These examples are from Rimberts 'Life of Anskar'. Anskar was originally a monk who visited Sweden and Denmark in the 10th Century in an effort to bring Christianity there. Unfortunately, for him, after his death, the countries of Sweden and Denmark reverted back to their pagan ways. Rimbert was his sucessor and biographer.
There should be many more examples coming soon, but these two are OK for now! Remember, these are written by a Christian Monk, who probably was not pagan friendly! (Hence all the references to devils and 'bad pagan stuff') (Watch out for the implied links between Christianity and material wealth.----------- (( paganism gives you nothing, Christianity gives you great wealth.) from Christian point of view, anyway!))
CHAPTER 18.
We mention the case of a single individual in order that the destruction which overtook him may show how the rest were also punished and their crimes avenged. In that country there was a certain influential man whose son had joined with the others in this conspiracy, and who had collected in his father's house the booty which he had captured at that place. Thereafter his possessions began to decrease and he began to lose his flocks and his household possessions. The son himself was stricken by divine vengeance and died, and after a brief interval his wife, his son and his daughter also died. When the father saw that he had become bereft of all that he had possessed with the exception of one little son, he began, in his misery, to fear the anger of the gods and to imagine that he was suffering all these calamities because he had offended some god. Thereupon, following the local custom, he consulted a soothsayer and asked him to find out by, the casting of lots which god lie had offended and to explain how he might appease him. After performing all the customary ceremonies, the soothsayer said that all their gods were well disposed towards him, but that the God of the Christians was much incensed against him. " Christ," he said, " has ruined you. It is because there is something hidden in your house which had been consecrated to Him that all the evils that you have suffered have come upon you; nor can you be freed from them as long as this remains in your house."
On hearing this he considered anxiously what it could be, and he remembered that his son had brought to his house as part of the aforementioned booty a certain book. On this account he was stricken with horror and fear, and because there was no priest at hand, he knew not what to do with this book, and, as he dared not keep it any longer in his house, he at length devised a plan and showed the book openly to the people who were in the same hamlet, and told them what he had suffered. When they all said that they knew not how to advise in regard to this matter and were afraid to receive or keep anything of the kind in their houses, he feared greatly to retain it in his own house, and he fastened it up carefully and tied it to a fence with a notice attached stating that whoever wished might take it. For the offence that he had committed he promised also to make voluntary amends to the Lord
Chapter 19
About the same time it happened that a certain Swedish king named Anoundus had been driven from his kingdom, and was an exile amongst the Danes. Desiring to regain what had once been his kingdom, he sought aid of them and promised that if they would follow him they would be able to secure much treasure. He offered them Birka, the town already mentioned, because it contained many rich merchants, and a large amount of goods and money. He promised to lead them to this place where, without much loss to their army, they might gain that which they wanted. Enticed by the promised gifts and eager to acquire treasure, they filled twenty-one ships with men ready for battle and placed them at his disposal ; moreover he had eleven of his own ships. These left Denmark and came unexpectedly upon the above mentioned town. It so happened that the king [I.e. Biorn] of the town was absent and the chiefs and people were unable to meet together.
Only Herigar, the prefect of this place, was present with the merchants and people who remained there. Being in great difficulty they fled to a neighbouring town [I.e. Sigtuna] and began to promise and offer to their gods, who were demons, many vows and sacrifices in order that by their help they might be preserved in so great a peril. But inasmuch as the town was not strong and there were few to offer resistance, they sent messengers to the Danes and asked for friendship and alliance.
The king [I.e. Anoundus] before mentioned commanded them to pay a hundred pounds of silver in order to redeem Birka and obtain peace. They forthwith sent the amount asked and it was received by the king. The Danes resented this agreement, because it was not in accord with their arrangement and they wanted to make a sudden attack upon them and to pillage and burn the place because they said that each individual merchant in the place had more than had been offered to them and they could not endure that such a trick should be
played upon them. As they were discussing this and were preparing to destroy the town to which the others had fled, their design became known to those in the town. They gathered together then, a second time and, as they possessed no power of resistance and had no hope of securing refuge, they exhorted one another to make vows and to offer greater sacrifices to their own gods.
Herigar, the faithful servant of the Lord, was angry with them and said, " Your vows and sacrifices to idols are accursed by God. How long will ye serve devils and injure and impoverish yourselves by your useless vows. You have made many offerings and more vows and have given a hundred pounds of silver. What benefit has it been to you ? See, your enemies are coming to destroy all that you have. They will lead away your wives and sons as captives, they will burn our city and town [I.e. Sigtuna and Birka] and will destroy you with the sword. Of what advantage are your idols to you"? As he said this they were all terrified and, as they knew not what to do, they replied all together It is for you to devise plans for our safety, and whatever you suggest we will not fail to perform." He replied : "If you desire to make vows, vow and perform your vows to the Lord God omnipotent, who reigns in heaven, and whom I serve with a pure conscience and a trite faith. He is Lord of all, and all things are subject to His will or can anyone resist His decree. If then ye will seek His help with your whole heart ye shall perceive that His omnipotent power will not fail you." They accepted his advice and in accordance with custom, they all went out of their own accord to a plain where they promised the Lord Christ to fast and to give alms in order to secure their deliverance.
Meanwhile the king proposed to the Danes that they should enquire by casting lots whether it was the will of the gods that this place should be ravaged by them. " There are there," he said, " many great and powerful gods,(5) and in former time a church(6) was built there, and there are many Christians there who worship Christ, who is the strongest of the gods and can aid those who hope in Him, in any way that He chooses. We must seek to ascertain therefore whether it is by the will of the gods that we are urged to make this attempt." As his words were in accord with their custom(7) they could not refuse to adopt the suggestion. Accordingly they sought to discover the will of the gods by casting lots and they ascertained that it would be impossible to accomplish their purpose without endangering their own welfare and that God would not permit this place to be ravaged by them. They asked further where they should go in order to obtain money for themselves so that they might not have to return home without having gained that for which they had hoped. They ascertained by the casting of the lot that they ought to go to a certain town(8) which was situated at a distance on the borders of the lands belonging to the Slavonians. The Danes then, believing that this order had come to them from heaven, retired from this place and hastened to go by a direct route to that town. Having made a sudden attack upon its people, who were living in quiet and peace, they seized it by force of arms and, having captured much spoil and treasure, they returned home. Moreover the king who had come with the object of plundering the Swedes, made peace with them and restored the money that he had recently received from them He remained also for some time with them as he wished to become reconciled to their nation. Thus did the good Lord, on account of the faith of his servant Herigar, free the people of this place from the attack of their enemies and restore to them their possessions. After these occurrences Herigar brought forward a proposal in a public assembly and advised that they should try more earnestly to ascertain who was God.
NOTES
(5) In Sigtuna there was a temple and an altar dedicated to Odin. At Upsala, which was within a day's journey of Sigtuna, there was a specially magnificent temple. cf., Adam Brem. Descriptio Ing. Aq. xxvi.
(6) I.e. The church built by Gautbert.
(7) For reference to the custom of casting lots in order to ascertain the will of the gods, see Tacitus Germ. chap. x., see also Vita Willehadi, chap. iii. In casting lots the Danes were accustomed to cut a branch from a fruitbearing tree from which they broke off a number of small sticks. Having cut certain marks on these, they placed them on a spreadout cloth. The priest, or chief then picked up three of these sticks and, in accordance with the marks that he found on them, answered "yes" or " no" to the question addressed to him.
(8) Dreves (p. 70 n.), suggests that this may have been Bineta in the island of Wollin. This town was destroyed by Northmen in the ninth century. Kruse suggests that the town was in the district of Novgorod. Gesch. des Ethnischen Volksstamms, p. 457