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EntityQ2666510· pop 10· linked from 614 articles

Also known as hearg, hörg

A ' (Old Norse, ) or ' (Old English, ) is a type of altar or cult site, possibly consisting of a heap of stones, used in Norse religion, as opposed to a roofed hall used as a hof (temple).

Wikidata facts

Instance of
altar
Material used
wood
Sources (1)

via Wikidata · CC0

~6 min read

Encyclopedic overview

8 sections
Contents
  • Etymology
  • Old Norse tradition
  • Literary
  • Epigraphic
  • Toponymy
  • Old English tradition
  • Notes
  • References

A ' (Old Norse, ) or ' (Old English, ) is a type of altar or cult site, possibly consisting of a heap of stones, used in Norse religion, as opposed to a roofed hall used as a hof (temple).

The Old Norse term is attested in both the Poetic Edda and the Prose Edda, in the sagas of Icelanders, skaldic poetry, and with its Old English cognate in Beowulf. The word is also reflected in various place names (in English placenames as harrow), often in connection with Germanic deities.

Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “hörgr” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.