Gamla Uppsala
[2] Early written sources show that already during prehistory, Gamla Uppsala was widely famous in Northern Europe as the residence of Swedish kings of the legendary Yngling dynasty.
[8][9] The Law of Uppland says that it was at this assembly that the king proclaimed that the fleet levy would be summoned for warfare during the summer, and all the crews, rowers, commanders and ships were decided.
The Danish chronicler Saxo Grammaticus held Odin himself to have resided in Gamla Uppsala far back in the mists of time: At this time there was one Odin, who was credited over all Europe with the honour, which was false, of godhead, but used more continually to sojourn at Uppsala; and in this spot, either from the sloth of the inhabitants or from its own pleasantness, he vouchsafed to dwell with somewhat especial constancy.
[12]This tradition was also known by the Icelandic historian Snorri Sturluson, who, however had Odin reside in nearby Fornsigtuna, whereas the god Freyr lived in Gamla Uppsala.
Frey built a great temple at Uppsala, made it his chief seat, and gave it all his taxes, his land, and goods.
[14]The sacrifices at the Temple at Uppsala are described by Adam of Bremen: At this point I shall say a few words about the religious beliefs of the Swedes.
Kings and their subjects, collectively and individually, send their gifts to Uppsala; and – a thing more cruel than any punishment – those who have already adopted Christianity buy themselves off from these ceremonies.
This grove is so sacred to the people that the separate trees in it are believed to be holy because of the death or putrefaction of the sacrificial victims.
[15]In the scolia, there is an additional description: Near that temple is a very large tree with widespread branches which are always green both in winter and summer.
Those who approach see its gleam from afar off because the shrine, which is located on a plain, is encircled by mountains so situated as to give the effect of a theatre.
However, in the absence of any corroborating evidence, Magnus' accounts no longer enjoy widespread acceptance among scholars today.
It was a symbolic moment when Pope John Paul II visited Scandinavia in 1989 and held an open-air mass at the royal mounds in Gamla Uppsala, as this was a Norse religion cultic centre, which became Sweden's first archbishopric in 1164.
During the 1070s and 1080s there appears to have been a renaissance of Norse religion with the magnificent Temple at Uppsala described in a contested account through an eye-witness by Adam of Bremen.
Its great importance in Swedish tradition led to the location of Sweden's first Archbishopric in Gamla Uppsala in 1164.
According to folklore, the three gods Thor, Odin and Freyr would be at rest in Kungshögarna or Uppsala högar (from the Old Norse word Haugr meaning mound or barrow; cognate English Howe).
For men of consequence a mound should be raised to their memory, and for all other warriors who had been distinguished for manhood a standing stone; which custom remained long after Odin's time.
In 1846,[19] he undertook the excavation of the nine-metres-tall (30 ft) Eastern mound with the hope of finding the grave of a Swedish king of old.
A 25-metre-long (82 ft) tunnel was dug into the mound, where they found a pot of clay filled with burnt bones and around it there were the remains of the charred grave offerings.
Among the most important finds in the eastern mound were many fragments of decorated bronze panels with a dancing warrior carrying a spear.
These remains include a Frankish sword adorned with gold and garnets and a board game with Roman pawns of ivory.
He was dressed in a costly suit made of Frankish cloth with golden threads, and he wore a belt with a sumptuous buckle.
After a fire in 1240, the nave and transepts of the cathedral were removed, leaving only the choir and central tower, and with the addition of the sacristy and the porch gave the church its present outer appearance.
