The vikings believed in concepts that existed outside the material world. Gods, magic and myths mingled with the everyday of raiding, farming, living, fighting and loving. This was Old Norse philosophy in practice and vikings sought to change their fate and raise their fortunes with a concept called seidr.
In Old Norse, seidr translates to cord or string. It’s a magic-based ideology that looks at fate as a flowing, malleable object. It’s about symbolically changing the course of one’s life and bringing new events into reality.
To do this, seidr practitioners relied on specific objects to bring them closer to the gods. They needed to enter a trance in order to enter the world of the spirits.
The following photo collection tells the story of seidr through Norse objects and viking runes.
Check out another philosophy inspired photo series about memento mori and its connection to Stoicism.