“Freemasonry In Viking Times” is a book written by the Norwegian Freemason Arvid Ystad, a civil engineer and layman historian. He chose a subject that you may have run into more often on this website: origins of Masonic symbolism that can be found in prechristian Northern Europe.
The book is written in Norwegian. I have not found a place to get it outside Norway and the publisher (where I ordered it) has no plans for an edition in another language. So I read the book in Norwegian and I wrote an article based on it from this exercise. You can find that article here.
Of course I do not master the language so I am not the right person to judge the book, but what I understand from it there are a few, somewhat thin, red threads, but also a wealth of interesting similarities, several of which were new to me.
I certainly hope the book will raise some attention and that the author will make an English version of it, so I (and other people) can get more to the bottom of Ystad’s information.
The book has some pretty detailed descriptions Masonic ritual and symbolism of “blue Freemasonry” as the author calls it (the first three degrees of Entered Apprentice, Fellowcraft and Master Mason), so I may need to discourage reading the book to people who plan on joining a lodge, or who have not passed the three mentioned degrees.
The author does mostly refer to the York Rite and probably based his information on some old work(s) of exposure, but in some situations the information just might be a bit too detailed.
Extra points for being one of the few to write about this subject and for the fact that I ran into things new. To get a better idea of the book, read my article about it.
2016 Pax, isbn 9788253038438
Interesting. I read your other article which included the additional detail. I’ll add additional insight if you’re interested, that may possibly explain both the connection between the old Norse religion and masonry, and also the possible origin of both. We often find what we’re looking for, when trying to find “proof” of connections to things important to us. However, I recognized several important and significant elements in your description from his book that, I believe, are not coincidence, random, or wishful thinking. Without any further explanation, I’ll just cut to the chase. It appears as though both the masonic rituals and the ancient Norse religion contain significant remnants of the original Israelite temple ceremony. There are elements you mentioned in your other article that even the masons don’t recognize, but I do.
Much more about the subject at https://masonicheathens.3-5-7.nl
I think as we pull all of these pieces together we’ll see that as the first century centurions adopted Jesus as another resurrectionist deity, leading Paul to change the Jesus mission from reinforcing rabbinical law to compromising with solar pagan cults.
That these centurions spread this new resurrection god’s story of a sacrifice of flesh, being hung on a timber and lanced in his side to give divine knowledge (Holy Spirit/Sophia), who the North people turned into the Odin myth ..who’s same sacrifice gave divine knowledge (as runes).. and this is why the runes origin trace back to the alphabet used by centurions in the first century.
Perhaps when the contact occurred and stories of their gods were shared, someone realized they were dealing with a cousin religion.. something that existed before the Sun Cult assimilated Christianity.. something that needed preservation.
Why would Christians give the names of the week to pagan gods? ..especially Tyr, Odin, Thor, and Freya?
Why do we tell children Santa Claus visits on Christmas? If Santa riding his sleigh pulled by reindeer through the air, is a reimagined Thor riding his chariot pulled goats.. where Gnasher and Cracker are Dasher and Dancer.. and Donner and Blitzen were Thunder and Lightning. Why is Norse all around us today?