20 Jun 2012

The Pagan Sites of Europe Remembered (17): Ranheim, Norway


An artist's illustration of the temple site at Ranheim

In 2011, the site of a pagan temple was discovered in Norway at a place called Ranheim, 10 km north of the city of Trondheim. The discovery came when builders were excavating foundations for new houses. The temple was apparently built sometime around or after the year 400 AD, and was used for hundreds of years until the suppression of pagan religion in the 11th century. It consisted of a processional route, a stone-set sacrificial altar, and a hut for idols. These idols were in the form of poles with carved faces of Thor, Odin, Frey and Freya.