Myths of the Pagan North The Gods of the Norsemen

by Abram, Christopher

• ISBN13: 9781847252470
• ISBN10: 1847252478
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2011-05-05
• Publisher: Bloomsbury Academic

Summary

An engaging account of the world of the Vikings and their gods.

Table of Contents

About this book	p. vii
A Guide to Pronouncing Old Norse	p. xi
List of Illustrations	p. xiii
The Sources of Norse Mythology	p. 1
Archaeological Evidence	p. 2
Runic Inscriptions and Picture Stones	p. 8
Written Sources	p. 10
Conclusion	p. 30
Case Study: Thor and the Miðgarðsormr	p. 31
The Gods on the Ground: Religious Culture as a Background to Pagan Myth	p. 51
The Germanic Context	p. 53
The Gods of the Norsemen	p. 59
Identifying the Norse Gods in the Archaeological Record	p. 65
Ritual: The Gods in Practice	p. 69
Conclusion	p. 79
Myths in the Viking Age: Norway, Iceland and Beyond, c. 850-950	p. 81
The Mythic Father of Old Norse Poetry	p. 81
Myths Fit for a King	p. 86
The Fashion for Valhalla	p. 96
Egill's Sonatorrek	p. 108
Conclusion	p. 119
The Twilight of the Gods: The Age of Religious Conflict in Norway, c. 950-1000	p. 123
Earl Hákon and State Paganism	p. 127
Sex and Sacral Kingship	p. 134
The Creation of Mythic Narratives	p. 142
The End of the Pagan World?	p. 157
Conclusion	p. 168
Pagan Myths under Conversion: Norway and Iceland, c. 980-1000	p. 171
The Christian King and his Pagan Poet	p. 173
The Conversion of Iceland	p. 181
Conclusion	p. 190
The Rebirth of Norse Mythology: Denmark and Iceland, c. 1150-1350	p. 193
Myth and History in Saxo and Snorri	p. 199
The Authorized Version: Snorri Sturluson's Edda	p. 207
The Creation of the Poetic Edda	p. 222
Conclusion: And What Came Next?	p. 230
Notes	p. 233
Bibliography	p. 241
Index	p. 255
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