Nordic Witchcraft

Pre-order for the hardcover only. Please see the production information below.

Steeped in the strangest mysteries and lore, the årsgång (‘year walk’) is perhaps the most legendary of all Swedish practices of trolldom - the folk magical / witchcraft traditions of Scandinavia. At first glance, this particular ritual might be conceived of as a simple method of divining the events of the year ahead. Yet when we allow ourselves to truly listen, a very different story emerges from the wild terrains of the past – a tale of profound esoteric insight, sorcerous power, and strange forbidden rites.

Nordic Witchcraft: An exploration of wisdom, lore and power in the Swedish year walk ritual by Carl Nordblom is an exploration of the various folkloric aspects of the year walk ritual and includes a translation of the chapter ‘Klokskap: Gå Årsgång’ from Gunnar Olof Hyltén-Cavallius’s Wärend och wirdarne (originally published 1864–1868). Nordblom seeks to situate the practice within a wider context of trolldom, spanning ancient Norse necromantic and oracular methodologies, divinatory practices, and the arts of entering into communion with the spirits of the land. The path moves from the Bronze Age grave mounds and Medieval elven hills to the cemeteries and crossroads of early modern Scandinavia, where the wisdom of ancient gods, trolls, and the mighty dead await those who dare to set out on the year walk.

Most essentially, this is a work that seeks to present the material from a perspective grounded in practical, emic understanding – one that moves beyond purely theoretical and rigid conceptual modalities to breathe new life into the ancestral spiritual practices of the North.

Production information: The hardcover edition of Nordic Witchcraft will be sewn with goild foiling on front and spine and a matte dustjacket. This book is currently being indexed and will go to the printer at the end of September. 

Title information:

Nordic Witchcraft: An exploration of wisdom, lore and power in the Swedish year walk ritual
Carl Nordblom
Cover art by David Herrerias
ISBN 978-1-915933-87-4 (Hardcover)
ISBN 978-1-915933-88-1 (Softcover)
ISBN 978-1-915933-89-8 (eBook)
129mm x 198mm
110 pages (approx.)