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A "must read" for the practitioner of Anglo-Saxon Heathenry.:
"Hammer of the Gods" is an outstanding book reflecting the true spirit of the Angles, Saxons, and Jutes. Though similar to their Norse cousins, here we are given an in-depth look at the tradition through the eyes of the ancient `Anglo-Saxons'. Herein one finds a description of the Gods of the pantheon of the people: such as Woden, Thor, Frigga, and Heimdall. We read of the Holy Tides - Yule, Eostre, Litha (Midsummer), Harvest, and Winterfylleth, etc. We read of the Rites of Life, with ceremonies for birth, name giving, blot, symbel, oath, wedding, and funeral. Learn of the Runes, runic meditation and divination, and how to make a runic talisman. The author, Swain Wodening, has done excellence research, combined with 20+ years practical experience in Anglo-Saxon Heathenry, to produce a book that is a "must read" for anyone with an interest in these things.
Timeless Classic:
Others have already lauded Swain for his greta works and contributions so I won't bore the reader with that. This is an excellent read and does the job quite nicely. Hail Swain!
Needs an Editor:
The total lack of proofreading was really distracting as I read this book. Sometimes the author's meaning is obscured by typos. Hopefully his other works are written with more care. Still, the subject matter is important and not widely covered elsewhere.
Excellent beginner's book on Anglo-Saxon heathenry:
"Hammer of the Gods" deals in detail, on a beginner's level, with Anglo-Saxon heathen beliefs and practices, and there has not been before or since a book that is as comprehensive on that particular aspect of heathenry. The book itself is very polished and professional, and the only disagreement I might make with its contents is that the author chooses to go with an interpretation that the Anglo-Saxons believed in 9 worlds rather than 7, despite plain literary evidence to the contrary, without really spelling out a cogent case for why he makes this assumption. (Although in fairness he does *acknowledge* the problem, so it's certainly not a deal-killer for me.) Definitely worth getting if you're interested in A-S heathenry.
Rather scholarly, but contains much wrorth reading:
I liked this book. It was a rather scholarly tome, and didn't have the flavor of the typical new age 101 stuff. It was worth reading. It stays on my bookshelf, and I am using it as reference.
| Author: | Swain Wodening | | Binding: | Paperback | | Dewey Decimal Number: | 299 | | EAN: | 9781594570063 | | ISBN: | 159457006X | | Number Of Pages: | 247 | | Publication Date: | 2003-09 | | Release Date: | 2003-09-30 |
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