Norse Tradition is delighted to announce that for the first time our main celebration of the year will be hosted in English: Welcome to Summer Blót 2025!
At the height of spring and with the return of the light, Norse Tradition is delighted to invite everyone with an interest in Norse mythology, history, and spirituality to a magical long-weekend in the Norwegian mountains. Summer Blót is a weekend packed with academic, social and spiritual nourishment, homemade traditional food, amazing people, spectacular surroundings, and of course, an exalted Norse ritual experience.
Norse Tradition has been organising blot retreats in the Norwegian mountains since 2020, and we are proud that so many of our participants keep coming back again and again for more magical experiences. This year, for the first time, we open our Summer Blót to an international audience by hosting the event in English. By doing this, we wish to include those interested in Norse mythology and tradition from all over the world, and offering a genuine experience devoid of modern Hollywood influence.
THEME AND LECTURES
The theme of our Summer Blót weekend is the meeting of Earth and Heaven, and the archetypes of initiation in the Norse spiritual tradition. By exploring myth and its function both individually and societally, we will set the context for the rest of the weekend. We will explore and analyse how myths permeate the modern world. Modern mythology is embodied by movies, pop-music and Netflix shows. But what messages are communicated by these modern mythologies? How have the archetypes of culture changed throughout history, and what did it do to our aspirations and ways of life?
Through our lectures, you will learn about the initiatory archetypes within the Norse, and also the larger Indo-European spiritual tradition. Through this, we will be given the opportunity to study what spiritual forces are closest to our personal nature, which sides of ourselves we need to cultivate, and how we can strive to become more whole, by merging our everyday lives and activities with the world of myth and spirit. Upon introspection, every participant will have the possibility to create their own pagan idol based on the deity they feel the closest to.
Moreover, we will learn about the concept of Hieros Gamos - the Holy Marriage - in the Norse religion, and how that concept is manifested both in mythology and in religious custom. The meeting of opposites is at the heart of spiritual practice. The main function of any ritual is to establish a meeting point between the temporal and the timeless, the everyday-life and the realm of spirit - or Earth and Heaven. This Sacred Marriage is also the highest form of union between masculine and feminine, in which the two merge into one. We will study how the Sacred Marriage was a living force in the Norse spiritual tradition, and how we can employ it as a guiding light in modern times.
RITUALS
The rituals on Saturday are the highlights of the Blot weekend. A blot is a sacred offering ceremony, where we utilise the principle of relinquishing something of great value to us as an offering to something higher than ourselves. There is no sacrificing of animals in our blot rituals. Instead a blot offering can be for example written words and poetry, art or something you have produced yourself, a promise, a piece of clothing, a piece of jewellery, a favourite mead or whiskey. Only your imagination sets the limits!
This year, the symbolism of the blot ritual itself will be centered around the meeting of polarities: earth and heaven, masculine and feminine. We will delve into the mysteries of the magical arts we're told of in the old sagas and poems, seidr and galdr. We'll also take a step back and identify the overarching archetypes involved in traditional Norse initiation, in order to identify how we can interact with these principles in our own lives. When the retreat comes to an end, all participants should be equipped with both historical knowledge and practical tools to interact with our old roots and heritage in a meaningful and impactful way.
The blot is followed by another ritual, the sumbl. A sumbl is an ancient drinking ritual from Norse times, which we know from both Nordic and Anglo-Saxon sources, and involves a series of toasts. This ritual can be seen as a bridge, where we move from the sacred and back again to the earthly, and takes the participants on a journey that is as moving as it is joyful. All participants will take part in a workshop prior to the sumbl, and thus contribute to the ritual first hand.
Everyone who is interested in the Norse spiritual tradition are welcome to our blots. Participants are invited regardless of cultural background, religion, identity or other material markers. Our participants include everything from agnostics and Christians to pagans and Buddhists, from professional artists to homemakers and lawyers. All we ask is that participants enter the weekend with respect, openness and curiosity. At our blóts, we aim to create a sacred, timeless space for all participants. How you choose to enter this space, from your individual point-of-view, is entirely up to you.
PROGRAM
THURSDAY:
15:00-18:00: Arrival and lodging
18:00-19:00: Welcome dinner
19:00-19:15: Introduction and practical info
19:15-20:30 Lecture: The function of myth in our personal lives and within society, and the myths of modernity: how to reclaim the lost power of mythology, and live in concord with the world of spirit.
FRIDAY:
09:00-10:00: Breakfast
10:00-11:00: Lecture: Introduction to Norse paganism
11:00-13:00: Lecture: Farmer, Warrior, King-Priest: The archetypes of masculinity in Norse myth.
13:00-15:00: Lunch & free time
15:00-17:00: Lecture: Feminine archetypes embodied in goddesses and heroines in Norse and Indo-European spirituality.
17:00-19:00: Idol workshop
19:00-20:00: Dinner
20:00-23:00: Free time
SATURDAY:
09:00-10:00: Breakfast
10:00-12:00: The power of the Holy Union: The sacred marriage in Norse religion
12:00-13:00: Lecture: Seidr and Galdr, the magical powers in Norse spirituality.
13:00-14:00: Lunch
14:00-16:00: Seidr/Galdr workshops in preparation for the blót.
16:00-18:00: Sauna ritual and individual preparation
18:00-21:00: Blót, Sumbl and Banquet
21:00-late: Party time!
SUNDAY:
10:00-11:00: Brunch
11:00-12:30: Group conversation: Impressions and take-aways
12:30-13:00: Checkout and cleaning
Note: Changes to the program may occur within the scheduled start and end times.
VENUE AND ACCOMMODATION
The event will take place at beautiful Huso Lodge (husolodge.com), in an atmospheric chieftain's hall. Located in the middle of the Norwegian mountains, surrounded by lakes and beautiful nature. Huso Lodge is located in Hemsedal (hemsedal.com), one of Norway's most popular areas for outdoor activities all year round. The venue is about a three hour drive from Oslo, and we offer pickup from the closest bus/train station at Gol.
Participants will be accommodated in one of Huso Lodge's large traditional cabins, and will be free to use saunas, hot tubs, canoes, hiking trails, and other facilities in the area. The cabins consist of two- to four-person bedrooms, and couples travelling together will be given priority for the double rooms. You will be asked who your preferred roommate is upon registration. If you are travelling alone, you will be expected to share a room with other participants of your gender. If you have specific needs regarding lodging (reduced mobility, allergies etc) please state this in your registration. Pets can be allowed in certain rooms, and we also have a limited number of family rooms for traveling with children, please contact us for details before registering.
We do not allow the use of illegal drugs at our events, and ask that all participants respect this. You are however welcome to bring your own drinks if you want to enjoy a beer with dinner or a glass of wine in the hot tub after an eventful day!
TRAVEL TO AND FROM THE EVENT
To get to Huso Lodge you can either drive by car to this address: Gamle Eikrestølvegen 1, 3560 Hemsedal, Norge, or go by public transport. The fastest way is to travel by train to Gol Stasjon where we will pick you up (if you have bought the pick-up ticket and communicated your arrival-time on forehand with us). It's easiest and faster to travel from Oslo to Gol Stasjon.
Take either of these two trains from Oslo and get off at Gol stasjon:
12:03 from Oslo S (train option)
14:25 from Oslo S (train option)
Take either the train or bus from Bergen and get off at Gol stasjon:
08:30 from Bergen (train option)
11:30 from Bergen (bus option)
Follow this link to buy tickets for public transportation: https://www.vy.no/en
Please message us if you need help purchasing tickets, either on Facebook or at contact@norsetradition.no
PACKING LIST
Bed linen and towels (otherwise 200,- for hire)
Warm clothes and shoes
Swimwear for saunas, hot tubs and lake
Outfit for blót and festive dinner
Sacrificial gift for the blót
Drinks for your own use
Flashlight for walking between cabins at night
Optional: Instruments like drums, flutes etc.
PRICES AND PAYMENT
The price includes all lectures, workshops and rituals, accommodation in 2-4 person rooms, all meals, free access to coffee, tea, biscuits and fruit, as well as access to all facilities at Huso Lodge such as hot tub and sauna.
Ticket from Thursday to Sunday: 4200 NOK
Ticket from Friday to Sunday: 3600NOK
We offer a 50% reduction on ticket-price for children 16 years and younger. Use the code "UNDER16" to get the price-reduction when ordering your ticket.
To purchase tickets, follow this link to our website: https://www.norsetradition.no/event-details/sommerblot-2025
Optional extras:
We offer pick-up and delivery at Gol station within our check-in hours for 200 NOK. Remember to book your bus/train well in advance and notify us which bus/train you arrive with.
Bed linen and towel hire: 275 NOK
ABOUT YOUR HOST
Norse Tradition is a Norwegian non-profit organization working to promote and convey the rich Norse spiritual tradition. We regularly host lectures, private training and rituals, and retreats centered around seasonal celebrations. Our blot events are created by the six founding members of Norse Tradition and made possible by our fantastic group of volunteers. You can read more about us and our work at www.norsetradition.no.
We can be contacted through Facebook or Messenger https://www.facebook.com/norsetradition, by email contact@norsetradition.no or by phone +47 91864797 (marketing and booking manager Ida).