The Old Norse 'god house' was built from wood about 1200 years ago to worship gods like Odin, Thor and Freyr.
The remains of a 1,200-year-old pagan temple to the Old Norse gods such as Thor and Odin have been discovered in Norway — a rare relic of the Viking religion built a few centuries before Christianity became dominant there.
"This is the first time we've found one of these very special, very beautiful buildings," Diinhoff told Live Science."We know them from Sweden and we know them from Denmark. … This shows that they also existed in Norway." Image 1 of 6God houseArchaeologists unearthed the foundations of the ancient building last month at Ose, a seaside village near the town of Ørsta in western Norway, ahead of preparations for a new housing development.
"When the new socially differentiated society set in, in the Roman Iron Age, the leading families took control of the cult," he said.Norse religious worship became more ideological and organized, and god houses at Ose were patterned on Christian basilicas that travelers had seen in southern lands, he said.
Ancient worshipThe purpose of the site is also revealed by a concentration of cooking pits where food for religious feasts was prepared, and numerous bones — the remains of animal sacrifices.
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