Exploring more on my Ancestry / Finding more of my living relatives in Scandinavia. I've spoken about my family here and there before, and I've always loved just exploring what made my family my family and all the little weird bits along the way. The most recent "discovery", more of a discovery for myself, stemming from something I already knew about a little bit. Talking with my grandmother and diving through the treasure trove of immigration records she has held onto for all on my Danish family, I have come to see, there's a whole ton more Swedish in my line than I had previously known of. I had been privy to part of my family being Swedish but I didn't know how much. Infact most of the Danielsen's of my family go back to Danielsson's from Southern Sweden. I also discovered another family name in the records, from Sweden, Petersson. While i know of a few family members of mine in Malmø Sweden, they have the Danielsen surname, and moved to Sweden more recently (30 years ago) from Copenhagen, and i have discovered some cousins that have the Danielsson name. Its nothing super ground breaking, but this does help me find more family members in my large broken into pieces family, and trace back some more history. I can see why I didn't know just how Swedish part of my family was though, my Grandma Danielsen was a Proud Dane, and only spoke of Danish things, there wasn't much Swedish talk to be had around these parts! 🤣 One of the best parts of these discoveries and exploration of my family though is it has built a stronger connection between me and my grandma. My family being very disconnected, and those here in America not caring much about our family immigration from Scandinavia or our Heritage overall does make my grandma quite sad, especially since my great grandma and my great great grandma passed in many things before my family came to the U.S. wanting the family to never lose our Scandinavian roots. But my Grandma has me, and that's made her very happy, and in turn made myself happy. Great thanks to the Internet aswell, as I've been able to ask many with similar surnames, and found mutuals (through FB sadly) of family members, and been able to ask them about the family, and even ask if so and so was / is a relative and I've found a great many cousins!

-Eskilstuna-coffin- 📍Vreta kloster, Östergötland. They are called Eskilstuna-kistor because they were first discovered in the city of Eskilstuna.. Eskiltuna coffin is a Swedish term for early Christian grave monuments found in Sweden. They appear as a Christian funerary custom during the 11th century. https://www.instagram.com/reel/C8PN6xWNijf/

This is one of my favorite runestone . https://www.youtube.com/shorts/bLqy6rIv-5c #vikings #sweden #runestone #ironage

- Végautr raised these stones in memory of Þorgautr, his brother - Runestone Ög 197 - Dated to 980-1015 ( Viking Age ) 📍 Mjölby, Sweden. Rune reading ⁑ uikutr ⁑ risþi ⁑ stina ⁑ þisi ⁑ ift(i)(ʀ) ⁑ [þu]rkut × bruþur ⁑ sin Old West Norse Végautr reisti steina þessa eptir Þorgaut, bróður sinn.

🇬🇧 text further down. Nordiska Asa-samfundet vill uttrycka sina djupaste kondoleanser till de drabbade och deras anhöriga i den fruktansvärda händelsen i Örebro den 4 februari. Våra tankar går även till de överlevande, som bär med sig minnet av denna tragedi. 🇬🇧 The Nordic Asa-Community wishes to express its deepest condolences to the victims and their loved ones affected by the terrible event in Örebro in Sweden on February 4. Our thoughts also go out to the survivors, who carry the memory of this tragedy with them. ______________________ Mörker rör vid Midgårds jord, månen lyssnar, vinden spår. Nornor spann en tråd som brast, tysta står vi vid dess last. Asar ser och veten väl, Valfader hör offerbäl. Fränders minne stannar kvar, hugr och heder tiden tar. Solen stiger, natten flyr, sejdens kraft i hjärtat gryr. Starka står vi, syskon än, ljuset föds ur mörkrets band. ______________________ Dikt/Poem: © Nordiska Asa-samfundet 2025.

🇬🇧 text + link further down. 🇸🇪 Utförda Blot 2025: Blotlag Vergelmer höll Midvinterblot 18 Januari 2025. Under helgen hade blotlaget Vergelmer Midvinterblot ute på isen i Luleå... Läs mer på: https://asa-samfundet.se/utforda-blot-2025-blotlag-vergelmer-holl-midvinterblot-18-januari-2025/ 🇬🇧 Blóts performed 2025: Blót Kindred Vergelmer held Midwinter Blót on January 18, 2025. During the weekend the blót kindred Vergelmer had Midwinter blót out on the ice in Luleå, Sweden... Read more at: https://asa-samfundet.se/en/blots-performed-2025-blot-kindred-vergelmer-held-midwinter-blot-on-january-18-2025/

About the upcoming Disablót. The Disablót is one of the most famous blót´s, and like the Midvinter blót/yule one of the most misunderstood blót´s. The Disablót did not take place at the beginning of February, but at the third month called Göja/Göje (today between around the end of February and mid-March). It was when the Swedes were Christianized that the Disting/Disablót was moved to the Christian holiday of the Candle Mass, which is at the beginning of February (today on February 2) and even today Disting market is organized. Disting/Disablót is mentioned by Adam of Bremen, according to him, this simply takes place in Old Uppsala in the month of Göje after the vernal equinox and all inhabitants of Svitjod (Sweden) had to participate, if they did not want to participate they had to pay a fine. The disablót is deeply rooted in the veneration of the Disir´s – a group of powerful female forces closely associated with destiny, fertility, protection, and the general well-being of the family and community. The Disir´s are central figures in the Asatru, they are linked to the Nornirs who determine our destinies but also to the fylgior´s, thus the Disir´s are revered in part as ancestral guardians who exert a profound influence over our lives. They watch over their kin, guarantee prosperity, offer protection and guidance through both everyday and spiritual challenges. But the disir´s are also associated with the Valkyries and the Vanadis Freya. The Disablót falls on the first full moon before the Victory Blót and lasts for one day/night. If you want to use the disting-rule, the Disablót is the third full moon after the first new moon after the winter solstice. The disting occurs every nine years with the same calculation. Every nine years the Disting was held. The event lasted for 9 nights, a market was organised, horse races, parties and, of course, the usual blót, etc. The market survived Christianisation and is still organised today, but around a Christian holiday. In the Icelandic sources it is mentioned that the Disablót was performed in connection with the holiday of Winter Nights, this is probably the Icelanders’ and Norwegians’ time for the Disablót while the Swedes held it in the spring. Find out more about the historical 5 blóts, when they are according to the pre-christian heathen lunasolar calendar, why we celebrate these blóts: https://asa-samfundet.se/en/holidays/

🇬🇧 text + link further down. 🇸🇪 Utförda Blot 2025: Blotlag Yggdrasil höll Midvinterblot 18 Januari 2025. Lördagen den 18:e januari höll vi vårt midvinterblot i Lenhovda gravfält som är ett ganska stort gravfält på en liten ganska central kompakt plats i hembygsparken i Lenhovda. Det var första gången som jag var där och det slog mig hur många gravar från bronsåldern och järnåldern som gravfältet utgjorde. Sammanlagt är det omkring 170... Läs mer på: https://asa-samfundet.se/utforda-blot-2025-blotlag-yggdrasil-holl-midvinterblot-18-januari-2025/ 🇬🇧 Blóts performed 2025: Blót Kindred Yggdrasil held Midwinter Blót on January 18, 2025. On Saturday, January 18, we held our midwinter blót at Lenhovda burial ground, Sweden, which is quite a large burial site located in a relatively compact and central area within the local heritage park in Lenhovda. It was my first time visiting, and I was struck by the sheer number of Bronze Age and Iron Age graves in the burial ground. In total, there are about 170 ancient remains... Read more at: https://asa-samfundet.se/en/blots-performed-2025-blot-kindred-yggdrasil-held-midwinter-blot-on-january-18-2025/

🇬🇧 text + link further down. 🇸🇪 Utförda Blot 2025: Blotlag Sleipner höll Midvinterblot 12 Januari 2025. Söndagen den 12:e januari så höll Sleipner blotlag sitt midvintersblot. Årets blot hölls vid Eriksbergs hällristningar utanför Norrköping, Östergötland. En plats med väldigt lång historia där många olika spår kan hittas, tex hällristningar från många olika punkter i tiden. Läs mer på: https://asa-samfundet.se/utforda-blot-2025-blotlag-sleipner-holl-midvinterblot-12-januari-2025/ 🇬🇧 Blóts performed 2025: Blót Kindred Sleipner held Midwinter Blót on January 12, 2025 On Sunday, January 12, Blót Kindred Sleipner held theirs midwinter blót. This year’s blót was held at Eriksberg’s rock carvings outside Norrköping, Östergötland in Sweden. A place with a very long history where many different traces can be found, such as rock carvings from many different periods in time. Read more at: https://asa-samfundet.se/en/blots-performed-2025-blot-kindred-sleipner-held-midwinter-blot-on-january-12-2025/

Bronze figure from Glasbacka in Halland, Sweden. The figure probably wears a mask with a hooked bird's beak. Late Bronze Age. S.Pollington in 'Woden - a historical companion' argues that this may be the earliest evidence for a one-eyed aviform character in Scandinavia. )Note the bulging eye on the right).