Alvablot — The Darkness, the Ancestors, and the Silent Sacrifice

If the Disablot was the festival of women, then the Alvablotet was the festival of silence. It was a secret blot, held in late autumn – probably in October or November, when the earth rested and the nights became long. Then the elves were honored, but also the ancestors, the spirits of the dead, and the hidden forces that lived underground.

A celebration in darkness

The Elf-blot was not a public celebration. It was celebrated at the farm level, within the family, and strangers were not welcome. In the poetic Austrfararvísur it is told that a traveling man was not allowed to enter a farm during the blot – the host refused to receive guests because the “elf-blot” was in progress.

This shows how sacred and private the festival was. It was believed that the elves, like the dísir, could influence the well-being of the farm – weather, harvest and health. By honouring them with sacrifices, people tried to keep their goodwill alive.

Rites and symbolism

The offering could consist of beer, food, meat, and sometimes blood from cattle. The drink was poured out on the ground, or into a stone slab with a hollow – as a symbol of the earth and the presence of the ancestors. Fires were lit to illuminate the darkness, and stories were told about relatives who had passed away.

Runes were used here as magical signs for protection, balance and secrecy:

• ᛒ (bjarkan) – “birch, life, rebirth”
• ᛘ (maðr) – “man, ancestor, heritage”

The ᛒ (birch) was especially sacred in this context – the birch was the tree's symbol of the cycle of life. Its white bark and early greenness in spring made it a sign of hope even in the darkness.

The place of the Alvablot in this year's cycle

The Alvablot marked the transition between autumn and winter, between the time of life and the time of death. When the earth went to rest, humans did the same. People locked themselves inside, lit candles and prepared for the time of darkness – both physically and spiritually.

In this stillness , respect for the hidden, for the power of nature and spirits, was also born. It was not fear that ruled, but the realization that life and death were two sides of the same cycle.

The Legacy of the Alvablot

As Christianity spread, the spirit of Alvablotet transformed into All Saints' Day – the time when the dead are honored. But in popular memory, the idea of farm spirits and guardian spirits remained alive well into modern times.

Many Swedish farm legends about elves and gnomes can be traced back to this particular tradition – pagan elves who became Christian farm creatures.