The Demise of Norse Religion

The Demise of Norse Religion PDF Author: Olof Sundqvist
Publisher: Walter de Gruyter GmbH & Co KG
ISBN: 3111198758
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 430

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Book Description
When describing the transition from Old Norse religion to Christianity in recent studies, the concept of "Christianization" is often applied. To a large extent this historiography focuses on the outcome of the encounter, namely the description of early Medieval Christianity and the new Christian society. The purpose of the present study is to concentrate more exclusively on the Old Norse religion during this period of change and to analyze the processes behind its disappearance on an official level of the society. More specifically this study concentrates on the role of Viking kings and indigenous agency in the winding up of the old religion. An actor-oriented perspective will thus be established, which focuses on the actions, methods and strategies applied by the early Christian Viking kings when dismantling the religious tradition that had previously formed their lives. In addition, the resistance that some pagan chieftains offered against these Christian kings is discussed as well as the question why they defended the old religious tradition.

The Demise of Norse Religion

The Demise of Norse Religion PDF Author: Olof Sundqvist
Publisher: Walter de Gruyter GmbH & Co KG
ISBN: 3111198758
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 430

Get Book

Book Description
When describing the transition from Old Norse religion to Christianity in recent studies, the concept of "Christianization" is often applied. To a large extent this historiography focuses on the outcome of the encounter, namely the description of early Medieval Christianity and the new Christian society. The purpose of the present study is to concentrate more exclusively on the Old Norse religion during this period of change and to analyze the processes behind its disappearance on an official level of the society. More specifically this study concentrates on the role of Viking kings and indigenous agency in the winding up of the old religion. An actor-oriented perspective will thus be established, which focuses on the actions, methods and strategies applied by the early Christian Viking kings when dismantling the religious tradition that had previously formed their lives. In addition, the resistance that some pagan chieftains offered against these Christian kings is discussed as well as the question why they defended the old religious tradition.

Old Norse Religion in Long-term Perspectives

Old Norse Religion in Long-term Perspectives PDF Author: Anders Andrén
Publisher: Nordic Academic Press
ISBN: 918911681X
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 417

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Book Description
The study of Old Norse Religion is a truly multidisciplinary and international field of research. The rituals, myths and narratives of pre-Christian Scandinavia are investigated and interpreted by archaeologists, historians, art historians, historians of religion as well as scholars of literature, onomastics and Scandinavian studies. For obvious reasons, these studies belong to the main curricula in Scandinavia but are also carried out at many other universities in Europe, the United States and Australia a fact that is evident to any reader of this book. In order to bring this broad and varied field of research together, an international conference on Old Norse religion was held in Lund in June 2004. About two hundred delegates from more than fifteen countries took part. The intention was to gather researchers to encourage and improve scholarly exchange and dialogue, and Old Norse religion in long-term perspectives presents a selection of the proceedings from that conference. The 75 contributions elucidate topics such as worldview and cosmology, ritual and religious practice, myth and memory as well as the reception and present-day use of Old Norse religion. The main editors of this volume have directed the multidisciplinary research project Roads to Midgard since 2000. The project is based at Lund University and funded by the Bank of Sweden Tercentenary Foundation.

From Asgard to Valhalla

From Asgard to Valhalla PDF Author: Heather O'Donoghue
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
ISBN: 0857730436
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 232

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Book Description
Whether they focus on Thor's powerful hammer, the wailing Valkyrie, the palatial home of the gods - Asgard - or ravenous wolves and fierce elemental giants, the Norse myths are packed with rowdy incident. But at the centre of their cosmos stands a gnarled old ash tree, Yggdrasil, from which all distances and times are measured. When the old tree creaks, Ragnarok - the end of the world and of the gods themselves - is at hand. It is from this tree that Odin, father of the gods, hanged himself in search of the wisdom of the dead: a disturbing image of divine sacrifice far removed from the feasting and fighting of his otherworld home, Valhalla. And an image so problematic for thirteenth century Christians that they left it out when they wrote the myths down. From Asgard to Valhalla is the first book to show how and why the Norse myths have so powerfully resonated from era to era: from Viking-age stories of ice and fire to the epic poetry of Beowulf; and from Wagner's Ring to Marvel Comics' Mighty Thor. Heather O'Donoghue, who is an expert on Old Norse culture, shows in what ways the Norse myths have impacted on the western mind, across the fields of literature, art, music and politics. She considers the wider contexts of Norse mythology, including its origins, medieval expression and reception in post-medieval societies right up to the present. From Asgard to Valhalla is a book that will intrigue and delight anyone who is keen to understand how the Norse myths have so profoundly shaped, and continue to shape, the western cultural heritage.

The Study of Religion in Sweden

The Study of Religion in Sweden PDF Author: Henrik Bogdan
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
ISBN: 1350413305
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 426

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Book Description
This book provides a comprehensive examination of the study of religions in Sweden, from the early twentieth century to the present and shows how the intersection of national and social forces shape the study of religion in specific countries and contexts. It traces the establishment of the study of religions as an integrated part of Higher Education in Sweden and it critically examines the development of the most significant disciplines, themes and questions that form Religious Studies in Sweden. Demonstrating the interconnection between nationality and the formation of the academic study of religion, the book explores how Sweden is often described as the most secularised country in the world, yet the study of religions in Sweden has a long, rich, and diverse history. The book emphasizes the interdisciplinary nature of the study of religions, and bring together the voices of 30 scholars.

More than Mythology

More than Mythology PDF Author: Catharina Raudvere
Publisher: Nordic Academic Press
ISBN: 9187121301
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 289

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Book Description
Written by distinguished scholars from multiple perspectives, this account widens the interpretative scope on religious life among the pre-Christian Scandinavian people. The religion of the Viking Age is conventionally identified through its mythology: the ambiguous character Odin, the forceful Thor, and the end of the world approaching in Ragnarök. However, pre-Christian religion consisted of so much more than mythic imagery and legends and has long lingered in folk tradition. Exploring the religion of the North through an interdisciplinary approach, the book sheds new light on a number of topics, including rituals, gender relations, social hierarchies, and interregional contacts between the Nordic tradition and the Sami and Finnish regions.

Myth, Materiality, and Lived Religion

Myth, Materiality, and Lived Religion PDF Author: Peter Jackson Rova
Publisher:
ISBN: 9789176350997
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 448

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Book Description
The authors of the present volume, Myth, Materiality, and Lived Religion, focus on the material dimension of Old Norse mythology and the role played by myths in everyday life. More broadly expressed, the collection looks at the social, ceremonial and material contexts of myths. This topic has been underexplored in previous research on Old Norse myths, despite its important theoretical implications. However, discussions around materiality, in a more general sense, have for a long time been signifi cant for historians of religion, especially archaeologists. Myth, Materiality, and Lived Religion seeks to make the case for the relevance of materiality to literary historians and philologists as well. Questions relating to the theme of materiality and lived religion are posed in this book, including: What do myths tell us about the material culture of the periods in which they were narrated? What role did myths or mythical beings play in connection to, for instance, illnesses and remedies during the Viking Period and the Middle Ages? How did ordinary people experience participation in a more formal sacrifi cial feast led by ritual specialists? The editors of this book are all associated with the Department of Ethnology, History of Religions and Genders Studies at Stockholm University, Sweden.

Norse Mythology

Norse Mythology PDF Author: Rasmus Bjørn Anderson
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Mythology, Norse
Languages : en
Pages : 490

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Book Description


Norse Mythology; Or, the Religion of Our Forefathers, Containing All the Myths of the Eddas Systematized and Interpreted, with an Introduction, Vocabulary and Index

Norse Mythology; Or, the Religion of Our Forefathers, Containing All the Myths of the Eddas Systematized and Interpreted, with an Introduction, Vocabulary and Index PDF Author: Rasmus Björn ANDERSON
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Mythology, Norse
Languages : en
Pages : 488

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Book Description


Odin's Whisper

Odin's Whisper PDF Author: Neil Price
Publisher:
ISBN: 9781780232904
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 0

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Book Description
The Viking period, which stretched from the eighth to the eleventh century, left behind half a million graves, many containing whole ships, sumptuous goods, and even the bodies of slaves or loved ones sacrificed alongside those who had died. Revealing that it was in death that the Viking view of life was most clearly distilled, Odin s Whisperuses Norse mythology and recent archaeological evidence to draw a compelling picture of the Viking mind. In this in-depth account, Neil Price argues that it is by understanding Viking burial that we can best understand the thought and mythology of this fascinating culture. Price contextualizes how Vikings grasped death within theRagnarokthe immense battle of the living, dead, gods, and humans that would ultimately consume the world in fireand illustrates that their conception of the afterlife was seen only as a respite before this end. He also shows that this violent view of the afterlife informed their funeral practice, divulging blood-curdling accounts of the sacrifices and rapes that occasionally marked burials. Filled with striking illustrations and reconstructions of graves, Odin s Whispercasts new light on Norse beliefs about death and, in turn, what these notions tell us of their beliefs about life."

Scandinavian Mythology

Scandinavian Mythology PDF Author: Rasmus Björn Anderson
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Mythology, Norse
Languages : en
Pages : 20

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Book Description