Remains of Ancient Viking "God House" to Thor and Odin Discovered in Norway

Archaeologists have unearthed the 1,200-year-old remains of a large Viking temple in Ose, Norway that was dedicated to the worship of the Norse gods Thor and Odin.

It is the first remains of such an Old Norse temple discovered in Norway.

"This is the first time we've found one of these very special, very beautiful buildings," archaeologist Søren Diinhoff of the University Museum of Bergen informed Live Science. "We know them from Sweden and we know them from Denmark. … This shows that they also existed in Norway."

This structure was a "god house" and it differed from smaller, simpler places of worship of the Old Norse pagan gods.

While the large wooden structure itself is gone, the post-holes that were uncovered shows what the size and layout of the god house would have been, including what would have included a distinctive tower only used in god houses. As Science Alert puts it:

"Archaeologists say the large wooden building - about 45 feet (14 meters) long, 26 feet (8 m) wide, and up to 40 feet (12 m) high - is thought to date from the end of the eighth century and was used for worship and sacrifices to gods during the midsummer and midwinter solstices." The site also revealed cooking pits for religious feasts and animal sacrifices. "You would have a good mood, a lot of eating and a lot of drinking," Diinhoff said. "I think they would have had a good time."

Located nearby is a large phallus-shaped stone that was discovered several years ago and is believed to have been part of fertility rituals.

While the Viking settlement at Ose dates back almost 2,500 years, the god house site is understood to hail from the late eighth century.

An elite group of wealthy families came to dominate the area at that time. As Live Science explained, this was an era when Scandinavians had more social interactions with the Roman Empire and Germanic tribes and the god house reflected these new influences.

"Norse religious worship became more ideological and organized, and god houses at Ose were patterned on Christian basilicas that travelers had seen in southern lands," Science Alert reports.

By the 11th century, Norway's kings were Christians who suppressed the old religion. Pagan structures like god houses were destroyed to make way for Christian churches, although it is not yet known whether the god house site at Ose was such a victim.

For related coverage, learn how DNA shows Vikings were less blond and blue-eyed than pop culture would have us believe and discover why the sequel series Vikings: Valhalla will be on Netflix instead of the History Channel.

And for more on Marvel's god of thunder, get all the latest details on Thor: Love and Thunder.