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
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
Other Titles in this Series
The Cult of St Erik in Medieval Sweden
Veneration of a Royal Saint, Twelfth-Sixteenth Centuries
Volume 5
Sainthood, Scriptoria, and Secular Erudition in Medieval and Early Modern Scandinavia
Essays in Honour of Kirsten Wolf
Volume 13
Old Norse Myths as Political Ideologies
Critical Studies in the Appropriation of Medieval Narratives
Volume 9
Myth, Magic, and Memory in Early Scandinavian Narrative Culture
Studies in Honour of Stephen A. Mitchell
Volume 11
Studies in the Transmission and Reception of Old Norse Literature
The Hyperborean Muse in European Culture
Volume 6
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