Full resolution (TIFF) - On this page / på denna sida - III. Period of the Vikings and Introduction of Christianity - D. Internal Struggles at the Close of the Period
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56 A History of Sweden
’They have a very celebrated temple called Uppsala
(now Old Uppsala). In this temple, which is richly
ornamented with gold, the people worship the images
of three gods :
Thor, the mightiest, has his seat in the
center of the hall ;
to the right and left are seated Oden
and Frey. Every ninth year a general feast for all the
provinces is held in Uppsala. To this feast all must
contribute. Kings and people, all send in their gifts to
Uppsala. Of the males of all creatures nine victims
are offered. With the blood of these victims the gods
are conciliated. The bodies are suspended in a sacred
grove near the temple/’
But in the provinces of West and East Gothland the
people were then Christians. The reason for this dif-
ference lay in the fact that these provinces were nearer
to the Christian lands in the South, with which they
had closer relations.
When the Uppsala dynasty came to an end with the
death of the sons of Olof Lapking (ca. 1060) and a new
king was to be chosen, the Goths desired a Christian
king, but the Sveas wanted one that offered to Thor
and Oden. The result was a long conflict between the
two sections.
Contests Regarding the Election to the Throne. In
the twelfth century the whole country became Chris-
tian, but the contests regarding the elections to the
throne continued, for West Gothland, East Gothland,
and Svealand, each wanted the honor of furnishing the
king to the people. Such conflicts were at the time not
so strange, for people of the different provinces still
regarded each other as foreigners. We are reminded
that each province had its own laws. The West Gothic
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