On this day in 754AD, St. Boniface met his match.
The Ragyndrudis Codex is thought to have been the book he tried in vain to shield himself from the Frisians’ swords with. It shows significant damage from an edged weapon, and stains which may be his blood.

The death of St. Boniface in the Fuldaer Sakramentar, 975AD.
FAFO

The theory of Panpsychism proposes that because complex electromagnetic fields similar to that produced by the brain are found throughout nature, that life emerges from consciousness, rather than consciousness beginning with life, and that consciousness flows into you after conception.

Our ancestors knew this as Óðr/Wod; the breath of life, and the mind, soul, and divine inspiration granted by Odin himself to Askr and Embla.

The Sanskrit equivalent of Óðr is Jīva. The Upanishads taught that a fetus becomes Jīvan after seven months; and multiple modern studies show that a fetus indeed shows signs of consciousness at around seven months. Once more, pagans stay winning. ⴲ

An Anglo Saxon bronze hooked tag, with a silver wire and niello inlay. Found in Norfolk, 8-11th Century.

An interesting Viking Age scabbard chape from the British Museum, with a likely depiction of Odin hanging on Yggdrasil. ᚬ

An incomplete Viking Age zoomorphic bridle mount, found in Norfolk, 10-11th Century.

Pagan practices mentioned in the Older Gulaþing Law, 11th Century;
-Performing blót; defined as sacrificing animals, sprinkling their blood on idols, and consuming the sacrificial meat.
-Eating horse meat or blood; related to blót.
-Sitting out at night (útiseta/utisete) to communicate with the dead or “trolls”.
-Worshipping at burial mounds and stone altars.
-Building a burial mound.
-Raising a níðstang.
-Galdr-song.
-Divination, or consulting a soothsayer.
ⴲ

An incomplete Viking Age Borre knotwork strap end, found in Rocklands, Norfolk, 9-10th Century.

A tiny sun cross pendant recently found in Bornholm, Denmark, 5-6th Century. ⴲ

In a letter to St. Boniface, Pope Gregory III said that those who had been baptized by a priest who sacrificed to “Jupiter” (Thor?) or participated in pagan sacrificial feasts should undergo another baptism.
This may refer to Ausa Vatni as an initiatory rite, or even a reverse baptism. The Livonian Chronicle of Henry mentions the Livonians willingly accepting baptism, but then ritually washing it off in the sacred Daugava River. ᛚ

A persistent misconception you’ll hear is that Tyr is somehow the “original” Sky Father/head of the Germanic pantheon. However, this argument is based solely on oversimplified linguistics.

The name Tyr means simply “the/a God”, and many of Odin’s epithets contain -tyr; ex. Geirtyr (spear-god). In the Skáldskaparmál, Thor is attested as Chariot-Tyr.

Odin clearly is the Sky Father; he slays the primordial life form (Ymir) and shapes the cosmos from his body, fathers the Striker (Thor) and the Divine Twins, marries the Earth Mother (Frigg/Jorð), watches over the ancestral dead (Einherjar), tests his children’s hospitality in disguise as Shiva and Zeus are attested as doing, and his golden throne Hlidskjalf is the all-seeing sun eye. These roles are reflected by the Sky Father in other IE religions.

According to Tacitus, the Germanic tribes worshipped Mercury (Wodan) the most, followed by Mars (Tyr) and Hercules (Thor). He does not liken any Germanic gods to Jupiter.

In the Skáldskaparmál, Tyr is attested as a son of Odin. In the Hymskviða he’s attested as the son of Hymir; who may have been Odin in disguise. The Hymskviða follows the Hárbarðsljóð in the Poetic Edda, and Hymir taunts Thor in a very similar manner to Hárbarð, suggesting he’ll freeze if he goes fishing.

Odin’s titles containing Tyr include;
Geirtyr (spear god), Hrafntyr (raven god), Farmatyr (burden god), Fimbultyr (mighty god), Gautatyr (god of the Geats), Sigtyr (victory god), Hertyr (host god), Hroptatyr (sage god) Runatyr (rune god), Hangetyr (hanged god), Valtyr (god of the slain), Veratyr (god of men) and Reiðatyr (god of riders).

Several of Odin’s titles contain father;
Aldafaðr (father of men), Alfaðr (Allfather), Herføðr/Herjaføðr (father of hosts), Galdraføðr (father of galdr), Jólføðr (Yule father) and Sigføðr (father of victory).
However, none of Tyr’s epithets suggest he is any kind of father figure.

Tyr has a clear Vedic cognate; Kartikeya, commonly known as Murugan, and Shanmukha in the Vedas. He is a son of Shiva, and the commander of the army of the Devas. Like Tyr, Mars and Ares, Tuesday is Kartikeya’s holy day, and his weapon is a spear.

Tyr’s Celtic cognate would be Nuada. Nuada was the first high king of the Tuatha Dé Danann, before losing his hand in battle. 
The Romans likened Nuada to Mars, who is second only to Jupiter as a commander of the Gods; just like Kartikeya…and Tyr.
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Tyr, der Schwertgott by Carl Emil Doepler, 1882. ᛏ

A bronze Celtic cosmetic grinder set, found in Norfolk, 1-2nd Century. These artifacts are unique to Britain, and are believed to have been used to crush woad leaves.

“Battle and hate and harm, methinks, Full seldom fall asleep; Wits and weapons the warrior needs If boldest of men he would be.”
~Sigdrífumál 36, Bellows

“Sakar ok heiftir hyggja-t svefngar vera né harm in heldr; vits ok vápna vant er jöfri at fá þeim er skal fremstr með firum.”

Painting by Julien Delval. ᛏ