Study › Runes & Norse › Ausa Vatni
Ausa vatni, "sprinkling with water", was the Norse rite in which a father sprinkled a newborn with water and gave it its name, accepting it into the family.
What is ausa vatni?
In the Norse world a newborn was not yet fully a person. It became one through ausa vatni, 'sprinkling with water': the father took the child in his arms, sprinkled it with water and gave it its name.
Why it mattered
This was more than a blessing. It meant the father accepted the child into the family and the community. Before it was done, a child could still lawfully be set out to die, as happened in hard times; once the child had been sprinkled and named, killing it was murder. The name itself mattered: children were often named after dead kin, in the belief that something of the ancestor's luck and nature came with the name.
The naming gift
The name was fastened with a gift, the nafnfestr, often a ring or a weapon. In the Hávamál, Odin counts among his spells that if he sprinkles water on a young warrior, the boy will not fall in battle. The rite was so central that it survived the coming of Christianity, side by side with baptism.
A person's luck came with the name: see fylgja and hamingja.
Questions
What is the nafnfestr?
The gift that fastened the name, often a ring or a weapon.
Did ausa vatni survive Christianity?
Yes, side by side with baptism.