Syftet med den här uppsatsen är att utmana tolkningar av arkeologiskt material som kan spegla rituella handlingar under yngre järnålder. Begreppet kult har blivit ett populärt samlingsbegrepp inom arkeologin men saknar ofta en tydlig definition. Religiösa tolkningar av rituellt material verkar ha företräde framför profana tolkningar – amulettringar tolkas gärna som religiös rekvisita istället för som objekt använda vid juridiciella aktiviteter. Uppsatsen kommer att belysa hedern och alliansernas betydelse i det forntida samhället som en motvikt till den fornnordiska religionen samt propagera för att en plats kan ha använts för både sakrala och profana ändamål. Fokus i studien ligger på kultplatsen Lilla Ullevi samt tingsplatsen Anundshög i Mälardalen. Det arkeologiska materialet jämförs och analyseras med hjälp av litteratur från arkeologi, ortnamnsforskning och religionshistoria. Resultatet visar att platsernas rituella funktioner inte kan åtskiljas genom det arkeologiska materialet. Kultplatsen och tingsplatsen passar båda in på den i norrön litteratur benämnda Vi-platsen, en fredad plats avsedd för rituella handlingar. / The purpose of this essay is to challenge interpretations of archaeological material that may reflect ritual actions during the Late Iron Age. The term cult has become a popular collective term in archeology but often lacks a clear definition. Religious interpretations of ritual material seem to take precedence over profane interpretations – amulet rings are often interpreted as religious props instead of objects used in juridical activities. The essay will highlight the importance of honor and alliances in ancient society as a counterweight to the Old Norse religion, as well as propagandize that a place may have been used for both sacred and profane purposes. The focus of the study is on the cult site Lilla Ullevi and the court site Anundshög in Mälardalen. The archaeological material is compared and analyzed with the help of literature from archaeology, place name research and religious history. The results show that the ritual functions of the sites cannot be separated through the archaeological material. The cult site and court site both fit into what is called the Vi-place in Norse literature, a protected place intended for ritual acts.

This thesis compares four excavated ritual places that have been connected through place names to the two Norse gods Týr and Ullr. The purpose is to contribute to the discussion about the nature of Týr and Ullr and their relationship. Excavation reports, primary sources and other publications are used as material to achieve this purpose. A qualitative method is used in the comparison between the ritual places. The conclusion is that Ullr probably were a sun god and law god with connections to aristocracy, war, rings and possibly horses, but that he also changed through time. The relationship with Týr remains obscure though, partly because of the limited material, but the two gods seems to have had similar connections to aristocracy and war. Both gods may also have survived into the Viking age. The presence of other gods such as Freyr and Odin makes the tracing of Týr and Ullr more complicated.