Product Description

Using scholarship and personal spiritual experiences, Swain Wodening explores modern Anglo-Saxon Heathenry, a religion closely related to Asatru. With practical information on Wyrd, Heathen virtues, dieties, Hammer of the Gods strives to revive the spirit of Anglo-Saxon Heathenry. Additonional topics covered include the Anglo-Saxon runes and seiðr, as well as rites for births, namings, marriages, funerals, land takings, and worshipping the Gods.

Because of the scarcity of information about the ancient religion of the ancestors of the English people, this book also draws heavily on the mythology and religious lore of the related Scandinavian tribes, which was better preserved. It is therefore suited for practioners of Asatru as well.

Customer Reviews (13)

Excellent beginner's book on Anglo-Saxon heathenry
"Hammer of the Gods" deals in detail, on a beginner's level, with Anglo-Saxon heathen beliefs and practices, and there has not been before or since a book that is as comprehensive on that particular aspect of heathenry. The book itself is very polished and professional, and the only disagreement I might make with its contents is that the author chooses to go with an interpretation that the Anglo-Saxons believed in 9 worlds rather than 7, despite plain literary evidence to the contrary, without really spelling out a cogent case for why he makes this assumption. (Although in fairness he does *acknowledge* the problem, so it's certainly not a deal-killer for me.) Definitely worth getting if you're interested in A-S heathenry.

Needs an Editor
The total lack of proofreading was really distracting as I read this book.Sometimes the author's meaning is obscured by typos.Hopefully his other works are written with more care.Still, the subject matter is important and not widely covered elsewhere.

Rather scholarly, but contains much wrorth reading
I liked this book.It was a rather scholarly tome, and didn't have the flavor of the typical new age 101 stuff.It was worth reading.It stays on my bookshelf, and I am using it as reference.

Timeless Classic
Others have already lauded Swain for his greta works and contributions so I won't bore the reader with that. This is an excellent read and does the job quite nicely. Hail Swain!

A "must read" for the practitioner of Anglo-Saxon Heathenry.
"Hammer of the Gods" is an outstanding book reflecting the true spirit of the Angles, Saxons, and Jutes.Though similar to their Norse cousins, here we are given an in-depth look at the tradition through the eyes of the ancient `Anglo-Saxons'.

Herein one finds a description of the Gods of the pantheon of the people: such as Woden, Thor, Frigga, and Heimdall.

We read of the Holy Tides - Yule, Eostre, Litha (Midsummer), Harvest, and Winterfylleth, etc.

We read of the Rites of Life, with ceremonies for birth, name giving, blot, symbel, oath, wedding, and funeral.

Learn of the Runes, runic meditation and divination, and how to make a runic talisman.

The author, Swain Wodening, has done excellence research, combined with 20+ years practical experience in Anglo-Saxon Heathenry, to produce a book that is a "must read" for anyone with an interest in these things.
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Product Description
A basic primer on Germanic magic coveringgaldor, rune magic, spá or divination, seiðr, and a variety of other magical practices not readily identified. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Good for beginners, but others will find little of value
"Germanic Magic" is fine in its way, but in my opinion, it fails to be outstanding because it does not seem to add anything to the discussion of Germanic magic. I can't find anything within it that isn't covered in a half-dozen other books or websites (including the author's own). Certainly if "Germanic Magic" is to be your first exposure to the subject, there is nothing within it that is particularly *bad*. A beginner can by all means buy it and do well for herself. The problem is that there is nothing within it that's particularly outstanding, and if you have already read a few other reputable books on the subject, and/or have done extensive research on the web, you might be disappointed that there wasn't more original work to be found. But as I say, there's nothing inherently wrong with it, either. ... Read more