to someone you respect, thegods would probably appreciate
it too.
Plus, food offerings have thisbeautiful temporary quality they
(04:10):
decay, they change, they becomepart of the earth again.
They can be composted, they canfeed wildlife, things like that
.
Another thing is incense andsmoke offerings.
They're huge across manycultures around the world,
because there's really somethingprimal about watching smoke
rise up, carrying yourintentions and prayers with it.
(04:32):
Whether it's frankincense, sage, cedar, juniper, whatever, or
just whatever's in your kitchenspice rack, throw some cinnamon
sticks on there, you're creatingsomething ephemeral and quite
beautiful Fire offerings.
Now they step things up alittle notch.
We're talking about actuallyburning stuff.
Papers with written prayers,small tokens, even hair or nail
(04:56):
clippings were common in sometraditions.
There's something deeplytransformative about watching
fire consume your offering.
Just, you know, don't burn downyour house.
Your landlord probably won'taccept religious practice as an
excuse.
If you catch my drift, naturalitems are everywhere Flowers,
(05:16):
stones, shelves, leaves, coolsticks.
These work especially well ifyou're working with nature,
spirits or earth-based deities.
The ocean doesn't care aboutyour expensive crystals, but it
might appreciate that beautiful,perfect shell you found on your
morning.
Creative offerings are anothertype.
These are where things get kindof interesting and a little fun
(05:38):
for the creative types.
Art, music, poetry, danceanything that comes from your
creative soul would be acreative offering.
I even know pagans who writesongs for their deities, fold
them up and put them in a fire.
I know others who paintportraits of the gods and
different things.
There's some really awesomeInstagram creators out there
(06:00):
that do that, and then some whoperform just elaborate dances in
the living rooms or in theiryard.
The gods appreciate beauty, andwhat's more appreciative than
human creativity?
And here's one that peopleoften forget Time and energy.
Sometimes the most valuablething you can offer is your
attention, meditation, prayer,acts of service.
(06:22):
These are offerings too.
That hour you spendvolunteering that counts Now.
Now let's get into disposal.
That's where things can get alittle odd.
Some offerings are meant tostay put, like on my altar.
I have certain items that stayput a bottle of mead and a few
(06:46):
other things up there that justkeep them as like guests, guest
gifts and they stay thereconstantly.
I don't move them, don't touchthem.
They're just on my altar.
For that reason, others need tobe disposed of respectfully.
Food offerings shouldn't sitaround and get moldy.
That's gross and not verysacred, if you ask me.
(07:07):
Most can be composted, buriedor left for animals.
Just don't leave anything outthere.
That's harmful to wildlife.
Now let's Talk about gettinginto the elephant of the room.
Sacrifices and yes, I mean thekind that involves permanent
(07:28):
loss, not just setting youralarm a little earlier on Sunday
mornings.
That's not much of a sacrifice.
Historically, sacrifice was abig fucking deal.
We're talking about communitiescoming together to slaughter
valuable animals, burn preciousgoods or throw weapons worth
more than a year's wages into alake or spring.
This wasn't casual Sundaymorning spirituality.
(07:51):
This was serious business withserious life consequences.
The historical context is reallycrucial here.
In ancient societies, animalsweren't just food, they were
wealth.
Cattle, sheep, goats these wereyour bank account walking
around on legs.
When you sacrificed a bull toZeus, you were literally burning
(08:13):
money.
That's a lot of what made itsacred that genuine loss.
Different types of sacrificesvaried widely across cultures.
The Greeks had their elaboratetemple ceremonies with priests
and proper procedures.
The Norse had bloats orcommunity gatherings where
animals were killed, their bloodused in the ritual and the meat
(08:34):
shared among participants.
Celtic traditions involvedeverything from grain offerings
thrown into fires to moredramatic sacrifices in sacred
groves.
But here's what's important tounderstand these weren't just
random acts of violence anddestruction.
They were deeply ritualized,community-sanctualized events
(08:55):
with specific purposes ensuringgood harvests, victory in battle
or divine favor during a timeof crisis.
Modern symbolic sacrifices thoseare a little different animal
entirely.
Some contemporary paganspractice forms of personal
sacrifice giving up luxuries,fasting or permanently donating
(09:17):
something valuable, possessions,things like that.
The key is that genuine senseof loss.
If it doesn't hurt just alittle bit, it's probably not
that much of a sacrifice.
Ethical considerations are hugehere as well.
We live in different times withdifferent values.
Most modern pagans, and mostdeities as well, aren't
(09:39):
interested in animal sacrificesmuch anymore.
We've evolved past that andthank God for it.
But the underlying principlethe giving up something valuable
to show devotion that part isstill relevant.
Transforming ancient practicesis what modern paganism does
best.
Instead of burning grain, maybeyou fast for a day.
(10:00):
Instead of throwing weapons ina lake, maybe you donate money
you'd rather spend on yourself,or donate items you'd rather
keep for yourself.
The form changes, but theintention remains.
Let's take a tour through somespecific cultural practices,
(10:20):
because this stuff gets reallyinteresting when you see how
different societies approach thesame basic concepts.
The Greeks were incrediblysophisticated.
They had specific animals forspecific gods, proper procedures
for everything and elaboratetemple complexes designed around
sacrifice.
But here's the thing it wasn'tjust about the gods.
(10:41):
These were community events.
The meat was shared, the hideswere used, different types of
offerings, libations of wine oroils, first fruits from harvests
(11:01):
, and what they called bloodlesssacrifices pretty much what we
would call just basic offeringstoday.
They understood the differencebetween giving something up
permanently and sharingsomething with the divine Norse
bloat is pretty fascinating tome because it was so
community-centered.
These weren't private rituals,they were public events where
(11:23):
the entire communities cametogether.
The word bloat itself means toblood or to strengthen.
The idea was that thesesacrifices literally
strengthened the bonds betweenthe humans and the gods, and
they also strengthened the bondswithin the community as well.
But the Norse were verypractical people.
The animals were eaten, theblood was used for the blessing
(11:45):
and the bones were often carvedinto tools or jewelry.
Nothing was ever wasted.
It was sacrifice, but it wasalso resource management.
One thing about the Norse bloatthat I find really fascinating
is it's believed that they wouldtake the blood and, like,
sprinkle it over a field inorder to kind of bless that
field or giving that blood backto nature or to the gods.
(12:06):
But when we look at it with amodern context, sprinkling blood
over a field is fertilizer.
It's high nitrogen, has a lotof iron, a lot of other minerals
that are needed for plants togrow.
So not only were they honoringtheir deities and their beliefs
and spirits, they were literallyfertilizing their fields with
(12:28):
these practices.
So when you look at it fromthis context, nothing went to
waste.
Again, it was all about thatresource management.
Now Celtic traditions are alittle harder to pin down
because, well, the Celts weren'treally interested in writing
things down.
They're like verbal culture.
But from what we can gatherfrom archaeological evidence and
(12:51):
later sources, they had acomplex relationship with
sacrifice.
We've got evidence of weaponsthrown into water in springs,
animals buried in ritual contextand, yes, probably some human
sacrifice during extremecircumstances.
To be honest, human sacrificehappened all over the world in
(13:11):
pretty much every tradition.
But the Celts also had gentlerpractices leaving food at sacred
sites, offering crafted goodsto nature's spirits and what we
might call maintenance offeringsor regular small gifts to keep
the relationship with the otherworld healthy.
Modern adaptations are where itgets creative.
(13:34):
Contemporary Celticreconstructionists might leave
offerings at a sacred well,Norse heathens might share mead
in honor of their ancestors andGreek polytheists might pour
libations to their householdgods.
The common threads across thesetraditions Reciprocity,
community and the understandingthat the relationship between
humans and the divine requiresmaintenance.
(13:55):
You can't just show up when youneed something.
You need to build and maintainthese relationships over time,
(14:16):
alright, so let's get practical.
You're sold on the idea, buthow do you actually do this
stuff without breaking the bankor getting some weird looks from
your neighbors?
Well, environmentalconsiderations are huge.
We live in a world that'salready struggling with waste
and pollution.
Throwing plastic trinkets intorivers isn't honoring nature's
spirits.
It's just littering.
Stick to biodegradablematerials and, for the love of
(14:38):
all that's sacred, don't leaveanything harmful to wildlife.
If you do, you're an asshole.
Indoor versus outdoor practicesWell, most of us live in
apartments, subdivisions or justhave really nosy, freaking
neighbors.
Indoor offerings work just fine.
That windowsill altar with acup of water, maybe some flowers
(14:59):
and a dish of incense it'sperfectly valid and it's okay.
You don't need a sacred grovein your backyard like I do.
Budget-friendly options areeverywhere.
The gods don't need a sacredgrove in your backyard like I do
.
Budget-friendly options areeverywhere.
The gods don't care about yourcredit score, neither do I.
A handful of bird seed, a cupof coffee, a can of light beer,
a piece of fruit from yourkitchen these are all valid
(15:22):
offerings and they're valuable.
The intention matters more thanthe price tag and they're
valuable.
The intention matters more thanthe price tag.
Digital alternatives mightsound a little weird, but hear
me out.
Some modern pagans createdigital art as offerings,
compose music or even designelaborate virtual altars.
I've seen some really awesomevirtual altars out there.
If you're working with deitiesof technology, crafting or
(15:44):
communication, this might beexactly what they're looking for
.
Some common pitfalls to avoidDon't leave food offerings out
so long they become scienceexperiments.
That's gross.
Don't assume expensive itemsequals better it doesn't.
Don't feel guilty if you can'tafford elaborate offerings and
please, for everyone's sake,don't sacrifice your neighbor's
(16:07):
cat.
That's fucking murder, notreligious.
Don't do it.
The key is consistency overextravagance.
Better to leave out a smalloffering regularly than to go
all out once and then forgetabout it for six months and just
don't do it.
So you may ask what's thetakeaway here?
(16:27):
Offerings and sacrifices arefundamentally about relationship
building, whether you'releaving apples for your
household spirits making a moresignificant sacrifice for a
major life change.
We are engaging in one ofhumanity's oldest practices the
recognition that we are notalone in this universe.
The forms have evolved, but theheart remains the same.
(16:48):
We give because we recognizethat we've received, we
sacrifice because some thingsare worth more than their
material value, and we maintainthese practices because the
relationship between the humanand the divine requires
attention, just like any otherrelationship.
Personal practice development isgoing to be different for
(17:11):
everyone.
So start small, be consistentand pay attention to what feels
right for you and your spiritualpath.
The gods have been around formillennia.
They're pretty patient.
They'll wait for you to figureit out millennia.
(17:31):
They're pretty patient.
They'll wait for you to figureit out.
Adapting traditional methodsdoes not mean you're doing it
wrong.
It means you're doing whathumans have done, taking ancient
wisdom and making it work inthe modern world.
That's not disrespectful,that's evolution and what humans
have done for millennia.
Next episode, we might be divinginto seasonal celebrations,
maybe, and how different pagantraditions mark the turning of
(17:54):
the wheel and how they honorthose different things Should be
fun.
The exact direction may change,but you may touch on things
like bloats, samhain and otherspiritual practices.
So until then, keep exploring,keep asking questions, question
everything around you andremember the best spiritual
(18:16):
practice is the one you'llactually do.
The small, tiny practices arewhat build a pagan path.
Thanks for joining me.
Old gods and new pagans.
I'm Matt Holloway and I hope tosee you in the next one.
Hello there and welcome to the Old Gods and New
Pagans podcast.
I'm your host, matt Holloway,your guide through the wild and
wonderful world of pagantraditions.
Whether you're a seasoned pagan, a curious newcomer or just
here for the stories, you're inthe right place.
I'm all about exploring ancientwisdom, modern practices and
everything in between.
I like taking pagan educationand traditions and putting them
(00:23):
into easily understandable andaccessible formats.
So grab a cup of tea, maybe acoffee or beer, get comfortable
and let's dive into today'stopic.
Today we're talking aboutofferings and sacrifices, two
concepts that get thrown arounda lot in pagan circles, often
interchangeably, but they'reactually quite different beasts.
(00:45):
We'll explore what ourancestors did, what we do now
and how to navigate this wholething without accidentally
offending a deity or possiblygetting yourself on a watch list
.
Before we dive in, quickcontent warning we're going to
discuss historical animalsacrifice a little bit Nothing
(01:05):
graphic, but I just want you toknow what you're getting into.
This is educational stuff, nota how-to guide Remember, nobody
has all the answers but askingquestions.
That's where we learn.
All right, let's start with thebasics, because and I cannot
stress this enough because and Icannot stress this enough
offerings and sacrifices are notthe same thing, despite what
(01:29):
that person who read that onebook on witchcraft or paganism
might tell you.
They're not.
An offering is essentially agift.
I like to see them as a guestgift.
You're giving something to adeity, a spirit or nature of the
universe itself as a sign ofrespect, of gratitude or to
build a relationship.
Think of it like bringingflowers to a dinner party You're
(01:52):
not expecting anything specificin return, but you're showing
up with good intentions.
A sacrifice, on the other hand,involves giving up something of
value, and I mean real value,with the understanding that
you're permanently losing it.
The word literally comes fromthe Latin sacrificium, meaning
to make sacred.
You're taking something fromthe mundane world and
(02:16):
consecrating it, often throughdestruction.
Here's the key difference.
Offerings can be retrieved,reused or consumed later.
That apple you left on youraltar, you can eat it tomorrow
if you want, but a sacrificethat's gone forever.
When our ancestors threwweapons into bogs or burned
(02:37):
grain in fires, they weren'tcoming back for that shit.
In modern practice, most of whatwe do are offerings.
We've moved away from thepermanent destruction model for
many obvious reasons, you know,namely it's expensive, it's
often impractical and, let's behonest, most of us can't afford
to burn money in the literalsense.
(03:00):
You know what I mean.
But here's where it getsinteresting.
Some modern pagans practicewhat we might call symbolic
sacrifice.
They'll give up somethingmeaningful, maybe a favorite
piece of jewelry, thrown into ariver, or they may fast for a
day or donate money or itemsthat they'd rather spend or use
themselves.
The key is that genuine senseof loss.
(03:26):
Now there are many types ofofferings, so we're going to
talk about a few differentthings.
So much as like the bread andbutter of modern pagan practice,
you know offerings.
These come in differentvarieties.
They come in more varietiesthan, let's say, craft beer at a
Portland festival.
So let's break them all down.
(03:46):
First we have food and drink.
They're probably the mostcommon Bread, fruit, wine, milk,
honey, mead, beer, etc.
Basically, anything you'd serveto a guest.
The logic is prettystraightforward If you'd offer
it to someone you respect, thegods would probably appreciate
it too.
Plus, food offerings have thisbeautiful temporary quality they
(04:10):
decay, they change, they becomepart of the earth again.
They can be composted, they canfeed wildlife, things like that
.
Another thing is incense andsmoke offerings.
They're huge across manycultures around the world,
because there's really somethingprimal about watching smoke
rise up, carrying yourintentions and prayers with it.
(04:32):
Whether it's frankincense, sage, cedar, juniper, whatever, or
just whatever's in your kitchenspice rack, throw some cinnamon
sticks on there, you're creatingsomething ephemeral and quite
beautiful Fire offerings.
Now they step things up alittle notch.
We're talking about actuallyburning stuff.
Papers with written prayers,small tokens, even hair or nail
(04:56):
clippings were common in sometraditions.
There's something deeplytransformative about watching
fire consume your offering.
Just, you know, don't burn downyour house.
Your landlord probably won'taccept religious practice as an
excuse.
If you catch my drift, naturalitems are everywhere Flowers,
(05:16):
stones, shelves, leaves, coolsticks.
These work especially well ifyou're working with nature,
spirits or earth-based deities.
The ocean doesn't care aboutyour expensive crystals, but it
might appreciate that beautiful,perfect shell you found on your
morning.
Creative offerings are anothertype.
These are where things get kindof interesting and a little fun
(05:38):
for the creative types.
Art, music, poetry, danceanything that comes from your
creative soul would be acreative offering.
I even know pagans who writesongs for their deities, fold
them up and put them in a fire.
I know others who paintportraits of the gods and
different things.
There's some really awesomeInstagram creators out there
(06:00):
that do that, and then some whoperform just elaborate dances in
the living rooms or in theiryard.
The gods appreciate beauty, andwhat's more appreciative than
human creativity?
And here's one that peopleoften forget Time and energy.
Sometimes the most valuablething you can offer is your
attention, meditation, prayer,acts of service.
(06:22):
These are offerings too.
That hour you spendvolunteering that counts Now.
Now let's get into disposal.
That's where things can get alittle odd.
Some offerings are meant tostay put, like on my altar.
I have certain items that stayput a bottle of mead and a few
(06:46):
other things up there that justkeep them as like guests, guest
gifts and they stay thereconstantly.
I don't move them, don't touchthem.
They're just on my altar.
For that reason, others need tobe disposed of respectfully.
Food offerings shouldn't sitaround and get moldy.
That's gross and not verysacred, if you ask me.
(07:07):
Most can be composted, buriedor left for animals.
Just don't leave anything outthere.
That's harmful to wildlife.
Now let's Talk about gettinginto the elephant of the room.
Sacrifices and yes, I mean thekind that involves permanent
(07:28):
loss, not just setting youralarm a little earlier on Sunday
mornings.
That's not much of a sacrifice.
Historically, sacrifice was abig fucking deal.
We're talking about communitiescoming together to slaughter
valuable animals, burn preciousgoods or throw weapons worth
more than a year's wages into alake or spring.
This wasn't casual Sundaymorning spirituality.
(07:51):
This was serious business withserious life consequences.
The historical context is reallycrucial here.
In ancient societies, animalsweren't just food, they were
wealth.
Cattle, sheep, goats these wereyour bank account walking
around on legs.
When you sacrificed a bull toZeus, you were literally burning
(08:13):
money.
That's a lot of what made itsacred that genuine loss.
Different types of sacrificesvaried widely across cultures.
The Greeks had their elaboratetemple ceremonies with priests
and proper procedures.
The Norse had bloats orcommunity gatherings where
animals were killed, their bloodused in the ritual and the meat
(08:34):
shared among participants.
Celtic traditions involvedeverything from grain offerings
thrown into fires to moredramatic sacrifices in sacred
groves.
But here's what's important tounderstand these weren't just
random acts of violence anddestruction.
They were deeply ritualized,community-sanctualized events
(08:55):
with specific purposes ensuringgood harvests, victory in battle
or divine favor during a timeof crisis.
Modern symbolic sacrifices thoseare a little different animal
entirely.
Some contemporary paganspractice forms of personal
sacrifice giving up luxuries,fasting or permanently donating
(09:17):
something valuable, possessions,things like that.
The key is that genuine senseof loss.
If it doesn't hurt just alittle bit, it's probably not
that much of a sacrifice.
Ethical considerations are hugehere as well.
We live in different times withdifferent values.
Most modern pagans, and mostdeities as well, aren't
(09:39):
interested in animal sacrificesmuch anymore.
We've evolved past that andthank God for it.
But the underlying principlethe giving up something valuable
to show devotion that part isstill relevant.
Transforming ancient practicesis what modern paganism does
best.
Instead of burning grain, maybeyou fast for a day.
(10:00):
Instead of throwing weapons ina lake, maybe you donate money
you'd rather spend on yourself,or donate items you'd rather
keep for yourself.
The form changes, but theintention remains.
Let's take a tour through somespecific cultural practices,
(10:20):
because this stuff gets reallyinteresting when you see how
different societies approach thesame basic concepts.
The Greeks were incrediblysophisticated.
They had specific animals forspecific gods, proper procedures
for everything and elaboratetemple complexes designed around
sacrifice.
But here's the thing it wasn'tjust about the gods.
(10:41):
These were community events.
The meat was shared, the hideswere used, different types of
offerings, libations of wine oroils, first fruits from harvests
(11:01):
, and what they called bloodlesssacrifices pretty much what we
would call just basic offeringstoday.
They understood the differencebetween giving something up
permanently and sharingsomething with the divine Norse
bloat is pretty fascinating tome because it was so
community-centered.
These weren't private rituals,they were public events where
(11:23):
the entire communities cametogether.
The word bloat itself means toblood or to strengthen.
The idea was that thesesacrifices literally
strengthened the bonds betweenthe humans and the gods, and
they also strengthened the bondswithin the community as well.
But the Norse were verypractical people.
The animals were eaten, theblood was used for the blessing
(11:45):
and the bones were often carvedinto tools or jewelry.
Nothing was ever wasted.
It was sacrifice, but it wasalso resource management.
One thing about the Norse bloatthat I find really fascinating
is it's believed that they wouldtake the blood and, like,
sprinkle it over a field inorder to kind of bless that
field or giving that blood backto nature or to the gods.
(12:06):
But when we look at it with amodern context, sprinkling blood
over a field is fertilizer.
It's high nitrogen, has a lotof iron, a lot of other minerals
that are needed for plants togrow.
So not only were they honoringtheir deities and their beliefs
and spirits, they were literallyfertilizing their fields with
(12:28):
these practices.
So when you look at it fromthis context, nothing went to
waste.
Again, it was all about thatresource management.
Now Celtic traditions are alittle harder to pin down
because, well, the Celts weren'treally interested in writing
things down.
They're like verbal culture.
But from what we can gatherfrom archaeological evidence and
(12:51):
later sources, they had acomplex relationship with
sacrifice.
We've got evidence of weaponsthrown into water in springs,
animals buried in ritual contextand, yes, probably some human
sacrifice during extremecircumstances.
To be honest, human sacrificehappened all over the world in
(13:11):
pretty much every tradition.
But the Celts also had gentlerpractices leaving food at sacred
sites, offering crafted goodsto nature's spirits and what we
might call maintenance offeringsor regular small gifts to keep
the relationship with the otherworld healthy.
Modern adaptations are where itgets creative.
(13:34):
Contemporary Celticreconstructionists might leave
offerings at a sacred well,Norse heathens might share mead
in honor of their ancestors andGreek polytheists might pour
libations to their householdgods.
The common threads across thesetraditions Reciprocity,
community and the understandingthat the relationship between
humans and the divine requiresmaintenance.
(13:55):
You can't just show up when youneed something.
You need to build and maintainthese relationships over time,
(14:16):
alright, so let's get practical.
You're sold on the idea, buthow do you actually do this
stuff without breaking the bankor getting some weird looks from
your neighbors?
Well, environmentalconsiderations are huge.
We live in a world that'salready struggling with waste
and pollution.
Throwing plastic trinkets intorivers isn't honoring nature's
spirits.
It's just littering.
Stick to biodegradablematerials and, for the love of
(14:38):
all that's sacred, don't leaveanything harmful to wildlife.
If you do, you're an asshole.
Indoor versus outdoor practicesWell, most of us live in
apartments, subdivisions or justhave really nosy, freaking
neighbors.
Indoor offerings work just fine.
That windowsill altar with acup of water, maybe some flowers
(14:59):
and a dish of incense it'sperfectly valid and it's okay.
You don't need a sacred grovein your backyard like I do.
Budget-friendly options areeverywhere.
The gods don't need a sacredgrove in your backyard like I do
.
Budget-friendly options areeverywhere.
The gods don't care about yourcredit score, neither do I.
A handful of bird seed, a cupof coffee, a can of light beer,
a piece of fruit from yourkitchen these are all valid
(15:22):
offerings and they're valuable.
The intention matters more thanthe price tag and they're
valuable.
The intention matters more thanthe price tag.
Digital alternatives mightsound a little weird, but hear
me out.
Some modern pagans createdigital art as offerings,
compose music or even designelaborate virtual altars.
I've seen some really awesomevirtual altars out there.
If you're working with deitiesof technology, crafting or
(15:44):
communication, this might beexactly what they're looking for
.
Some common pitfalls to avoidDon't leave food offerings out
so long they become scienceexperiments.
That's gross.
Don't assume expensive itemsequals better it doesn't.
Don't feel guilty if you can'tafford elaborate offerings and
please, for everyone's sake,don't sacrifice your neighbor's
(16:07):
cat.
That's fucking murder, notreligious.
Don't do it.
The key is consistency overextravagance.
Better to leave out a smalloffering regularly than to go
all out once and then forgetabout it for six months and just
don't do it.
So you may ask what's thetakeaway here?
(16:27):
Offerings and sacrifices arefundamentally about relationship
building, whether you'releaving apples for your
household spirits making a moresignificant sacrifice for a
major life change.
We are engaging in one ofhumanity's oldest practices the
recognition that we are notalone in this universe.
The forms have evolved, but theheart remains the same.
(16:48):
We give because we recognizethat we've received, we
sacrifice because some thingsare worth more than their
material value, and we maintainthese practices because the
relationship between the humanand the divine requires
attention, just like any otherrelationship.
Personal practice development isgoing to be different for
(17:11):
everyone.
So start small, be consistentand pay attention to what feels
right for you and your spiritualpath.
The gods have been around formillennia.
They're pretty patient.
They'll wait for you to figureit out millennia.
(17:31):
They're pretty patient.
They'll wait for you to figureit out.
Adapting traditional methodsdoes not mean you're doing it
wrong.
It means you're doing whathumans have done, taking ancient
wisdom and making it work inthe modern world.
That's not disrespectful,that's evolution and what humans
have done for millennia.
Next episode, we might be divinginto seasonal celebrations,
maybe, and how different pagantraditions mark the turning of
(17:54):
the wheel and how they honorthose different things Should be
fun.
The exact direction may change,but you may touch on things
like bloats, samhain and otherspiritual practices.
So until then, keep exploring,keep asking questions, question
everything around you andremember the best spiritual
(18:16):
practice is the one you'llactually do.
The small, tiny practices arewhat build a pagan path.
Thanks for joining me.
Old gods and new pagans.
I'm Matt Holloway and I hope tosee you in the next one.
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