Tracing Old Norse Cosmology

Author : Anders Andrén
Publisher : Nordic Academic Press
Page : 248 pages
File Size : 42,6 Mb
Release : 2015-01-01
Category : Social Science
ISBN : 9789187675010

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Tracing Old Norse Cosmology by Anders Andrén Pdf

The study of Old Norse religion is a truly multidisciplinary and international field of research. The rituals, myths, and narratives of pre-Christian Scandinavia have been studied and interpreted in detail relying mainly on Christian Icelandic literature from the Middle Ages. Here, Anders Andrén offers a long-term perspective on Old Norse cosmology and argues that the fundamental ideas of an ordered universe, time, and space in Old Norse religion can be studied in a dialogue between archaeology and the Icelandic narrative tradition. Ideas about the world tree, middle earth, and the sun can be traced in images and material culture from Scandinavian prehistory. By combining the prehistoric representations with the later written record the author presents a fresh and nuanced study of the fascinating Old Norse world.

Author : John Lindow
Publisher : Oxford University Press, USA
Page : 249 pages
File Size : 50,8 Mb
Release : 2020
Category : History
ISBN : 9780190852252

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Old Norse Mythology by John Lindow Pdf

"This book treats from the perspective of the series "World mythologies in theory and in everyday life" the body of texts from medieval Scandinavia, mostly Iceland, usually known as "Norse mythology" or "Scandinavian mythology." Specifically, it constitutes a case study of a "literary or textual mythology," that is, a mythology from the past that we know only through written texts that have been left to us, augmented in a few cases by artifacts and images. This case is particularly interesting because the texts (with a tiny handful of enigmatic exceptions) were recorded centuries after the Nordic peoples had abandoned the religion associated with the mythology and converted to Christianity. The mythology lived on without direct connection to ritual activity or religious conviction. Drawing both on sources from before the conversion and on comparative analysis, it is certainly possible to reach informed inferences about the mythology before the conversion to Christianity-that is, when it existed as part of the pre-Christian religion of the Nordic peoples and their successors. From the perspective of the mythologies of the world, what is perhaps most important about these inferences is that this pre-Christian mythology was not a canonical mythology, since it almost certainly lacked a canon of sacred texts such as one finds in the great world religions of today. The focus of the book is not the mythology in and of itself, as would be true of a handbook, but rather how particular historical and intellectual circumstances formed conceptions about it."--

Author : Pernille Hermann,Jens Peter Schjødt,Rasmus Tranum Kristensen
Publisher : Brepols Publishers
Page : 200 pages
File Size : 47,9 Mb
Release : 2007
Category : Literary Collections
ISBN : STANFORD:36105131715091

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Reflections on Old Norse Myths by Pernille Hermann,Jens Peter Schjødt,Rasmus Tranum Kristensen Pdf

When seeking to understand the function of mythology in the pagan past and in medieval Iceland scholars are confronted with the problem of how sources from the Middle Ages can properly be used. The articles in this volume demonstrate diverse angles from which Old Norse mythological texts can be viewed. Many discuss methodological problems in dealing with the texts and draw on expertise from different fields of study such as history, philology, literary studies, and history of religions. The authors are all established experts in the field, but demonstrate new approaches to the study of Old Norse mythology, and offer insights into possible new directions for research.

Author : Heather O'Donoghue
Publisher : Bloomsbury Publishing
Page : 232 pages
File Size : 52,5 Mb
Release : 2008-09-30
Category : Religion
ISBN : 9780857730435

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From Asgard to Valhalla by Heather O'Donoghue Pdf

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.

Author : Stefan Brink,Lisa Collinson,Brepols
Publisher : Unknown
Page : 270 pages
File Size : 42,9 Mb
Release : 2017
Category : Electronic books
ISBN : 2503554210

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Theorizing Old Norse Myth by Stefan Brink,Lisa Collinson,Brepols Pdf

Author : Simon Hawthorne
Publisher : Createspace Independent Publishing Platform
Page : 84 pages
File Size : 48,6 Mb
Release : 2015-07-16
Category : Electronic
ISBN : 1515106861

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Norse Mythology by Simon Hawthorne Pdf

Welcome to the Realm of Norse Mythology! *****SECOND EDITION*****Free bonus inside! (Right After Conclusion) - Get limited time offer, Get your BONUS right NOW! Do you know what Norse mythology is?Are you interested in learning more about it at a beginner's level?Would you like to expand your horizons when it comes to your mythologies? Norse mythology is a belief system that was created by the Scandinavians or Vikings, which was adopted by many other settlements in their area. It depicted the gods and goddesses as beings who were hard warriors and able to take on dragons and serpents and was overall a very warrior-oriented belief system. However, the people of that time were not as violent and brutal as most would like to believe. They were vilified by the other religions of the era so that those religions would not lose followers.So are you interested in learning about people who were not quite what many people paint them as, and learn more about the creation of the world through the Norse belief system, then take a peek inside this book! Not only is the Norse world unlike any other world you'll read about in the history books, it's packed full of interesting tidbits that you might recognize from stories and movies you've seen recently.You'll find a lot of useful information in this book pertaining to Norse mythology, such as: The creation of the world through Norse eyes, beginning with the death of Ymir and the birth of the sun and moon. Plus, an explanation of day and night, and the birth of Ask and Embla. You'll also find out information about the Tree of Life or Yggdrasil, and how the three Norns play a large role in Norse mythology. Next, you'll read about the nine different worlds of Yggdrasil and where they are located on the Tree of Life. You'll also figure out who lives in those worlds and who rules them. Then you'll read about the gods and goddesses and how they interact with one another. What wouldn't be a book on Norse mythology without an explanation of the mythical creatures of Yggdrasil and the other deities who rule there? Finally, you'll learn about the end of the world as the Norse followers believed it was going to be, but I think you'll be surprised by what they foretell as the future after the end of the world has come. And much more is contained within this book! I hope you are ready for a wild ride through the Norse mythology belief system and the intriguing way that the Vikings viewed the world. It has been a backdrop for many movies and books filmed and written, and it is sure to be the muse for many more writers. This mythology has a plethora of stories and gods and goddesses to follow for there to be much more in the future.So if you're ready to start reading about Norse mythology, then hang onto your book and get ready for an awesome ride! Scroll up and grab a copy of this eBook today! ***Limited Edition*** Download your copy today!

Author : Declan Taggart
Publisher : Routledge
Page : 224 pages
File Size : 46,7 Mb
Release : 2017-11-15
Category : History
ISBN : 9781351674218

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How Thor Lost His Thunder by Declan Taggart Pdf

How Thor Lost his Thunder is the first major English-language study of early medieval evidence for the Old Norse god, Thor. In this book, the most common modern representations of Thor are examined, such as images of him wreathed in lightning, and battling against monsters and giants. The origins of these images within Iron Age and early medieval evidence are then uncovered and investigated. In doing so, the common cultural history of Thor’s cult and mythology is explored and some of his lesser known traits are revealed, including a possible connection to earthquakes and volcanic eruptions in Iceland. This geographically and chronologically far-reaching study considers the earliest sources in which Thor appears, including in evidence from the Viking colonies of the British Isles and in Scandinavian folklore. Through tracing the changes and variety that has occurred in Old Norse mythology over time, this book provokes a questioning of the fundamental popular and scholarly beliefs about Thor for the first time since the Victorian era, including whether he really was a thunder god and whether worshippers truly believed they would encounter him in the afterlife. Considering evidence from across northern Europe, How Thor Lost his Thunder challenges modern scholarship’s understanding of the god and of the northern pantheon as a whole and is ideal for scholars and students of mythology, and the history and religion of medieval Scandinavia.

Author : Stephen A. Mitchell
Publisher : Cornell University Press
Page : 362 pages
File Size : 52,8 Mb
Release : 2023-12-15
Category : Literary Criticism
ISBN : 9781501773488

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Old Norse Folklore by Stephen A. Mitchell Pdf

The medieval northern world consisted of a vast and culturally diverse region both geographically, from roughly Greenland to Novgorod and culturally, as one of the last areas of Europe to be converted to Christianity. Old Norse Folklore explores the complexities of thisfascinating world in case studies and theoretical essays that connect orality and performance theory to memory studies, and myths relating to pre-Christian Nordic religion to innovations within late medieval pilgrimage song culture. Old Norse Folklore provides critical new perspectives on the Old Norse world, some of which appear in this volume for the first time in English. Stephen A. Mitchell presents emerging methodologies by analyzing Old Norse materials to offer a better understandings ofunderstanding of Old Norse materials. He examines, interprets, and re-interprets the medieval data bequeathed to us by posterity—myths, legends, riddles, charms, court culture, conversion narratives, landscapes, and mindscapes—targeting largely overlooked, yet important sources of cultural insights.

Author : Pernille Hermann
Publisher : Walter de Gruyter GmbH & Co KG
Page : 276 pages
File Size : 42,8 Mb
Release : 2022-08-22
Category : Literary Criticism
ISBN : 9783110674958

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Mnemonic Echoing in Old Norse Sagas and Eddas by Pernille Hermann Pdf

This book brings together Old Norse-Icelandic literature and critical strategies of memory, and argues that some of the particularities of this vernacular textual tradition are explained by the fact that this literature derives from, represents, and incorporates into its designs mnemonic devices of different kinds. Even if Old Norse-Icelandic manuscript culture is relatively silent about the mnemonic context of the literature, the texts themselves exhibit multiple reminiscences of memory. By showing that this literature reveals glimpses of mnemonic technologies at the same time as it testifies to a cultural memory, this study demonstrates how ‘the past’, and narrative traditions about the past, were constructed in a dynamic relationship with ideas that existed at the time the texts were written. Moreover, the book deals with the function of memory in early book-culture, with metaphors of memory, and with mnemonic cues such as spatiality and visuality. With its new readings of canonical texts like the Íslendingasǫgur, the Prose Edda and selected eddic poems, as well as of less widely studied branches of Old Norse-Icelandic literature, such as the sagas of bishops and religious texts, this book will be of interest to Old Norse scholars and to scholars interested in medieval Scandinavia and memory studies.

Author : Brian McMahon,Annemari Ferreira
Publisher : Routledge
Page : 314 pages
File Size : 54,5 Mb
Release : 2022-05-02
Category : Performing Arts
ISBN : 9781000573367

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Old Norse Poetry in Performance by Brian McMahon,Annemari Ferreira Pdf

This book presents a range of approaches to the study of Old Norse poetry in performance. The contributors examine both eddic and skaldic poems and consider the surviving evidence for how they were originally recited or otherwise performed in medieval Scandinavia, Iceland and at royal courts across Europe. This study also engages with the challenge of reconstructing medieval performance styles and examines ways of applying the modern discipline of Performance Studies to the fragmentary corpus of Old Norse verse. The performance of verse by characters who appear in the Old Icelandic saga tradition is also considered, as is the cultural value associated not only with the poems themselves but with their various means of transmission and reception. This book will be of great interest to students and scholars in the fields of Old Norse studies, Performance and Theatre History.

Author : Lotte Hedeager
Publisher : Routledge
Page : 394 pages
File Size : 52,6 Mb
Release : 2011-04-29
Category : Social Science
ISBN : 9781136817250

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Iron Age Myth and Materiality by Lotte Hedeager Pdf

Iron Age Myth and Materiality: an Archaeology of Scandinavia AD 400-1000 considers the relationship between myth and materiality in Scandinavia from the beginning of the post-Roman era and the European Migrations up until the coming of Christianity. It pursues an interdisciplinary interpretation of text and material culture and examines how the documentation of an oral past relates to its material embodiment. While the material evidence is from the Iron Age, most Old Norse texts were written down in the thirteenth century or even later. With a time lag of 300 to 900 years from the archaeological evidence, the textual material has until recently been ruled out as a usable source for any study of the pagan past. However, Hedeager argues that this is true regarding any study of a society’s short-term history, but it should not be the crucial requirement for defining the sources relevant for studying long-term structures of the longue durée, or their potential contributions to a theoretical understanding of cultural changes and transformation. In Iron Age Scandinavia we are dealing with persistent and slow-changing structures of worldviews and ideologies over a wavelength of nearly a millennium. Furthermore, iconography can often date the arrival of new mythical themes anchoring written narratives in a much older archaeological context. Old Norse myths are explored with particular attention to one of the central mythical narratives of the Old Norse canon, the mythic cycle of Odin, king of the Norse pantheon. In addition, contemporaneous historical sources from late Antiquity and the early European Middle Age - the narratives of Jordanes, Gregory of Tours, and Paul the Deacon in particular - will be explored. No other study provides such a broad ranging and authoritative study of the relationship of myth to the archaeology of Scandinavia.

Author : John Lindow
Publisher : Oxford University Press
Page : 192 pages
File Size : 49,6 Mb
Release : 2020-12-07
Category : Social Science
ISBN : 9780190852269

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Old Norse Mythology by John Lindow Pdf

An innovative and accessible overview of how ancient Scandinavians understood and made use of their mythological stories. Old Norse Mythology provides a unique survey of the mythology of Scandinavia: the gods Þórr (Thor) with his hammer, the wily and duplicitous Óðinn (Odin), the sly Loki, and other fascinating figures. They create the world, battle their enemies, and die at the end of the world, which arises anew with a new generation of gods. These stories were the mythology of the Vikings, but they were not written down until long after the conversion to Christianity, mostly in Iceland. In addition to a broad overview of Nordic myths, the book presents a case study of one myth, which tells of how Þórr (Thor) fished up the World Serpent, analyzing the myth as a sacred text of the Vikings. Old Norse Mythology also explores the debt we owe to medieval intellectuals, who were able to incorporate the old myths into new paradigms that helped the myths to survive when they were no longer part of a religious system. This superb introduction traces the use of the mythology in ideological contexts, from the Viking Age until the twenty-first century, as well as in entertainment.

Author : Anonim
Publisher : BRILL
Page : 506 pages
File Size : 52,9 Mb
Release : 2022-04-19
Category : History
ISBN : 9789004510555

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Art, Architecture, and the Moving Viewer, c. 300-1500 CE by Anonim Pdf

These essays address how narratives unfolded in time and space when a body or object moved through premodern architectural or natural environments. Such narratives encompass interpretations of topography, change in built environments over time, and spaces for public assembly.

Author : Neil Price
Publisher : Basic Books
Page : 629 pages
File Size : 43,6 Mb
Release : 2020-08-25
Category : History
ISBN : 9780465096992

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Children of Ash and Elm by Neil Price Pdf

The definitive history of the Vikings -- from arts and culture to politics and cosmology -- by a distinguished archaeologist with decades of expertise The Viking Age -- from 750 to 1050 -- saw an unprecedented expansion of the Scandinavian peoples into the wider world. As traders and raiders, explorers and colonists, they ranged from eastern North America to the Asian steppe. But for centuries, the Vikings have been seen through the eyes of others, distorted to suit the tastes of medieval clerics and Elizabethan playwrights, Victorian imperialists, Nazis, and more. None of these appropriations capture the real Vikings, or the richness and sophistication of their culture. Based on the latest archaeological and textual evidence, Children of Ash and Elm tells the story of the Vikings on their own terms: their politics, their cosmology and religion, their material world. Known today for a stereotype of maritime violence, the Vikings exported new ideas, technologies, beliefs, and practices to the lands they discovered and the peoples they encountered, and in the process were themselves changed. From Eirík Bloodaxe, who fought his way to a kingdom, to Gudrid Thorbjarnardóttir, the most traveled woman in the world, Children of Ash and Elm is the definitive history of the Vikings and their time.

Author : Hourly History
Publisher : Hourly History
Page : 61 pages
File Size : 52,7 Mb
Release : 2016-02-11
Category : Juvenile Nonfiction
ISBN : 9781523984817

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Norse Mythology by Hourly History Pdf

An introduction to such a vast subject as Norse Mythology can be problematic as it could well fall between two stools; so packed with details as to put one off, or so vague, that one is none the wiser for having read it. This text manages a pleasing balance, succeeds in whetting the appetite and supplying excellent online resources for the reader who wishes to find out more. Inside you will read about... ✓ The Creation in Norse Mythology ✓ The Nine Worlds ✓ Major Gods and Goddesses ✓ Valhalla ✓ Ragnarok ✓ The Sagas ✓ The Influence of Norse Mythology on Our Lives Today The author quotes generously from the most important relevant source which is freely available via the Project Gutenberg, and you are left with the sounds and taste of the times... ringing in your ears and tingling on your tongue.