Almost entirely overlooked, the Northern European mythological heritage has contributed significantly to our ideas (and fears) of witchcraft. Here we explore the Norse sagas, ancient Germanic religion and the Druids.
In the mythological imagination of the Northern Europeans, East of Midgard was their very own ‘Birthplace of All Sorceries,’ the home of the greatest and most feared Witch, Angerbode. Encircled by impassable mountains and trackless forests, the peoples of Northern Europe held Witchcraft dear, both as the font of wisdom and the scapegoat of disaster.
As the Romans marched across Europe they encountered a tribal people inhabiting the dense forests, marshes and plains of Gaul and Germania who practised magic. Witchcraft amongst the Germanic tribes was the provenance of Gods and Kings, like Odin (Woden), the father of the gods, and Erick of the Windy Hat, King of Sweden, as well as the preserve of wicked old women like Angerbode who mothered the wolves that would eat the sun and moon (the fearful race of Fenrer). Magic was an ambiguous practice and some elements of it were more acceptable to the community than others. As we saw in Ancient Greece a hero like Jason might with impunity practise magic occasionally, but an exotic foreign woman like Medea who practised it all the time was immediately suspect.