File:Divination in the Norse Sagas

Some Norse sagas mention fortune-telling by use of a 'blótspánn' ("sacrifice-woodchip"), but the information is limited and we have to be careful not to assume that we can reconstruct the details of whatever historical practice this might refer to.

Dr. Jackson Crawford is Instructor of Nordic Studies and Nordic Program Coordinator at the University of Colorado Boulder (formerly UC Berkeley and UCLA). He is a historical linguist and an experienced teacher of Old Norse, Modern Icelandic, and Norwegian. FAQs: https://youtu.be/tOgU4vgnmxE

Jackson Crawford’s translation of The Poetic Edda is available now: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1624663567 and his translation of The Saga of the Volsungs with The Saga of Ragnar Lothbrok is forthcoming in August 2017: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1624666337

Jackson Crawford's Patreon page: https://www.patreon.com/norsebysw