DOCSLIB.ORG

Olof Sundqvist. Scripta Islandica 66/2015

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Olof Sundqvist. Scripta Islandica 66/2015 SCRIPTA ISLANDICA ISLÄNDSKA SÄLLSKAPETS ÅRSBOK 66/2015 REDIGERAD AV LASSE MÅRTENSSON OCH VETURLIÐI ÓSKARSSON under medverkan av Pernille Hermann (Århus) Else Mundal (Bergen) Guðrún Nordal (Reykjavík) Heimir Pálsson (Uppsala) Henrik Williams (Uppsala) UPPSALA, SWEDEN Publicerad med stöd från Vetenskapsrådet. © Författarna och Scripta Islandica 2015 ISSN 0582-3234 Sättning: Ord och sats Marco Bianchi urn:nbn:se:uu:diva-260648 http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:uu:diva-260648 Innehåll LISE GJEDSSØ BERTELSEN, Sigurd Fafnersbane sagnet som fortalt på Ramsundsristningen . 5 ANNE-SOFIE GRÄSLUND, Kvinnorepresentationen på de sen vikinga- tida runstenarna med utgångspunkt i Sigurdsristningarna ....... 33 TERRY GUNNELL, Pantheon? What Pantheon? Concepts of a Family of Gods in Pre-Christian Scandinavian Religions ............. 55 TOMMY KUUSELA, ”Den som rider på Freyfaxi ska dö”. Freyfaxis död och rituell nedstörtning av hästar för stup ................ 77 LARS LÖNNROTH, Sigurður Nordals brev till Nanna .............. 101 JAN ALEXANDER VAN NAHL, The Skilled Narrator. Myth and Scholar- ship in the Prose Edda .................................. 123 WILLIAM SAYERS, Generational Models for the Friendship of Egill and Arinbjǫrn (Egils saga Skallagrímssonar) ................ 143 OLOF SUNDQVIST, The Pre-Christian Cult of Dead Royalty in Old Norse Sources: Medieval Speculations or Ancient Traditions? ... 177 Recensioner LARS LÖNNROTH, rec. av Minni and Muninn: Memory in Medieval Nordic Culture, red. Pernille Herrmann, Stephen A. Mitchell & Agnes S. Arnórsdóttir . 213 OLOF SUNDQVIST, rec. av Mikael Males: Mytologi i skaldedikt, skaldedikt i prosa. En synkron analys av mytologiska referenser i medeltida norröna handskrifter .......................... 219 PER-AXEL WIKTORSSON, rec. av The Power of the Book. Medial Approaches to Medieval Nordic Legal Manuscripts, red. Lena Rohrbach ............................................ 225 KIRSTEN WOLF, rev. of Lasse Mårtensson. Skrivaren och förlagan: Norm och normbrott i Codex Upsaliensis av Snorra Edda ...... 234 Isländska sällskapet AGNETA NEY & MARCO BIANCHI, Berättelse om verksamheten under 2014 ................................................ 241 Författarna i denna årgång ................................. 243 The Pre-Christian Cult of Dead Royalty in Old Norse Sources Medieval Speculations or Ancient Traditions? OLOF SUNDQVIST As has been commonly noted by earlier scholars, there are signs in the Old Norse medieval prose that dead rulers in pre-Christian Scandinavia were honored with a common public veneration or cult at their burial places, some­times­along­with­sacrifices.­According­to­these­sources,­these­royals­ were­either­deified­or­regarded­as­some­kind­of­heroes­or­mythical­beings­ after­death,­and­expected­to­ensure­good­harvests.1 From the perspective of­comparative­religion­the­cultic­actions­described­in­these­sources­could­ be­referred­to­as­a­“hero­cult”,2­a­phenomenon­best­known­from­ancient­ Greek­religion.3­The­Old­Norse­medieval­sources­referring­to­such­cult­ 1­ See­ e.g.­ Birkeli­ 1938;­ Lid­ 1942,­ 97­ff.;­ F.­ Ström­ 1954,­ 34­ and­ the­ overview­ of­ the­ discussion­in­Nordberg­2013. 2­See­Nordberg­(2013,­280­ff.,­382)­who­emphasizes­with­good­grounds­that­a­hero­cult­ must­be­distinguished­from­more­general­ancestor­worship.­Several­earlier­scholars­refer­ to­both­of­these­phenomena­being­as­something­similar­to­Greek­hero­cult.­See­e.g.­Birkeli­ 1938,­89;­de­Vries­1956–1957,­§184. 3­ Geo­Widengren­ (1969,­ 185­f.,­ 419)­ describes­ the­ hero­ cult­ thus:­ “Die­Trennungslinie­ zwischen­ Göttern­ und­ Menchen­ wurde­ in­ der­Antike­ nicht­ sonderlich­ scharf­ gezogen.­ Zwischen­der­Gottheit­und­dem­Menschen­stand­der­theíos anér,­der­göttliche­Mensch,­der­ sich­aus­der­menschlichen­Sphäre­zur­göttlichen­erhob.­Besonders­die­Heroen­gehörten­zu­ dieser­Klasse­von­Übergangswesen,­mehr­als­Menschen,­aber­gänzlich­Götter.­Der­Heroen­ kult­war­örtlich­gebunden­und­an­die­Gräber­geknüpft,­wo­ihre­sterblichen­Überreste­ver­ wahrt­wurden­und­wo­sie­ihre­Wirkung­ausübten.­Ihr­Kult­war­sehr­volktümlich.­Zu­den­ Gräbern­der­Heroen­kan­man,­um­Hilfe­in­allerei­Angelegenheiten­zu­suchen,­vor­allem­ aber­gegen­Krank­heiten.­So­sind­die­Heroen­Heilsgestalten­geworden.­Ihnen­brachte­man­ blu­tige­Opfer,­Gewänder­und­Früchte­dar.­Typisch­für­den­Heroenkult­waren­jedoch­Mahl­ zeiten,­gefeiert­in­den­Heiligtümern­der­Heroen,­die­über­ihren­Gräbern­errichtet­waren.”­ According­to­Walter­Burkert­(1985,­203)­the­Greek­heroes­like­demi­gods­were­between­ gods­and­men.­He­also­noted­that­the­grave­was­of­central­importance­in­the­hero­cult:­“A­ hero­cult­involves­setting­apart­one­particular­grave,­known­as­a­heroon,­from­other­burials­ Sundqvist,­Olof.­2015.­The­Pre­Christian­Cult­of­Dead­Royalty­in­Old­Norse­ Sources:­Medieval­Speculations­or­Ancient­Traditions? Scripta Islandica 66:­177–212. 178 Olof Sundqvist have,­nonetheless,­been­a­matter­of­debate­in­previous­research,4 especially when­they­are­placed­in­the­context­of­the­theory­of­pre­Christian­sacral­ kingship­in­Scandinavia.5­Scholars,­who­supported­the­existence­of­such­ royal­ institution,­ felt­ that­ the­ trustworthy­ sources­ reflect­ old­ traditions­ which­had­a­historical­background,6­while­others­have­rejected­them­as­ sources­for­reconstructing­pre­Christian­matters.7 As noted above (note 4)­most­sceptical­was­Walter­Baetke­in­his­work­Yngvi und die Ynglinger (1964),­where­he­stated­that­the­living­kings­in­ancient­Scandinavia­were­ never­considered­as­divine;­and­were­never­perceived­of­as­cultic­objects­ in­life,­arguing­that­no­trustworthy­sources­indicate­that­sacrifices­were­ ever­directed­to­them.8 They could only be seen in uncertain medieval texts,­such­as­Óláfs þáttr Geirstaðaálfs in Flateyjarbók.9 Baetke’s­critical­line­of­reasoning­related­to­the­theory­of­sacral­kingship­ by­marking­off­a­special­precinct,­by­bringing­sacrifices­and­votive­gifts,­and­occasionally­ by­building­special­grave­monument.”­See­also­Burkert­1983­and­1985,­203–11.­James­ Whit­ley­(1995,­52)­defines­the­Greek­hero­thus:­“[…]­more­than­men­but­less­than­gods,­ and­that­they­were­usually­associated­with­particular­localities­and­sometimes­with­tombs.”­ For­a­more­recent­treatment­on­Greek­hero­cult­and­hero­cult­as­an­archaeological­concept,­ see­Ekroth­2002­and­Hållans­Stenholm­2012,­51­ff.­ 4­See­especially­Baetke­1964,­39­ff.­For­a­recent­treatment­of­the­sources­related­to­a­possible­ ancient­Scandinavian­hero­cult,­see­e.g.­Nordberg­2013,­280­f.­On­the­source­situation­in­ general­in­this­field,­see­Schjødt­2012,­263­ff. 5­From­the­end­of­19th­century­to­the­beginning­of­the­1960s,­there­was­a­broad­consensus­ that­ the­ ancient­ Scandinavian­ (and­ Germanic)­ kingship­ was­ “sacral”.­ Åke­ V.­ Ström­ (1959),­for­instance,­stated­thus:­“That­kingship­in­Old­Scandinavia­was­entirely­sacral,­is­ nowadays­considered­as­a­matter­of­fact.”­This­position­was­criticized­by­Baetke­(1964)­ from­a­source­critical­perspective. 6­See­for­example­F.­Ström­1954,­36;­Å.­V.­Ström­1959,­708­f.­ 7­Baetke­1964­and­Lönnroth­1986. 8­”Nun­ist­es­allerdings­unmöglich,­für­den­Kult­eines­lebenden­Königs­im­alten­Norden­ auch­nur­ein­konkretes­Beispiel­anzuführen”,­Baetke­1964,­39.­Baetke­supports­this­state­ ment­ with­ a­ quotation­ from­ Åke­ V.­ Ström:­ “The­ sources­ give­ us­ no­ examples­ of­ blót directly­to­living­kings”,­Å.V.­Ström­1959,­708.­The­adherents­of­“the­sacral­theory”­had,­ according­to­Baetke,­looked­even­desperately­for­source­evidence­supporting­such­notions:­ “In­Er­mange­lung­ihrer­führt­man­Fälle­an,­wo­toten­Königen­Opfer­dargebracht­worden­ sein­sollen.­Aber­die­Verehrung­toter­Könige­steht­auf­einem­anderen­Blatt;­sie­gehört­ins­ Gebiet­des­Toten­­und­Ahnenkultes­und­würde­für­sich­allein­nicht­berechtigen,­von­einem­ sakralen­ König­tum­ zu­ sprechen.”­ Baetke­ nonetheless­ defined­ sacral­ kingship­ in­ a­ very­ narrow­sense:­“von­sakralem­Königtum­im­eigentlichen­Sinne­kann­man­nur­dort­sprechen,­ wo­der­König­in­irgend­einer­Weise­Objekt­des­Kultes­ist,­wo­man­ihm­Opfer­darbringt­ oder­andere­göttliche­Ehren­erweist”,­Baetke­1964,­39. 9­Baetke­1964,­39–51.­Baetke­also­discusses­a­passage­in­Hervarar saga­(see­below)­and­the­ ecclesiastic­text­Vita Anskarii,­which­he­assumed­to­have­been­influenced­by­hagiographic­ literature.­Cf.­Sundqvist­2002,­289­ff. The Pre-Christian Cult of Dead Royalty in Old Norse Sources 179 gained­support­from­many­philologists­and­historians­of­literature,10 even though­scholars­taking­a­comparative­or­phenomenological­perspective­ continued­ to­ support­ the­ idea­ of­ sacral­ kingship­ in­ pre­Christian­ Scandinavia.11­From­the­1960s­to­the­1980s­the­sacral­kingship­theory­ nonetheless­ faded­ out­ of­ research­ into­ ruler­ ideology­ in­ Scandinavia.­ During the last decades however this discussion has been resumed and also­renewed.12 The­ intention­ of­ present­ study­ is­ to­ return­ to­ the­ information­ about­ the­cult­of­a­dead­king­presented­in­Óláfs þáttr Geirstaðaálfs, comparing it­with­information­from­other­types­of­sources,­such­as­skaldic­poetry,­ ecclesiastic narratives, archaeological materials, medieval laws and mythic traditions.­It­will­be­argued­that­even­though­the­narrative­about­King­Óláfr­ Guð­røðarson­contained­in­this­þáttr cannot be regarded as a historical source­ in­ a­ general­ sense­ (since­ it­ is­ partly­ affected­ by­ anachronistic­ Christian ideas, and includes other aspects which must be considered as rather­fantastic),­it­nonetheless­contains­memories­of­ancient­customs­and­
Load more

Recommended publications
  • University of London Deviant Burials in Viking-Age
    UNIVERSITY OF LONDON DEVIANT BURIALS IN VIKING-AGE SCANDINAVIA Ruth Lydia Taylor M. Phil, Institute of Archaeology, University College London UMI Number: U602472 All rights reserved INFORMATION TO ALL USERS The quality of this reproduction is dependent upon the quality of the copy submitted. In the unlikely event that the author did not send a complete manuscript and there are missing pages, these will be noted. Also, if material had to be removed, a note will indicate the deletion. Dissertation Publishing UMI U602472 Published by ProQuest LLC 2014. Copyright in the Dissertation held by the Author. Microform Edition © ProQuest LLC. All rights reserved. This work is protected against unauthorized copying under Title 17, United States Code. ProQuest LLC 789 East Eisenhower Parkway P.O. Box 1346 Ann Arbor, Ml 48106-1346 ABSTRACT DEVIANT BURIALS IN VIKING-AGE SCANDINAVIA The thesis brings together information yielded from archaeology and other sources to provide an overall picture of the types of burial practices encountered during the Viking-Age in Scandinavia. From this, an attempt is made to establish deviancy. Comparative evidence, such as literary, runic, legal and folkloric evidence will be used critically to shed perspective on burial practices and the artefacts found within the graves. The thesis will mostly cover burials from the Viking Age (late 8th century to the mid- 11th century), but where the comparative evidence dates from other periods, its validity is discussed accordingly. Two types of deviant burial emerged: the criminal and the victim. A third type, which shows distinctive irregularity yet lacks deviancy, is the healer/witch burial.
    [Show full text]
  • Creating Holy People and Places on the Periphery
    Creating Holy People and People Places Holy on theCreating Periphery Creating Holy People and Places on the Periphery A Study of the Emergence of Cults of Native Saints in the Ecclesiastical Provinces of Lund and Uppsala from the Eleventh to the Thirteenth Centuries During the medieval period, the introduction of a new belief system brought profound societal change to Scandinavia. One of the elements of this new religion was the cult of saints. This thesis examines the emergence of new cults of saints native to the region that became the ecclesiastical provinces of Lund and Uppsala in the twelfth century. The study examines theearliest, extant evidence for these cults, in particular that found in liturgical fragments. By analyzing and then comparing the relationship that each native saint’s cult had to the Christianization, the study reveals a mutually beneficial bond between these cults and a newly emerging Christian society. Sara E. EllisSara Nilsson Sara E. Ellis Nilsson Dissertation from the Department of Historical Studies ISBN 978-91-628-9274-6 Creating Holy People and Places on the Periphery Dissertation from the Department of Historical Studies Creating Holy People and Places on the Periphery A Study of the Emergence of Cults of Native Saints in the Ecclesiastical Provinces of Lund and Uppsala from the Eleventh to the Th irteenth Centuries Sara E. Ellis Nilsson med en svensk sammanfattning Avhandling för fi losofi e doktorsexamen i historia Göteborgs universitet, den 20 februari 2015 Institutionen för historiska studier (Department of Historical Studies) ISBN: 978-91-628-9274-6 ISBN: 978-91-628-9275-3 (e-publikation) Distribution: Sara Ellis Nilsson, [email protected] © Sara E.
    [Show full text]
  • Download a Pdf File of This Issue for Free
    Issue 63: How the Vikings Took up the Faith Conversion of the Vikings: Did You Know? Fascinating and little-known facts about the Vikings and their times. What's a Viking? To the Franks, they were Northmen or Danes (no matter if they were from Denmark or not). The English called them Danes and heathens. To the Irish, they were pagans. Eastern Europe called them the Rus. But the Norse term is the one that stuck: Vikings. The name probably came from the Norse word vik, meaning "bay" or "creek," or from the Vik area, the body of water now called Skagerrak, which sits between Denmark, Norway, and Sweden. In any case, it probably first referred only to the raiders (víkingr means pirate) and was later applied to Scandinavians as a whole between the time of the Lindesfarne raid (793) and the Battle of Hastings (1066). Thank the gods it's Frigg's day. Though Vikings have a reputation for hit-and-run raiding, Vikings actually settled down and influenced European culture long after the fires of invasion burned out. For example, many English words have roots in Scandinavian speech: take, window, husband, sky, anger, low, scant, loose, ugly, wrong, happy, thrive, ill, die, beer, anchor. … The most acute example is our days of the week. Originally the Romans named days for the seven most important celestial bodies (sun, moon, Mars, Mercury, Jupiter, Venus, and Saturn). The Anglo-Saxons inserted the names of some Norse deities, by which we now name Tuesday through Friday: the war god Tiw (Old English for Tyr), Wodin (Odin), Thor, and fertility goddess Frigg.
    [Show full text]
  • A Viking-Age Settlement in the Hinterland of Hedeby Tobias Schade
    L. Holmquist, S. Kalmring & C. Hedenstierna-Jonson (eds.), New Aspects on Viking-age Urbanism, c. 750-1100 AD. Proceedings of the International Symposium at the Swedish History Museum, April 17-20th 2013. Theses and Papers in Archaeology B THESES AND PAPERS IN ARCHAEOLOGY B New Aspects on Viking-age Urbanism, c. 750-1100 AD. Proceedings of the International Symposium at the Swedish History Museum, April 17–20th 2013 Lena Holmquist, Sven Kalmring & Charlotte Hedenstierna-Jonson (eds.) Contents Introduction Sigtuna: royal site and Christian town and the Lena Holmquist, Sven Kalmring & regional perspective, c. 980-1100 Charlotte Hedenstierna-Jonson.....................................4 Sten Tesch................................................................107 Sigtuna and excavations at the Urmakaren Early northern towns as special economic and Trädgårdsmästaren sites zones Jonas Ros.................................................................133 Sven Kalmring............................................................7 No Kingdom without a town. Anund Olofs- Spaces and places of the urban settlement of son’s policy for national independence and its Birka materiality Charlotte Hedenstierna-Jonson...................................16 Rune Edberg............................................................145 Birka’s defence works and harbour - linking The Schleswig waterfront - a place of major one recently ended and one newly begun significance for the emergence of the town? research project Felix Rösch..........................................................153
    [Show full text]
  • Economy, Magic and the Politics of Religious Change in Pre-Modern
    1 Economy, magic and the politics of religious change in pre-modern Scandinavia Hugh Atkinson Department of Scandinavian Studies University College London Thesis submitted for the degree of PhD 28th May 2020 I, Hugh Atkinson, confirm that the work presented in this thesis is my own. Where information has been derived from other sources, I confirm that these sources have been acknowledged in the thesis. 2 Abstract This dissertation undertook to investigate the social and religious dynamic at play in processes of religious conversion within two cultures, the Sámi and the Scandinavian (Norse). More specifically, it examined some particular forces bearing upon this process, forces originating from within the cultures in question, working, it is argued, to dispute, disrupt and thereby counteract the pressures placed upon these indigenous communities by the missionary campaigns each was subjected to. The two spheres of dispute or ambivalence towards the abandonment of indigenous religion and the adoption of the religion of the colonial institution (the Church) which were examined were: economic activity perceived as unsustainable without the 'safety net' of having recourse to appeal to supernatural powers to intervene when the economic affairs of the community suffered crisis; and the inheritance of ancestral tradition. Within the indigenous religious tradition of the Sámi communities selected as comparanda for the purposes of the study, ancestral tradition was embodied, articulated and transmitted by particular supernatural entities, personal guardian spirits. Intervention in economic affairs fell within the remit of these spirits, along with others, which may be characterized as guardian spirits of localities, and guardian spirits of particular groups of game animals (such as wild reindeer, fish).
    [Show full text]
  • Snorri Sturluson Skáldskaparmál 2
    Snorri Sturluson Edda Skáldskaparmál 2 Snorri Sturluson Edda Skáldskaparmál 2. Glossary and Index of Names Edited by ANTHONY FAULKES VIKING SOCIETY FOR NORTHERN RESEARCH UNIVERSITY COLLEGE LONDON 1998 © Anthony Faulkes 1998 First published by Viking Society for Northern Research 1998 Reprinted with minor corrections 2007 ISBN: 978 0 903521 38 3 Volume 2, paper bound edition Printed by Short Run Press Limited, Exeter Contents of Volume 1 Introduction ............................................................................. vii Title ....................................................................................... vii Synopsis ...............................................................................viii The composition of the work ............................................... x Date and authorship.............................................................. xi The verse quotations ..........................................................xiii The flulur .............................................................................. xv The dialogue frame...........................................................xviii The prose narratives .......................................................... xxii The analysis of poetic diction .......................................... xxv Purpose............................................................................xxxvii Manuscripts ..................................................................... xxxix This edition ...........................................................................
    [Show full text]
  • The Rök Runestone and the End of the World. Futhark 9–10
    The Rök Runestone and the End of the World Per Holmberg (University of Gothenburg), Bo Gräslund (Uppsala University), Olof Sundqvist (Stockholm University), and Henrik Williams (Uppsala University) Abstract The Rök runestone from central middle Sweden, dated to around 800 CE, is famous, among other things, for a supposed reference to the emperor Theodo­ ric the Great. This study proposes instead that the inscription deals with an anxiety triggered by a son’s death and the fear of a new climate crisis similar to the catastrophic one after 536 CE. Combining perspectives and findings from semiotics, philology, archaeology, and history of religion, the study presents a completely new interpretation which follows a unified theme, showing how the monument can be understood in the socio­cultural and religious context of early Viking Age Scandinavia. The inscription consists, according to the pro­ posed interpretation, of nine enigmatic questions. Five of the questions con­ cern the sun, and four of them, it is argued, ask about issues related to the god Odin. A central finding is that there are relevant parallels to the inscription in early Scandinavian poetry, especially in the Eddic poem Vafþrúðnismál. Keywords: Rök, runestones, Viking Age, riddles, Eddic poetry, skaldic poetry, climate crisis he Rök runestone (Ög 136) is the most famous runic monument of Tthe Viking Age. It was erected c. 800 CE in a prosperous agricultural district in today’s central middle Sweden by Varinn as a memorial to his son Vāmōðʀ. Except for one damaged line, its more than 700 runes and other characters are still clearly legible, and cover all five visible sides of a five­ton granite slab, over two and a half meters high above the ground.
    [Show full text]
  • Alterity and Occidentalism in Fourteenth- Century Icelandic Texts: Narratives of Travel, Conversion, and Dehumanization
    ALTERITY AND OCCIDENTALISM IN FOURTEENTH- CENTURY ICELANDIC TEXTS: NARRATIVES OF TRAVEL, CONVERSION, AND DEHUMANIZATION ARNGRÍMUR VÍDALÍN An IcelAndIc mAnuscrIpt fragment from the turn of the fourteenth century, produced ca. 1290–1310, marks a turning point for recorded geographical knowledge in Iceland as the oldest extant treatise of its kind in Old Norse.1 It begins by stating “Sva er kallat sem þrideild se iord,” (it is said that the Earth is split into three continents), and is accompanied by a hemispherical mappa mundi as well as one of the three extant Icelandic maps of Jerusalem, including a topographical description of the city.2 Of particular interest is the manuscript’s placement of Greenland to the north of Norway, with no mention of Iceland; it goes on to explain that, should one travel to the south from Greenland, one first finds the country of Helluland and then Vínland, “er sumir menn ètla at g[an]gi af Affrika” (which some suppose stretches out of Africa).3 These are the lands on the North American coast of the northern Atlantic which were encountered by Nordic voyagers around the year 1000, as narrated in Grænlendinga saga (Saga of the Greenlanders) and Eiriks saga rauða (Saga of Erik the Red). The latter of the two sagas was written down ca. 1302–1310, around the same time as the manuscript fragment, and is preserved in the compendium Hauksbók (Book of Haukr), which similarly contains a map of Jerusalem and a description of various countries.4 Also included in the Hauksbók is a geographical treatise under the heading “her segir fra marghattudum þiodum” (here is told of manifold peoples).5 The ideas conveyed in this text are derived from the Natural History of Pliny the Elder (d.
    [Show full text]
  • On the Rune Stone
    i"He eonors pace More on the Rune Stone IN ITS Winter, 1976, issue, Minnesota History pub­ wrote the foUowing letter after receiving the quarterly lished two articles pertaining to the ongoing controversy and other material: over the authenticity of the inscription on the famous Dear Mr. Fridley: Kensington rune stone, which believers say dates back to Thank you for your kindness in sending me the mate­ 1362 and nonbelievers claim is a modern hoax. The fir.st article, in editorial form, was MHS director Russell W rial on Gran's tape. It revived old memories. Fridley" s brief survey of scholarly opinion, pro and con, So the lefthanded member of the hoaxing team was regarding the stone over the years. Fridley concluded Gran, after all. The lefthanded aspect was brought out by that the inscription is a modern forgery but at the same Hjalmar R. Holand (Wahlgren, The Kensington Stone, p. time an important "monument to Scandinavian humor on 69), but his identity was not brought out by Holand, xx'ho the Amei-ican frontier."" during the fifty or sixty years that he studied the Ken­ sington matter certainly became familiar xvith all the pos- Supporting this conclusion was the second article, sibihties. "The Case ofthe Gran Tapes: Further Evidence on the It is bard to believe that Ohman and Gran fooled Rune Stone Riddle." This included relevant portions of a Holand. It xvas he xvho fooled them, as xvefl as himself, tape of a 1967 interview with a son (Walter) and daugh­ with tragic results for at least the Ohman family.
    [Show full text]
  • The 15Th International Saga Conference Sagas and the Use of the Past 5Th –11Th August 2012, Aarhus University Preprint of Abstracts
    The 15th International Saga Conference Sagas and the Use of the Past 5th –11th August 2012, Aarhus University Preprint of Abstracts Edited by A. Mathias Valentin Nordvig and Lisbeth H. Torfing with Pernille Hermann, Jens Peter Schjødt and Ulla Loumand Sponsored by: A.P. Møller og Hustru Chastine Mc-Kinney Møllers Fond til almene Formaal; 15. juni Fonden; Forskningsrådet for Kultur og Kommuni- kation (FKK); Kungl. Gustav Adolfs Akademien för svensk folkkultur; Letterstedtska Föreningen; Faculty of Arts, Aarhus University; The De- partment of Aesthetics and Communication, Aarhus University; The Department of Culture and Society, Aarhus University; Salling; Bryg- geriet Sct. Clemens. MB Published by Department of Aesthetics and Communication Department of Culture and Society Faculty of Arts SUN-Tryk Fællestrykkeriet for Sundhedsvidenskab og Humaniora, Aarhus Universitet All rights reserved. Copyright © 2012, the Contributors. ISBN: 978-87-995444-0-0 http://sagaconference.au.dk/fileadmin/sagaconference/Pre-print.pdf The cover image is the so-called “Aarhus Mask”, a depiction on a ru- nestone found in the district of Hasle in Aarhus. It has been dated to the period 970-1020. Design by Nichlas Tougaard, Det Nye Sort. Preface The theme of the 15th International Saga Conference, the 5th to the 11th of August, 2012, Aarhus University, is Sagas and the Use of the Past. Papers at the conference will be presented in one of the following categories: Memory and Fiction, Myth and Reality, Textuality and Manuscript Transmission, Genre and Concepts of History, Oral Tradi- tion, The Christianisation of Denmark and Eastern Scandinavia, The Use of Sagas and Eddas in the 21st Century and Open Session Apart from the keynote lectures, orally-presented papers are organized in up to 6 parallel sessions on each day of the conference, in addition to which there are poster presentations, which are presented on Thursday afternoon.
    [Show full text]
  • — Textual Production and Status Contests in Rising and Unstable Societies Edited by Massimiliano Bampi and Marina Buzzoni
    Filologie medievali e moderne 2 Serie occidentale 2 — Textual production and status contests in rising and unstable societies edited by Massimiliano Bampi and Marina Buzzoni Edizioni Ca’Foscari filologie medievali e moderne Filologie medievali e moderne Serie occidentale Editor Eugenio Burgio Comitato di lettura Massimiliano Bampi, Saverio Bellomo, Marina Buz- zoni, Serena Fornasiero, Lorenzo Tomasin, Tiziano Zanato Serie orientale Editor Antonella Ghersetti Comitato di lettura Attilio Andreini, Giampiero Bellingeri, Paolo Calvet- ti, Marco Ceresa, Daniela Meneghini, Antonio Rigopoulos, Bonaventura Ruperti Questo volume è pubblicato dopo il parere favorevole di un revisore scelto all’interno del Comitato di lettura, e di un revisore esterno scelto per la sua specifica competenza sull’argomento. La valutazione si è svolta secondo i criteri della peer review, e nel rispetto del reciproco anonimato tra revisori e autore. Textual Production and Status Contests in Rising and Unstable Societies edited by Massimiliano Bampi and Marina Buzzoni © 2013 Edizioni Ca’ Foscari - Digital Publishing Università Ca’ Foscari Venezia Dorsoduro 1686 30123 Venezia edizionicafoscari.unive.it isbn 978-88-97735-32-8 7 Introduction Massimiliano Bampi, Marina Buzzoni 11 Textual Efflorescence and Social Resources Notes on Mediaeval Iceland Itamar Even-Zohar 33 Writing Strategies Romance and the Creation of a New Genre in Medieval Iceland Torfi H. Tulinius 43 The Change in Position of Translated Riddarasögur within Old Norse Literary Polysystems A Case Study of Elíss
    [Show full text]
  • Hólmgöngur Í Íslendingasögunum Og Öðrum Forníslenskum Bókmenntum -Hólmganga Sem Íþrótt
    Lokaverkefni til B.Sc. prófs Hólmgöngur í Íslendingasögunum og öðrum forníslenskum bókmenntum -Hólmganga sem íþrótt Einar Hróbjartur Jónsson Soffía Björg Sveinsdóttir Kennaraháskóli Íslands Íþróttabraut Maí 2007 Lokaverkefni til B.Sc. -prófs Hólmgöngur í Íslendingasögunum og öðrum forníslenskum bókmenntum -Hólmganga sem íþrótt Einar Hróbjartur Jónsson 160880-3849 og Soffía Björg Sveinsdóttir 190679-4119 Kennaraháskóli Íslands Íþróttabraut Maí 2007 Ágrip Í þessu lokaverkefni verða hólmgöngur í íslenskum fornbókmenntum rannsakaðar og skoðaðar með tilliti til íþrótta. Sérstök áhersla verður lögð á frásagnir af hólmgöngum Íslendingasagnanna enda lýsingarnar nokkuð nákvæmar og sögurnar mörgum Íslendingum vel kunnar. Farið verður yfir það hvernig hólmgöngur fóru fram og hvaða reglum þær lutu. Ástæður hólmgangna verða skoðaðar, þróun þeirra og hvernig þær birtast í bókmenntum. Lokaverkefnið er byggt á rannsókninni íþróttir í fornbókmenntum sem báðir höfundar verkefnisins tóku þátt í hjá Guðmundi Sæmundssyni aðjúnkt hjá Kennaraháskóla Íslands. Þetta verkefni var tilvalið fyrir höfundana því annar hefur lokið BA prófi í íslensku en hinn BA prófi í þjóðfræði, báðir frá Háskóla Íslands, og hafa mikinn áhuga á fornbókmenntum. Í verkefninu voru öll atvik íþrótta skráð niður í öllum helstu íslensku fornbókmenntunum. Öll atvik hólmgöngu í Íslendingasögunum voru síðan skráð á sérstakan lista þar sem helstu upplýsingar hverrar hólmgöngu voru greindar og er sá listi í viðauka. Heimilda var einkum aflað í Gegni á Þjóðarbókhlöðunni og á bókasafni Kennaraháskóla Íslands auk þess sem leitað var að frekari upplýsingum og myndum á veraldarvefnum. Markverðustu niðurstöðurnar voru þær að hólmgöngur falla að mestu leyti undir skilgreiningar íþrótta bæði nútíma- og fornmanna. Hingað til hafa þær ef til vill frekar verið skilgreinar sem blóðugur bardagi en þar sem farið var eftir ströngum reglum, eins konar dómgæsla var á staðnum, ekki var barist til að drepa og fólk horfði á hólmgönguna sér til skemmtunar má álykta að hólmgangan hafi haft fleiri einkenni íþrótta en blóðugs bardaga.
    [Show full text]