Norse Religion is Nature Based

 5 Powerful Reasons Why the Norse Pagan Religion Is Deeply Rooted in Nature
As long-time researchers and active practitioners of Norse paganism, we’ve explored this spiritual path through original Norse texts, lived experience, and the oral traditions shared by hundreds in our community. Through years of study, discussion in our Discord group, and connecting with actual practitioners worldwide, one truth has become clear:

The Norse religion is deeply, inherently, and unmistakably nature-based. However, there are many who use this description of Norse paganism as a nature based religion incorectly and don't know how to explain it. These are 5 ways from the sources linking the Norse religion to nature.

1.🌿 Landvættir – The Land Spirits Who Watch Over Us 

One of the most obvious signs that Norse paganism is rooted in nature is the widespread belief in Landvættir, literally “land wights” or “land spirits.”

These beings are guardians of the natural world—spirits that inhabit hills, stones, rivers, waterfalls, forests, and even mounds. In Icelandic tradition, it was considered illegal to bring a carved image of a a dragon on the front of your ship when approaching land, so as not to offend the local Landvættir according to Landnámabók.

The landvættir are also mentioned in many other viking age sources such as Olav Tryggvassons saga where they are giant animal spirits protecting Iceland. They are also mentioned in Egils saga where the landvættir are cursed using a magic invocation to expel the tyrannical King Erik Bloodaxe from the land of Norway.

There are many more sources on the landvættir that we go into in depth in our full article below.

🔗 [Want to go deeper? Read our full article on Landvættir here.]

[We also cover the landvættir in a full chapter in our book for sale here]

2. 🏞️ The Gods Lived in Nature, Not Temples

Unlike the Roman or Greek gods, who were confined to stone temples, the Norse gods lived in nature.

This was clearly noted by the Roman historian Tacitus in his work Germania (1st century CE). He observed that the Germanic peoples did not enclose their gods in temples. Instead, they believed it was more appropriate to worship them in open groves and sacred spaces under the sky.

"They conceive it unworthy the grandeur of celestial beings to confine their deities within walls, or to represent them under a human similitude: 67 woods and groves are their temples; and they affix names of divinity to that secret power, which they behold with the eye of adoration alone."

-Tacitus, Germania 1st century

This perspective continued throughout the Viking Age. Although we do have some records of temples and idols int he viking age, they were always located in the near vicinity of a sacred grove or spring. A perfect example is the temple of Uppsala as described by Adam of Bremmen in the late 11th century. This shows that this was a common Germanic philosophy and not just a later Norse addition. 

3. 🌞 The Gods Are Nature

Many Norse gods are direct personifications of natural forces. Their names literally translate into elements of the natural world:

Sól – the sun

Máni – the moon

Jörð – the earth

Ægir – the sea

Snær – snow

Vetr – winter

Sumar – summer

These are not just symbolic names, they are evidence that the gods were seen as the living embodiment of natural phenomena. The Norse weren’t worshipping abstract deities removed from the world. They were worshipping the sun that warmed their fields, the snow that covered their homes, the sea that fed their people all as if they were conscious beings. This is rooted in animism of course.

4. 🌳 Sacred Places Were Found in Nature

The Norse did not need man-made temples to connect with the divine. Their holy places were groves, trees, wells, springs, waterfalls, and burial mounds.

Donar’s Oak, sacred to the god Thor, was worshipped by the continental Germanic peoples before it was cut down during Christianization. The grove near the Temple of Uppsala was sacred and considered so holy that even the bodies of sacrifices were hung from its trees. This was also done in a holy grove in continental Germanic Europe in a temple to the goddess Tamfana. 

Wells and springs—like Mímir’s Well in mythology—were considered portals to wisdom and power. Burial mounds, waterfalls, cairns and other sites were also believed to contain power and wisdom. After the Christian conversion of Scandinavia, there were laws that specifically banned visiting or worshipping at these natural sites. These can be found in law codes dating from the 12th century onward- Frostating, Járnsíða, and Jónsbók. Why? Because people continued to seek wisdom, healing, and blessings from these sacred spots. The Norse pagan religion simply refused to be erased.

5. 🌧️ Norse Rituals Were About Interacting with Nature

Norse religion wasn’t just about believing in gods, it was about engaging with nature through practice.

Many rituals aimed to:

Calm storms or seas as told in Hávamál.

153. A ninth I know: when need befalls me
to save my vessel afloat,
I hush the wind on the stormy wave,
and soothe all the sea to rest.

-Hávamál

Call for wind or rain as told in many sagas where a witch or sorcerer conjured up a storm during a battle to grant their kin victory.

Ensure a good harvest as people would commonly do a sacrifice for in the midwinter(Yule).

"On winter day there should be  blood-sacrifice for a good year, and in the middle of winter for a good crop; and the third sacrifice should be on summer day, for victory in battle."

-Ynglinga saga

Bring fertility to the land, animals, and peace to the people as told in many accounts of a sacrifice to Freyr.

"When it became known to the Swedes that Frey was dead, and yet peace and good seasons continued, they believed that it must be so as long as Frey remained in Sweden; and therefore they would not burn his remains, but called him the god of this world, and afterwards offered continually blood-sacrifices to him, principally for peace and good seasons."

-Ynglinga saga

These practices show that Norse magic and blót (sacrifices) were practical tools for interacting with the natural world and influencing it to benifit the people casting it.

🌌 Conclusion: Norse Paganism Is a Nature Religion at Its Core

From land spirits to sun gods, from sacred trees to weather-working rituals, it’s clear that the Norse religion is nature-based in both practice and worldview.

This isn’t a New Age reinterpretation—it’s what the sources, sagas, and historical records actually say. Whether you’re a curious reader or a dedicated practitioner, understanding this nature-based framework is key to connecting with Norse paganism authentically.

🧭 If you’re interested in practicing Norse paganism in a historically grounded and nature-connected way, join our community and check out our recommended guides on the old ways.