Author: John McKinnell
Publisher: University of Toronto Press
ISBN: 0802099475
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 289
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Book Description
In Myths, Legends, and Heroes, editor Daniel Anzelark has brought together scholars of Old Norse-Icelandic and Old English literature to explore the translation and transmission of Norse myth, the use of literature in society and authorial self-reflection, the place of myth in the expression of family relationships, and recurrent motifs in Northern literature. The essays in Myths, Legends, and Heroes include an examination of the theme of sibling rivalry, an analysis of Christ's unusual ride into hell as found in both Old Norse and Old English, a discussion of Beowulf's swimming prowess and an analysis of the poetry in Snorri Sturluson's Edda. A tribute to Durham University professor John McKinnell's distinguished contributions to the field, this volume offers new insights in light of linguistic and archaeological evidence and a broad range of study with regard to both chronology and methodology.
Author: Margaret Clunies Ross
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 320
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Book Description
This volume is a collection of thirteen essays by leading scholars from diverse fields. Most of the essays were presented in an earlier form at the 11th. International Saga Conference in Sydney in July 2000. It examines some of the most complex and perplexing questions that arise when modern scholars approach the rich but often puzzling evidence for belief in and use of myths in early Scandinavia. The essays illustrate the advantages of bringing approaches that use a range of methodologies, from literary studies to archeology, and from history to the history of religions, to bear upon the evidence that has survived.
Author: John Lindow
Publisher:
ISBN: 0190852259
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 249
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Book Description
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: Simon Halink
Publisher: BRILL
ISBN: 9004398430
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 273
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Book Description
This anthology of essays, Northern Myths, Modern Identities, explores the various ways in which ancient mythologies have been cultivated in the cultural construction of ethnic, national and supra-national identities from 1800 to the present. How were Old Norse, Finno-Ugric and Frisian myths employed as rhetorical devices in national narratives? And how did (and do) these new interpretations convey a sense of ‘northernness’? This volume approaches these issues from an interdisciplinary and international perspective, and brings together case studies from Scandinavia, the Baltic region, Friesland, Britain, the United States and even Japan. Thus, it provides a unique insight into the reception history and uses of northern myths in the present, and their role in the creation of modern identities. Contributors are: Tim van Gerven, Gylfi Gunnlaugsson, Simon Halink, Sumarliði R. Ísleifsson, Otto S. Knottnerus, Joep Leerssen, Daisy Neijmann, Han Nijdam, Robert A. Saunders, Katja Schulz, Tom Shippey, Carline Tromp, and Kendra Willson.
Author: Joanne Harris
Publisher: Gollancz
ISBN: 1473202388
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 331
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Book Description
The beautifully lyrical retelling of the Norse myths, told from the captivating point of view of the trickster god Loki The novel is a brilliant first-person narrative of the rise and fall of the Norse gods - retold from the point of view of the world's ultimate trickster, Loki. It tells the story of Loki's recruitment from the underworld of Chaos, his many exploits on behalf of his one-eyed master, Odin, through to his eventual betrayal of the gods and the fall of Asgard itself. Using her life-long passion for the Norse myths, Joanne Harris has created a vibrant and powerful fantasy novel. Readers are captivated by The Gospel of Loki: 'A perfect introduction for the uninitiated . . . Apart from being original, funny and engaging, The Gospel of Loki is also brilliantly written . . . It's a delight to read' Goodreads reviewer, ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ 'I've always been a fan of the antihero. While I cannot approve of everything that Loki did, he comes off the page as genuinely sympathetic and, dare I say -- human?' Goodreads reviewer, ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ 'Harris manages to make you understand Loki, loathe those Gods who are mean to him, and root for Loki to succeed in his plans . . . I can advice this book to everyone who loves retellings of old myths' Goodreads reviewer, ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ 'Well once again, Joanne Harris blows me away. What a brilliantly entertaining version of Norse mythology' Goodreads reviewer, ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ 'The tone is perfectly witty without being too funny for suspense. The banter and humour just clicked with me and I smiled, grinned and snorted my way all through the book' Goodreads reviewer, ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ 'If you love mythology and are interested in learning about the Norse Gods, I highly recommend' Goodreads reviewer, ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐
Author: John McKinnell
Publisher: DS Brewer
ISBN: 9781843840428
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 308
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Book Description
Close examination of the significant theme of other-worldly encounters in Norse myth and legend, including giantesses, monsters and the Dead. A particular, recurring feature of Old Norse myths and legends is an encounter between creatures of This World [gods and human beings] and those of the Other [giants, giantesses, dwarves, prophetesses, monsters and the dead]. Concentrating on cross-gendered encounters, this book analyses these meetings, and the different motifs and situations they encompass, from the consultation of a prophetess by a king or god, to sexual liaisons and return from the dead. It considers the evidence for their pre-Christian origins, discusses how far individual poets and prose writers were free to modify them, and suggests that they survived in medieval Christian society because [like folk-tale] they provide a non-dogmatic way of resolving social and psychological problems connected with growing up, succession from one generation to the next, sexual relationships and bereavement.
Author: Jenny Jochens
Publisher: Cornell University Press
ISBN: 0801455952
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 292
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Book Description
Jenny Jochens captures in fascinating detail the lives of women in pagan and early Christian Iceland and Norway—their work, sexual behavior, marriage customs, reproductive practices, familial relations, leisure activities, religious practices, and legal constraints and protections. Women in Old Norse Society places particular emphasis on changing sexual mores and the impact of Christianity as imposed by the clergy and Norwegian kings. It also demonstrates the vital role women played in economic production.
Author: John Lindow
Publisher: OUP USA
ISBN: 0195153820
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 382
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Book Description
Provides information on the gods, heroes, rituals, beliefs, symbols, and stories of Norse mythology.
Author:
Publisher: University of Texas Press
ISBN: 0292792549
Category : Literary Collections
Languages : en
Pages : 376
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Book Description
The Poetic Edda comprises a treasure trove of mythic and spiritual verse holding an important place in Nordic culture, literature, and heritage. Its tales of strife and death form a repository, in poetic form, of Norse mythology and heroic lore, embodying both the ethical views and the cultural life of the North during the late heathen and early Christian times. Collected by an unidentified Icelander, probably during the twelfth or thirteenth century, The Poetic Edda was rediscovered in Iceland in the seventeenth century by Danish scholars. Even then its value as poetry, as a source of historical information, and as a collection of entertaining stories was recognized. This meticulous translation succeeds in reproducing the verse patterns, the rhythm, the mood, and the dignity of the original in a revision that Scandinavian Studies says "may well grace anyone's bookshelf."
Author: Margaret Clunies Ross
Publisher: DS Brewer
ISBN: 1843842793
Category : Literary Collections
Languages : en
Pages : 295
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Book Description
Accessible guide to and description of the medieval poetic tradition in Scandinavia. This is the first book in English to deal with the twin subjects of Old Norse poetry and the various vernacular treatises on native poetry that were a conspicuous feature of medieval intellectual life in Iceland and the Orkneys from the mid-twelfth to the fourteenth centuries. Its aim is to give a clear description of the rich poetic tradition of early Scandinavia, particularly in Iceland, where it reached its zenith, and to demonstrate the social contextsthat favoured poetic composition, from the oral societies of the early Viking Age in Norway and its colonies to the devout compositions of literate Christian clerics in fourteenth-century Iceland. The author analyses the two dominant poetic modes, eddic and skaldic, giving fresh examples of their various styles and subjects; looks at the prose contexts in which most Old Norse poetry has been preserved; and discusses problems of interpretation thatarise because of the poetry's mode of transmission. She is concerned throughout to link indigenous theory with practice, beginning with the pre-Christian ideology of poets as favoured by the god ódinn and concluding with the Christian notion that a plain style best conveys the poet's message. Margaret Clunies Ross is McCaughey Professor of English Language and Early English Literature and Director of the Centre for Medieval Studies at the University of Sydney.
