What is a sacred space? What does it mean to pagans? And how is it set up?
Groves, frithyards, vé, weoh, stafgardr, temples, temenos. Rituals within native Indo-European spirituality take place within sacred space. But what do they really mean? Why are they used? And do they have to be these magnificent, pompous halls and walls? Listen to the new episode of the Hamingja Podcast to learn more!
Another authentic feature and ”tool” in the sacred space is a sacrificial post. They were made of wood and erected (temporarily) for the animal sacrifice. They were then consecrated (sprinkled, decorated and with prayers read) and were seen as a symbolic axis mundi, the cosmic pillar, the world tree. The sacrificial animals were tethered to it and sacrificed by it, meaning that ritually the sacrifice was connected to the cosmos itself, and automatically got the “right address”.
The ancient Vedics called such a pole a yūpa. That Sanskrit word stems from Proto-Indo-European upó, meaning “up” or “rise” or even “(coming) from below”, meaning that it connects heaven, earth and underworld. Considering that both the Germanic/Norse hörgr and the original Greek and Roman altars also had this symbolism, and how other IE peoples often sacrificed by holy trees this must be a tradition that goes all the way back to the PIE, and that erecting a pole in one’s sacred space – at least temporarily – would be a very authentic thing to do.
