Don't Celebrate Lammas or Freyfaxi Until You Read This

The truth about popular harvest season celebrations in the pagan community

As summer begins to wane and the first hints of autumn appear on the horizon, many cultures have traditionally celebrated the beginning of the harvest season. In the Northern Hemisphere, this celebration typically falls around August 1st and is known by various names, including Lammas and Lughnasadh. Let's explore these interconnected traditions and important information you should have before celebrating. 

Lammas and Lughnasadh: Origins and Traditions

Lammas:

Lammas, derived from the Old English "hlaf-mas" meaning "loaf mass," is a Christian holiday that marks the first harvest of grain. This celebration has its roots in Anglo-Saxon England, where the first loaves of bread made from the new crop were blessed in church.

Lughnasadh

Lughnasadh (pronounced LOO-nə-sə), on the other hand, is a Gaelic festival with pagan origins. Named after the god Lugh, it's one of the four major Celtic seasonal festivals. Lughnasadh traditionally marks the beginning of the harvest season and was a time for gatherings, feasts, and athletic contests.

Both Lammas and Lughnasadh share common themes of harvest, abundance, and gratitude for the earth's bounty. In modern pagan and Wiccan traditions, these celebrations are often combined and observed as part of the Wheel of the Year. It’s important to know that if you identify as a witch, pagan or Heathen, and celebrate Lammas, then you are celebrating the adapted Christian concept of the holiday and not the original holiday celebrated in pre-christian times.

Norse Harvest Festivals

There is not a traditional (or clearly documented) norse version of Lughnasadh.  However, there likely would have been overlap in these traditions during harvest time due to the importance of the harvest as well as common trade between areas during this time.

Freyfaxi

There is a holiday that tends to be brought up most frequently during this time, and that is Freyfaxi. Freyfaxi is an American Asatru holiday based on the American Wiccan holiday Lughnasadh. It is generally celebrated around August 1st and was an attempt by early American Asatruars to find a heathen equivalent for the harvest celebration.

The Problematic History of American Asatru and Freyfaxi

The association with American Asatru is HIGHLY problematic. While many Asatru practitioners are well-intentioned, it's crucial to acknowledge that some branches of American Asatru have a troubling history of racism and ethnonationalism. Organizations like the Asatru Folk Assembly (AFA) have been classified as hate groups due to their promotion of white supremacist ideologies.

These problematic elements have led many modern Heathens and Norse Pagans to distance themselves from the term "Asatru" and to critically examine practices that originated in the early days of the American Asatru movement.

The American Asatru’s conjured up Freyfax, which lacks any historical basis. They wanted a norse themed holiday coinciding with the Wiccan holiday of Lughnsdagh. It was created by combining the name of Freyr with "faxi" (meaning "mane"), inspired by the name of a horse in the Saga of Hrafnkel Freysgodhi. This is actually quite a sad story about a man being killed and then his horse being killed after him.

Deepening your practice with Norse traditions

I’m an American and Swedish citizen who grew up in the US and moved here to Scandinavia. As I've deepened my connection with Norse traditions, I've decided to focus on more historically grounded practices that I can respectfully integrate with my American traditions

1. Celebrating authentic Norse holidays: Rather than invented holidays like Freyfaxi, I now observe traditional Norse celebrations that have a basis in historical sources.

2. Honoring Frej (Freyr) through Frejblót: Instead of Freyfaxi, I now honor Frej through traditional blóts, which can be held at various times throughout the year, particularly in relation to harvests and fertility. Thanksgiving for example is a great opportunity to honor Frej through the bountiful harvest.

Historical Context

While limited, I have found that there are references to Freysblót in various accounts:

Norse sagas and historical accounts:

1. Ynglinga Saga: This saga, written by Snorri Sturluson around 1230 CE, mentions Freysblót (referred to as "sigrblót" or victory sacrifice) as one of the three major sacrifices of the year. It was to be held in summer for victory.

2. Saxo Grammaticus' Gesta Danorum: This 12th-century Danish history text mentions an annual Freysblót held in Sweden. Saxo notes that the "most valiant" would sacrifice to Frej during this event.

While not explicitly mentioning Freysblot, several other sagas provide context about the worship of Frej, which may indirectly relate to the practice:

3. Hallfreðar saga

4. Víga-Glúms saga

5. Vatnsdœla saga

These sagas offer additional information about the cult of Frej and his importance in Norse religion, though they may not specifically describe the Freysblót ritual.

It's worth noting that our understanding of Freysblót is limited, as direct references to it in the sagas are relatively scarce. The practice is primarily known through these few mentions in Ynglinga Saga and Saxo Grammaticus' work, with other sagas providing supporting context about Frej worship in general.

By moving away from problematic inventions like Freyfaxi and focusing on more authentic practices, we can develop a deeper, more meaningful connection to Norse traditions while avoiding the pitfalls associated with some aspects of American Asatru

Equivalent Norse Rituals

While there is no direct equivalent to Lughnasadh in Norse pagan traditions, we can draw some connections and similarities to harvest-related celebrations.

First Harvest: While not a specific holiday, Norse pagans would have celebrated the first harvest in some form. This aligns with the timing and agricultural focus of Lughnasadh

Horse races and feasts: Some sources mention that Norse people held horse races and feasts to honor Frej around this time of year, which shares similarities with Lughnasadh celebrations

Tor and Sif: Some modern Norse pagans honor Thor and his wife Sif during this time, as Sif's golden hair is associated with wheat fields

Harvest traditions: Norse pagans had traditions such as binding three stalks of the first grains into a sheaf as an amulet of fortune, or leaving some in the field for Oden's horse Sleipner

It's crucial to understand that the Wheel of the Year, which includes Lughnasadh, is primarily a modern construct influenced by Celtic and Wiccan traditions. The historical Norse pagan calendar was different, with three main festivals: Winter Nights (in October), Yule (midwinter), and Sigrblot (in April).  

It's important to note that the exact timing of these celebrations would have varied, as the ancient Norse used a lunisolar calendar. Festivals were likely celebrated on full or new moons rather than on fixed dates.

Creating a Respectful Blended Celebration

When creating a blended celebration that honors these various traditions, I believe it’s crucial to do so with respect, cultural sensitivity, and historical awareness. Here are some ways I celebrate the first harvest that draw from these traditions:

1. Bread-making: Honor the Lughnasdah tradition by baking bread from scratch. Share it with friends and family as a symbol of abundance and community.

2. Harvest altar: Create a sacred space decorated with symbols of the harvest such as wheat sheaves, seasonal fruits and vegetables, and late-blooming flowers.

3. Seasonal feast: Prepare a meal using locally-grown, seasonal ingredients. Include dishes that feature grains and early harvests from your own garden if possible.

4. Gratitude ritual: Perform a simple ritual focusing on gratitude for the abundance in your life. This can be as simple as lighting a candle and speaking words of thanks.

5. Community service: Volunteer at a local food bank or community garden to embody the spirit of sharing the harvest.

6. Nature walk: Take a mindful walk in nature, observing the changes that signal the transition from summer to autumn.

7. Crafts: Engage in seasonal crafts such as making corn dollies or weaving.

8. Offerings: If it aligns with your beliefs, make offerings to deities associated with harvest and abundance, or to local land spirits

Harvest Festival Tarot Reading

To connect more deeply with the energies of this harvest season, you may wish to perform a tarot reading. Here's a simple 3-card spread you can use:

1. The Harvest: What are you reaping at this time?

2. Gratitude: What should you be most thankful for?

3. Future Growth: What seeds are you planting for the future?

How will you celebrate the harvest season?