Outdoor altar of stacked stones for sacrifice and worship.
Hörgar appear in eddic poetry and skaldic verse as places of blót, often associated with dísir and nature spirits rather than the major gods. They were built from stone and reddened with sacrificial blood.
The terms hörgar and hov are frequently paired in formulaic phrases, suggesting they formed complementary cult sites. Archaeologists have identified possible hörgar as stone assemblages on hills and beside watercourses.
Attestations
- Völuspá str. 7, Poetisk Edda (ca. 1270, Codex Regius)
- Early attestation of hörgar in the context of the creation narrative.