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At the beginning of the Viking Age, the inhabitants of the Scandinavian Peninsula had a polytheistic religion. This means that they believed in more than one god. In fact, just like in other civilizations like the Greek or Roman, their gods were quite numerous. At the end of the tenth century and the beginning of the eleventh century, the Vikings changed their beliefs and became Christians. The process of Christianization was a quick and easy one. However, some of the Vikings still kept part of their traditions.
The Vikings old religion was much like the Greek or Roman one. They believed that the gods lived in Asgard and that this gods, if treated well would help them against evil forces. For this, they made sacrifices called Blot. The sacrifice consisted usually of animals. There is however a mentioning in a saga when the king of the Sweds was sacrificed to the god Odin after a few years of starvation. There were several types of blot. Yuletide was made at the darkest time of the year when the old year was dead and the gods were begged for a better year. Another blot was made in spring, at the time when crops were sown. On the fertility of this crops depended the life of the family during that year. Also, in summer, the Vikings made sacrifices for the gods if the crops proved good.
The blot was usually made on an altar of pilled stones. This altar was called Hörg. The Hlaut (blood) of the animal which was sacrificed was held in a Hlautbolli (bowl for blood). After reciting songs in the honor of the god or gods chosen to worship, the priest passed the bowl with blood around a flame three times and said some magical words. The same was done with the meat of the animal. Next, the priest sprinkled himself and the others attending the ceremony with the blood of the animal and poured the remaining blood on the altar.
The Vikings usually worshiped their gods in opened air. The Vikings liked most wild landscapes. Here they performed their rituals. Also, no statues or idols were made. The Vikings could consider as sacred places: meadows, groves, rocks, hillocks, the shores of swampy lakes and other places. Also, the fields of crops could become the scene of a worshipping ritual as they hoped the gods would bless the fields. Sometimes, the places used for rituals were enclosed with a simple fence made of ropes. Inside this areas considered sacred, no violence was allowed. One could not enter this place with any kind of weapon.
Still, there were some rituals made inside houses or temples. Those places were called hov. The hov wasn't necessary a special building. It could be a hall or a part of a farm. The rich people could afford to build a special temple for the favorite god. Also sacred places were considered the places where Dings or trials were held. This was normal as the Vikings believed that justice was made by the gods. Religion went hand in hand with law at that time. The places where duels (called hólmgang) were held were also considered sacred places. This kind of duels represented the Viking way of making justice. The gods helped in the duel the one who was right.
The Vikings became Christians around the year 1000 A.D. Christianity was however known by the Viking long before this date. Many Vikings became Christians during their travels to Byzantium (Istanbul). In the Viking city of Hedeby, for example, Christians and pagans lived together. You could find here at the jewelers' shop, on graves and on churches both the symbol of Christianity, the cross, and the symbol of the Old Norse religion, Thor's hammer. At the time there were some conflicts between the two religions as Christianity promoted peace and love between people while the old Vikings religion was more violent and Thor, the god of war was venerated. Soon, Christianity would take over and all Vikings became Christians by the year 1030. In this process, Olav Tryggvason played an important role. He was considered one of the most fierce Vikings. Since a teenager, he proved to be a very good soldier. He was given ships by his father to go raiding. He became famous after defeating the Saxons and pulling down London bridge. He became a Christian impressed by a Christian hermit who foretold a mutiny of his men. He decided to convert all his subjects to Christianity by all means necessary, even torture. He came to Norway in 995 A.D. together with some priests and a bishop called Grimkjell. On the island of Moster he officiated the first mass in Norway. Five years later, he died in the battle of Stiklestad in a mysterious way, fighting against a group of pagans. He was made a saint by the church. The shrine of St.' Olaf remained an important place for pilgrimage throughout the Middle Ages.
Although the Vikings became Christians, they did not abandoned all their rites. Although Christian priests officiated ceremonies for blessing of the crops, the Vikings performed their old rituals too. The feast called Yuletide now became Christmas although the Scandinavians still use the term Jul. Santa Claus is still called Nisse in Norway and Denmark and Tomte in Sweden. Another example would be the so called stave-churches. This are churches which bear both Christian symbols, like the cross, and pagan symbols. 31 churches like this survive today. They are all different and all have carved on walls, doors, pillars drawings of strange monsters, dragon heads and other mythological figures. The reason for which so many churches survived is the technique used. The stave technique implied the use of both wood and stone. The wooden structure was mounted on stills of stone so the wood didn't rot as fast as it would normally. This churches prove to be real masterpieces.