Ellen Lloyd – AncientPages.com – Can nature provide a person with answers about the future? People in ancient Sweden believed a walk in the forest could foretell future events.
In Sweden, where nature plays an important role in daily life, it seemed logical to assume that omen-seekers could acquire knowledge of the following year by visiting the forest. However, one had to be very careful because supernatural beings that reside in forests, lakes, and mountains could be harmful.
In Sweden, a ritual was known as Årsgång, translated as Year Walk. During the Year Walk, visiting the forest on Christmas Eve or New Year’s Eve was a custom. According to Swedish folklorist Tommy Kuusela, this divination ritual dates back to the 1600s. While walking in the dark forest on a cold winter night, the goal was to catch glimpses of what would happen the following year. A person seeking knowledge about the future could gain it by interpreting signs. Still, he mustn’t forget that some of the creatures in the forest were dangerous, and the year walk required discipline and concentration. Without it, a person may never return to the realm of the living.
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