Winter Nights
Winter Nights or Old Norse vetrnætr was a specific time of year in medieval Scandinavia. According to Zoega's Concise Dictionary of Old Icelandic, vetr-nætr referred to "the three days which begin the winter season". The term is attested in the narrative of some of the Fornaldarsögur, mostly to express passage of time.
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The exact term "winter nights" is not mentioned in the Ynglinga saga by Snorri Sturluson where the three great sacrifices of the year are proscribed:
Specific sacrifices held at the beginning of winter during the Old Norse period were álfablót and dísablót.
Of these, dísablót came to be a public sacrifice, according to the Ynglinga saga performed by the king of Sweden.
By contrast, álfablót was a sacrifice held at each homestead separately for the local spirits, under the explicit exclusion of any strangers.Links
