The following article will address the topic of Vé (shrine), which has captured the attention of researchers, experts and the general public in recent years. As society advances and faces new challenges, Vé (shrine) has become a point of interest and debate due to its influence on different aspects of daily life. That is why it is relevant to explore this topic in depth to understand its importance, impact and possible future implications. Throughout this article, various aspects related to Vé (shrine) will be examined, with the aim of providing a comprehensive and enriching vision that invites reflection and debate.
Andy Orchard says that a vé may have surrounded a temple or have been simply a marked, open place where worship occurred. Orchard points out that Tacitus, in his 1st century CE work Germania, says that the Germanic peoples, unlike the Romans, "did not seek to contain their deities within temple walls."
An alternative word for "sanctuary" is alhs (Gothic alhs, Runic Norse alh, Old High German alah, Anglo-Saxon ealh); for this etymology see Alu (runic).
Attestations
References in Old English literature
The Old English poem Maxims I refers to weos in the following stanza:
Wēoh is also attested in Beowulf as an element in the compound name Wēohstan (Old Norse: Vésteinn) and as an element in the word wígweorþunga, referring to the act of honouring idols.
Ullr - numerous locations named Ull(e)vi or Ullavi in Sweden.
Eight old farms in Norway have the name Vé (in Flå, Norderhov, Ringsaker, Sande, Stamnes, Tveit, Tysnes and Årdal). It is also common as the first element in compounded names: Vébólstaðr "the farm with a ve"), Védalr ("the valley with a ve"), Véló ("the holy meadow"), Vésetr ("the farm with a ve"), Véstaðir ("the farm with a ve"), Vésteinn ("the holy stone"), Vévatn ("the holy lake"), Véøy ("the holy island").