The ancient inhabitants of Old Uppsala, in Sweden, performed every eight years a sacrifice ritual lasting nine days, during which men and animals were killed. The goal was to avoid catastrophes, according to recorded tradition. This custom was part of the religious practices of a people who inhabited the region at least 2500 years ago.
One hour north of Stockholm lies an almost flat plain with large burial mounds that testify to the presence of this ancient culture. These people were not Vikings, but rather northern Germanic Goths, pagan polytheists who worshipped the precursors of the deities Odin, Freyr and Thor.
A Swedish astrophysicist claims to have reconstructed the astronomical calendar used by this community to determine the exact date of the sacrifices. The system was based on measuring the Sun and the Moon. Paradoxically, the article suggests that this ancient Gothic subgroup probably had no particular interest in astronomy, although their ritual practices depended on precise celestial calculations.
