In the 1000 years that has passed since the conversion era, much of the culture and religious practices of our ancestors have been lost to us. But surprisingly much of this heritage was recorded by historians like Tacitus, and by chroniclers like Snorri Sturlasson, Saxo Gramaticus and Bede. Other sources include the Arabic Ibn Fadlans account of the Rus, in his Risala, and the Icelandic Sagas, that first where passed down from generation to generation, and then written down. The ancients had a vast and rich mythology. Saved for us in works like the Eddas, Beowulf and many of the stories found in what is now fairy tales, have a pre- conversion origin, and may give us insight into the beliefs and cosmology of our ancestors. Many customs and practices of the ancients have survived right up to modern times, as they where either incorporated into the new religion, or continued in parallel with it. Much of this has also been recorded and saved for future generations. Finally, modern historians, archaologists and others researchers have published extensively on the old religion. The purpose of this category is to collect available online sources from this vast and rich literature heritage.
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