Norse-Gaelic Paganism - by Annie Cúglas Humphrey (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

Discover the roots of Norse and Irish Pagan spirituality

- Explores the syncretism of Gaelic and Norse cultures and the spirituality that flourished while the Vikings were settled in Ireland

- Examines the roots of Norse and Irish heathenism, including ancestor veneration and a relationship with household and nature spirits

- Reveals the Gaelic involvement in Iceland's settlement, including Irish incantations in Icelandic grimoires and Norse-Gaelic ghosts that appear in Icelandic literature

Dyflin, now modern Dublin, was founded by the Vikings in the 9th century. Through archaeological and historical research, the author explores connections between Celtic/Gaelic and Norse spiritualties of the time and, by reconstructing local customs and beliefs, reveals how this cultural relationship still informs Paganism today.

Scholar and Pagan practitioner, Annie Humphrey, shows that Norse and Irish heathen beliefs were uncorrupted by Roman influence and ultimately syncretized to form a set of deeply spiritual practices. This unique set of practices cannot truly be considered a religion. Rather, it was a very flexible and highly regional worldview that involved veneration of ancestors and the dead and enjoyed a transactional relationship with household and nature spirits. This book follows the spread of this unique Paganism through Northern Europe and the North Atlantic, identifying Norse settlements in areas that popular history has misidentified as purely Gaelic or Anglo-Saxon. Annie reveals Gaelic influence in the settling of Iceland and shows its presence in magical and spiritual practices of the time. The author also looks at Irish incantations from Icelandic grimoires and shows how Norse influences reshaped Irish writing. Exploring Manx folklore and magical traditions of the Isle of Man, and remote areas like the Orkneys, this book reveals the presence of this Pagan synthesis in modern folkways and practices that have gone largely unnoticed by mainstream scholarship.

Combining expert scholarly discipline with personal gnosis, Norse-Gaelic Paganism brings ancient traditions and wisdom to the contemporary practitioner.

About the Author

Annie Cúglas Humphrey, Ph.D., teaches history at Kean University and Ocean County College, and wrote a dissertation on the depiction of the Norse in Ireland found in Medieval Irish dynastic narratives. Annie is the goði of the Kindred of Mann, a Norse-Gaelic fellowship founded in 2009, and is on the executive board of the Northeast Thing. Annie lives in New Jersey with their husband and two children.