Myths and Magic in the Medieval Far North

Realities and Representations of a Region on the Edge of Europe

Edited by Stefan Figenschow Edited by Richard Holt Edited by Miriam Tveit

Book cover: Myths and Magic in the Medieval Far North

Extent: 280 pages

Publisher: Brepols Publishers

Subjects: Medieval Studies

Series: Acta Scandinavica

Series volume number: 10

Language: English

Hardback (Published)

(January 2021)

ISBN: 9782503588230

Price: $95.00

In stock

This is a series of original studies concerning myths and misunderstandings about the medieval Far North, and their place within the broader spectrum of Norwegian history.


The history of the Far North is tinged by dark fantasies. A remote location, harsh climate, a boundless and often mountainous wasteland, complex ethnic composition, and strange ways of life: all contributed to how the edge of Europe was misunderstood by outsiders. Since ancient times, the North has been considered as a place that exuded evil: it was the end of the world, the abode of monsters and supernatural beings, of magicians and sorcerers. It was Europe’s last bastion of recalcitrant paganism. Many weird tales of the North even came from within the region itself, and when newly literate Scandinavians began to re-work their oral traditions into written form after 1100 AD, these myths of their past underlay newer legends and stories serving to support the development to Christian national monarchies. The essays in this volume engage closely with these stories, questioning how and why such traditions developed, and exploring their meaning. Through this approach, the volume also examines how historiographical traditions were shaped by authors pursuing agendas of nation-building and Christianization, at the same time that myths surrounding and originating among the multi-ethnic populations of the Far North continued to dominate the perception of the region and its people, and to define their place in Norwegian medieval history.

  • Edited by Stefan Figenschow
  • Edited by Richard Holt
  • Edited by Miriam Tveit