In Vita Sancti Columbani by Jonas of Bobbio in the 7th-century, one of the earliest examples of an offering being made to Wōden by the Suebi is recorded:

Sunt etenim inibi vicinae nationes Suaevorum. Quo cum moraretur et inter habitatores loci illius progrederetur, repperit eos sacrificium profanum litare velle, vasque magnum, quem vulgo cupam vocant, qui XX modia amplius minusve capiebat, cervisa plenum in medio positum. Ad quem vir Dei accessit sciscitaturque, quid de illo fieri vellint. Illi aiunt se Deo suo Vodano nomine, quem Mercurium, ut alii aiunt, autumant, velle litare. Ille pestiferum opus audiens vas insufflat, miroque modo vas cum fragore dissolvitur et per frustra dividitur, visque rapida cum ligore cervisae prorumpit; manifesteque datur intellegi diabolum in eo vase fuisse occultatum, qui per profanum ligorem caperet animas sacrificantum...

"For there are Suebic tribes in that locality. While he stays there and goes about among the inhabitants of that place, he finds that they want to perform a profane sacrifice, and a large vessel - which is called a cup in the vernacular and contained around twenty modia was placed in the middle, full of beer. At which the man of God went up and asked what they might want to be done about that. They say that they want to sacrifice to their god, called Wodan, whom, as others say, they call Mercurius. He, hearing this appalling design, blew on the vessel, and, in a wondrous manner, the vessel broke up and was split irrecoverably, and the force in the flowing liquid of the beer broke through it..."

It is equally notable that an identical form of offering is recorded in Vita Vedastis with a mixed group of Christian and Pagan Franks:

domum intro

iens, Vedastis conspicit gentile ritu vasa plena cervisae domi adstare. Quod ille sciscitans, quid sibi vasa in medio domi posita vellent, inquirerit, responsum est, se alia christianis, alia vero paganis opposita ac gentile ritu sacrificata. Cumque ita sibi denuntiatum fuisset, omnia vasa de industria signo crucis sacravit, ac omnipotentis Dei nomen invocato, cum fidei adminiculum, caelitum auxiliante dono, benedixit. Cumque benedictionem cum crucis signo super vasa, quae gentili fuerant ritu sacrificata, premisisset, mox soluta legaminibus, cunctum cervisae ligorem quem capiebant in pavimentum deiecerunt.

"entering the house, Vedastis saw that a vessel full of beer was standing in the house according to Gentile/Pagan ritual. When he asked why they might want a vessel placed in the middle of the house for themselves, it was replied that the vessel was placed before some who were Christian and others, indeed, who were Pagan, and this vessel was sacrificed according to the Pagan ritual. And when he was informed thus, he busily hallowed the vessel with the sign of the cross, and blessed it, calling on the name of omnipotent God with the support of faith and the aiding gift of heaven. And when he had spoken forth the blessing, with the sign of the cross over the vessel, which had been sacrificed according to the Pagan ritual, immediately the vessel loosened in its fixings, and poured forth all the liquid of beer which it contained ont

o the floor."

While both texts are written from a historical Christian perspective, they provide a valuable insight into the nature of libational offerings dedicated to, in the case of the Suebi, Wōden (Wodan). The similar nature of both offerings described in Vita Sancti Columbani and Vita Vedastis can be interpreted as the mixed group of Christian and Pagan Franks making an offering to Wōden (Wuodan - identified as Mercury, Mercurius, in Frankish literature) as well.

Anglo-Saxon metrical charms were used to magically resolve a situation or disease. These Anglo-Saxon metrical charms were originally compiled into the 10th-11th-century Lacnunga manuscript, with others being found in Bald's 10th-century Leechbook (also known as Medicinale Anglicum). Various charms in their original form include both Pagan and Christian characteristics.

Here is a collection of all Anglo-Saxon metrical charms repurposed and revised to contain only Pagan characteristics. With the following charms, some of them have been left untouched where revision was not required and so as to stay true to the original charms as much as possible.

We believe that these charms were originally developed and used in a Pagan context and later revised to fit a Christian context. With our repurposing, we have presented these charms in a way that Pagans can use today in a spiritually safe way. The revitalisation of these charms will enable modern Germanic Pagans to use them in a living tradition as it was done by our ancestors.

A special thank you to WodenWyrd (Germanic Paganism) for his equal contribution to this project with me.

Anglo-Saxon Pagan Spells