DOCSLIB.ORG

Here Be Heathens: the Supernatural Image of Northern Fenno-Scandinavia in Pre-Modern Literature

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Here Be Heathens: the Supernatural Image of Northern Fenno-Scandinavia in Pre-Modern Literature Lokaverkefni til MA-gráðu í Norrænni trú Félagsvísindasvið Here be Heathens: The Supernatural Image of Northern Fenno-Scandinavia in Pre-Modern Literature Lyonel D. Perabo Norrænn trú Félags- og mannvísindadeild May 2016 Here be Heathens The Supernatural Image of Northern Fenno-Scandinavia in Pre-Modern Literature Lyonel D. Perabo Supervisor Terry Gunnell Faculty Representative Terry Gunnell Faculty of Social and Human Sciences School of Social Sciences University of Iceland Reykjavík, May 2016 Here be Heathens: The Supernatural Image of Northern Fenno-Scandinavia in Pre-Modern Literature Faculty of Social and Human Sciences School of Social Sciences University of Iceland Sæmundargata 2 101, Reykjavík Iceland Telephone: 525 4000 Bibliographic information: Lyonel D. Perabo, 2016, Here be Heathens: The Supernatural Image of Northern Fenno- Scandinavia in Pre-Modern Literature, Master’s thesis, Faculty of Social and Human Sciences, University of Iceland, pp. 222. Printing: Háskólaprent ehf. Tromsø, Norway: May 2016 "1 Abstract The present thesis involves a study of the various ways in which the Northernmost regions of Fenno-Scandinavia and their inhabitants were depicted as being associated with the supernatural in pre-Modern literature. Its findings are based on an exhaustive study of the numerous texts engaging with this subject, ranging from the Roman era to the publication of the Historia de Gentibus Septentrionalibus of Olaus Magnus in 1555. The thesis presents and analyses the most common supernatural motifs associated with this Far- Northern area, which include animal transformation, sorcery and pagan worship, as well as speculating about their origins, and analyzes the ways in which such ideas and images evolved, both over time and depending on the nature of the written sources in which they appear. The author argues that Northern Fenno-Scandinavia was thought of as a wild, supernatural and pagan land because of the differences in languages, ways of living and magical practices of its inhabitants, an image partially mirrored in literary texts, some of which are of considerable antiquity. The thesis also notes the way in which the supernatural images associated with the Sámi and Finnic peoples seem to have also become attached to the other Germanic-related people living in the north of Norway, who are also often depicted as supernatural “others” equipped with supernatural or magical skills in the literature. "2 Útdráttur #essi ritger$ fjallar um %á margvíslegu máta sem nyrstu svæ$i Fennóskandíu og íbúum %ess var l&st í tengslum vi$ yfirnáttúruleg öfl í for-n&aldarbókmenntum. Ni$urstö$urnar eru bygg$ar á ítarlegri rannsó kn á fjölda texta sem fjalla um vi$fangsefni$, allt frá Rómaveldi til útgáfu Historia de Gentibus Septentrionalibus eftir Olaus Magnus í 1555. Ritger$in kynnir og greinir helstu minni yfirnáttúrulegra afla sem tengjast %essu nor$læga svæ$i, til a$ mynda hamskiptingar, galdra og blót. Tilgátur um uppruna %eirra koma fram og fari$ er í saumana á %ví hvernig hugmyndirnar gætu hafa komi$ fram og %róast, eftir %ví sem tíminn lei$ og e$li rita$ra heimilda %ar sem %ær birtust. Höfundurinn færir rök fyrir %ví a$ ímynd Nor$ur-Finnóskandíu var villt, yfirnáttúruleg og hei$in vegna mismunandi tungumála, lifna$arhátta og galdrai$kunar íbúanna, ímynd sem speglast a$ hluta til í bókmenntatextum, sumum hverjum frá fornöldum. Svi$sljósinu ver$ur einnig beint a$ %ví hvernig yfirnáttúrulegum ímyndum tengdum Sömum og Finnskum var varpa$ yfir á germanskt fólk í Nor$ur-Noregi, sem oft á tí$um er einnig l&st í bókmenntunum sem yfirnáttúrulegum verum sem búi yfir yfirnáttúrulegum öflum og galdramætti. "3 Table of Contents Abstract ………………………………………………………………………………………….1 Útdráttur …………………………………………………………………………………………2 Table of Contents ………………………………………………………………………………3 Acknowledgments and Dedication.…………………………………………………………8 Note on the Spelling …………………………………………………………………………..9 List of Figures .………………………………………………………………………………..10 List of Abbreviations ………………………………………………………………………..11 1. Introduction ………………………………………………………………………………..15 2. History of Research ……………………………………………………………………….19 2.1. The Earliest Scholarship ………………………………………………………….19 2.2. National Histories ………………………………………………………………….21 2.3. Sámi Ethnographies….……………………………………………………………22 2.4. Arctic Travelogue….……………………………………………………………….22 2.5. Contemporary Scholarship .………………………………………………………24 3. Primary Sources..…………………………………………………………………………27 3.1. Introduction ………………………………………………………………………..27 3.2. Norse-Icelandic Sources ………………………………………………………..27 3.2.1. Introduction ……………………………………………………………..27 3.2.2. Skaldic Poetry ………………………………………………………….28 3.2.3. Eddic Poetry ……………………………………………………………28 3.2.4. The konungasögur …………………………………………………….29 3.2.5. The Íslendingasögur …………………………………………………..30 3.2.6. The fornaldarsögur …………………………………………………….31 3.2.7. The riddarasögur……………………………………………………….32 3.2.8. The rímur ……………………………………………………………….33 3.2.9. Miscellaneous Texts……………………………………………………34 "4 3.3. Continental Sources ……………………………………………………………………..35 3.3.1. Introduction………………………………………………………………35 3.3.2. Graeco-Roman Sources ………………………………………………35 3.3.3. Anglo-Saxon Sources ………………………………………………… 36 3.3.4. Medieval Arab Sources ……………………………………………….. 37 3.3.5. East-Norse Sources .……………………………………………………38 3.3.6. Medieval European Sources …………………………………………. 39 3.3.7. Renaissance Sources .………………………………………………… 39 3.4. Conclusion …………………………………………………………………………40 4. The Far North in the Pre-Modern World ………………………………………………42 4.1. Introduction.…………………………………………………….…………………..42 4.2. The Geography and Prehistory of the Far North ………….……………………42 4.3. Hálogaland: The North Germanic Culture of the Far North .…………………..44 4.4. The Finnic Peoples of the Pre-Modern Far North .……………………………..47 4.5. The Far North as a Meeting Point of Nordic Cultures in Literature .………….49 5. The Monstrous Arctic: The Image of the Northern Giantlands …………………..51 5.1. Introduction ……………………………………………………………………….. 51 5.2. Supernatural Meetings in the Northern Borderlands .………………………… 52 5.2.1. A Land of Unknown Wonders and Terrors ……………………………52 5.2.2. Crossing the Northern Frontier in Saga Literature …………………..53 5.3. Á Austrvega: The Supernatural Eastern Borderland …………………………..55 5.3.1. The Eastern Baltic as a Contact Zone ………………………………55 5.3.2. The Mysterious Finnland ……………………………………………….56 5.3.3. The Wild Coast of Bálagar$ssí$a and Álandsi$a ……………………58 5.4. The Mythological and Legendary Lands of the Far North ……………………59 5.4.1. J'tunheimar and Rísaland: The Giantlands of the Arctic.…..………59 5.4.2. Fictional Kingdoms of the North: Glæsisvellir and Geirr'$argar$r…62 5.5. The Monstrous Inhabitants of the Far North …………………………………..65 5.5.1. The Abode of jǫtnar, rísar and Other Giants ………………………..65 5.5.2. The Sámi as the Wild Men of the North..……………………………..66 5.5.3. The Sámi as jǫtnar and Giants? ………………………………………67 5.6. Conclusion …………………………………………………………………………69 "5 6. The Far North as the Abode of Pagans and their Gods ……………………………72 6.1. Introduction …………………………………………………………………………72 6.2. Markar heiðins: The Pagan Gods and Pagan Lands of Northern Fenno-Scandinavia ……………………………………………………………………. 72 6.2.1. The Northern J'tunheimar and the Lands of the Giants..………..… 72 6.2.2. #órr, the God who Journeyed North …………………………………. 73 6.2.3. Ó$inn, the Foreign God ……………………………………………….. 75 6.2.4. #orger$r, the Goddess of the Pagan North ………………………… 77 6.3. Blótmenn and fultrúi: Pagan Practice and Devotion in the Far North ………. 79 6.3.1. Visions of Thule: Northern Fenno-Scandinavia in Classical Times.. 79 6.3.2. A hof in Bjarmaland: Finnic Lands as Pagan Lands …………………81 6.3.3. Hákon Sigur$sson of Hla$ir, the Blóta-Jarl of the North …………….84 6.3.4. The Last Pagan Strongholds: Hálogaland and Naumudalr …………85 6.4. Conclusion ………………………………………………………………………….89 7. Arctic Visionaries: Soothsaying in the Far North ……………………………………91 7.1. Introduction …………………………………………………………………………91 7.2. Second Sight in the North ……………………………………………………….. 92 7.2.1. Endowed with Clairvoyance: Sámi Prophecy ……………………….. 92 7.2.2. The North-Norwegians´ Soothsaying Rituals ……………………….. 96 7.3. The Supernatural Far Northerner as a Problem-Solver …………………….. 100 7.3.1. Introduction ……………………………………………………………..100 7.3.2.The Supernatural Advice of the Far Northerners ……………………101 7.3.3. The Healers of Northern Fenno-Scandinavia .………………………103 7.3.4. The Accidental Apostles .………………………………………………104 7.4. The Far-Northern Origin of the Cloak Ritual …………………………………106 7.4.1. Introduction …………………………………………………………….106 7.4.2. …lagðisk hann niðr Þorgeirr ok breiddi feld sinn á sik ……………107 7.4.3. The Cloak Ritual in a Far-Northern Perspective …………………..110 7.4.4. The Cloak Ritual as a Sámi Ritual …………………………………..112 7.5. Conclusion ……………………………………………………………………….113 "6 8. Windworkers from the North……………………………………………………………115 8.1.Introduction ……………………………………………………………………….. 115 8.2. The Far North as the Land of the Storms …………………………………….. 116 8.2.1. All Storms Lead to the Arctic ………………………………………….116 8.2.2. The Northern Fog ………………………………………………………117 8.2.3. The Enduring Image of the Maelstrom ………………………………119 8.3. The Supernatural Sailors of the Arctic …………………………………………120 8.3.1. The Inconspicuous Sailing-Magic of the Hálogalanders ………….120 8.3.2. Wind for Sale: The Utilitarian Weather Magic of the Sámi ………..121 8.4. Belligerent Weather-Magic in the North ……………………………………….124 8.4.1. Calling the Storm ………………………………………………………124 8.4.2. #órr the Wind-Raiser ………………………………………………….126 8.5. The Ice-Cold Darts of the Arctic Archers ………………………………………128 8.5.1. Introduction ……………………………………………………………..128
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Norse Myth Guide
    Norse Myth If it has a * next to it don’t worry about it for the quiz. Everything else is fair game within reason as I know this is a lot. Just make sure you know the basics. Heimdall -Characteristics -Can hear grass grow -Needs only as much sleep as a bird -Guards Bifrost -Will kill and be killed by Loki at Ragnarok -He is one of the Aesir -Has foresight like the Vanir -Other Names -Vindhler -Means "wind shelter" -The White God As -Hallinskidi -Means "bent stick" but actually refers to rams -Gullintani -Received this nickname from his golden teeth -Relationships -Grandfather to Kon the Young -Born of the nine mothers -Items -Gjallarhorn -Will blow this to announce Ragnarok -Sword Hofund -Horse Golltop -Places -Lives on "heavenly mountain" Himinbjorg -Stories -Father of mankind -He went around the world as Rig -He slept with many women -Three of these women, Edda, Amma, and Modir, became pregnant -They gave birth to the three races of mankind -Jarl, Karl, and Thrall -Recovering Brisingamen -Loki steals Brisingamen from Freya -He turns himself into a seal and hides -Freya enlists Heimdall to recover the necklace -They find out its Loki, so Heimdall goes to fight him -Heimdall also turns into a seal, and they fight at Singasteinn -Heimdall wins, and returns the necklace to Freya -Meaning of sword -A severed head was thrown at Heimdall -After this incident, a sword is referred to as "Heimdall's head" -Possession of knowledge -Left his ear in the Well of Mimir to gain knowledge Aegir* -Characteristics -God of the ocean/sea -Is sometimes said
    [Show full text]
  • Det Kongelige Bibliotek the Royal Library
    Digitaliseret af | Digitised by det kongelige bibliotek the royal library København | Copenhagen DK Digitaliserede udgaver af materiale fra Det Kongelige Biblioteks samlinger må ikke sælges eller gøres til genstand for nogen form for kommerciel udnyttelse. For oplysninger om ophavsret og brugerrettigheder, se venligst www.kb.dk UK Digitised versions of material from the Royal Librarys collections may not be sold or be subject to any form for commercial use. For information on copyright and user rights, please consult www.kb.dk / f K \ ‘■t \ I ' v / i \ \ * N C * -/ m j •• DET KONGELIGE BIBLIOTEK f;HM '■■:■. '■■■. % - t .A •»? h 130022042761 yjfc HEIMSKRINGLA SOGVR NOREGS KONE KGA SNORRA STURLUSONAR. I UPPSALA, W. S C H U L T Z, » © ■1 © U PPSA LA , 1870. AKADEMISKA BOKTRYCKERIET, * ED. BERLING. K \ • .y/, V YNGLINGA SAGA. SAGA HÅLFDANAR SVARTA. HARALDS SAGA HINS HARFAGRA. SAGA HÅKONAR GODA. SAGAN AF HARALDI KONUNGI GRAFELD OK HÅKONI JARLI. SAGA OLAFS TRYGGYASONAR. HEIMSKRINGLA. Prologus. i A b6k pessi lét ek rita fråsagnir um hhfdingja, på er nki hafa haft å nordrlondum ok å danska tungu hafa 5 mælt, svå sem ek hefi heyrt froda menn segja, svå ok ♦ nokkurar kynkvislir peira, eptir pvi sem mér hefir kent - verit; sumt pat er finnst i langfedgatali, pvi er konungar i_ ! hafa rakit kyn sitt, eda adrir storættadir menn, en sumt j er ritat eptir fornum kvædum e8a soguljodum, er menn [ 10 hafa haft til skemtanar sér. En p6 at vér vitim eigi j sannyndi å pvi, [>å vitum vér dæmi til pess, at gamlir } frædimenn hafa slikt fyrir satt haft. Pjodolfr or Hvini var skåld Haraids hins hårfagra; hann orti ok um Rhgn- vald konung heidum-hæra kvædi pat, er kaliat er Yngl-"1.
    [Show full text]
  • Dal Barocco Al Modernismo) Influenze Sui Metodi, L’Ideologia, I Contenuti E Lo Stile
    (Prof. ssa A. Cipolla) Filologia germanica SSD L-Fil-Let/15 36h LM 37 (6 CFU) I semestre La ricezione dei materiali nordici nelle letterature e nelle accademie europee dei secc. XVIII-XIX (dal Barocco al Modernismo) Influenze sui metodi, l’ideologia, i contenuti e lo stile Interpretazione metafisica/pragmatica del mito I mitografi del XIII sec. Letture dall’Edda di Snorri Skáldskaparmál ‘Dialogo sull’arte poetica’ (Snorri Sturluson, Edda, Skáldskaparmál, ed. A. Faulkes, London, Viking Society, 1998, pp. 1-5) 1 Hann hóf þar frásögn, at þrír Æsir fóru [Bragi] Iniziò a raccontare come tre Æsir, heiman, Óðinn ok Loki ok Hœnir, ok Óðinn, Loki e Hœnir, partirono da casa fóru um fjöll ok eyðimerkr, ok var illt til e viaggiarono per montagne e lande matar. En er þeir koma ofan í dal desolate, e col cibo andava male. A un nakkvarn, sjá þeir øxna flokk, ok taka certo punto, scendendo in una valle, einn uxann ok snúa til seyðis. En er þeir videro dall’alto una mandria di buoi, ne hyggja, at soðit mun vera, röfa þeir presero uno e lo misero a cuocere nel seyðin, ok var ekki soðit. Ok í annat seyðir. Ma quando credettero che dovesse sinn, er þeir röfa soðinn, þá er stund var essere pronto e aprirono la fornace, non liðinn, ok var ekki soðit; mæla þeir þá sín era cotto; e poi riaprirono il forno una ámilli, hverir þetta mun gegna. Þá heyra seconda volta, dopo che era passato un þeir mál í eikina upp yfir sik, at sá, er þar po’ di tempo, ma non era cotto: si sat, kvazk ráða því, er eigi soðnaði á consultarono chiedendosi da che cosa seyðinum.
    [Show full text]
  • Ordbog Over Det Norrøne Prosasprog
    Ordbog over det norrøne prosasprog © 2004 Den arnamagnæanske kommission Sats: ONP & UNI·C Skrift: Monotype Plantin Tryk: Grafisk Data Center A/S, Odense ISBN: 87-7001-285-7 Ordbog over det norrøne prosasprog ONP 1-3 : Nøgle // Key Redigeret af Helle Degnbol, Bent Chr. Jacobsen, James E. Knirk, Eva Rode, Christopher Sanders, Þorbjörg Helgadóttir Udgivet af Den arnamagnæanske kommission København 2004 Foreword The principal aid to Ordbog over det norrøne prosasprog // A Dictionary of Old Norse Prose (ONP 1 : a-bam, ONP 2 : ban-da, ONP 3 : de-em) is the volume of indices (ONP : Registre // Indices,1989). In the present booklet (ONP 1-3:Nøgle//Key) there is a short user’s guide in Danish and English, corrections and additions to the volume of indices (Sigla, Medieval Manuscripts), the most important corrections to ONP 1-3,acompletebibliographytoalltheONPvolumes,and a revised list of abbreviations and symbols. This booklet is therefore a complete replacement of the previous booklets, which can be discarded. ONP’s website (www.onp.hum.ku.dk) gives access to an electronic version of parts of the present booklet (Vejledning // User’s Guide, Bibliografi // Bibliography and Forkortelser & symboler // Abbreviations & Symbols). ONP’s indices (Sigla and Medieval Manuscripts) are also available on the website, and these are regularly updated. ONP’s postal address is: Ordbog over det norrøne prosasprog Københavns universitet Amager Njalsgade 136 DK-2300 København S Denmark e-mail: [email protected] website: http://www.onp.hum.ku.dk ONP’s publications can be
    [Show full text]
  • Heimskringla III.Pdf
    SNORRI STURLUSON HEIMSKRINGLA VOLUME III The printing of this book is made possible by a gift to the University of Cambridge in memory of Dorothea Coke, Skjæret, 1951 Snorri SturluSon HE iMSKrinGlA V oluME iii MAG nÚS ÓlÁFSSon to MAGnÚS ErlinGSSon translated by AliSon FinlAY and AntHonY FAulKES ViKinG SoCiEtY For NORTHErn rESEArCH uniVErSitY CollEGE lonDon 2015 © VIKING SOCIETY 2015 ISBN: 978-0-903521-93-2 The cover illustration is of a scene from the Battle of Stamford Bridge in the Life of St Edward the Confessor in Cambridge University Library MS Ee.3.59 fol. 32v. Haraldr Sigurðarson is the central figure in a red tunic wielding a large battle-axe. Printed by Short Run Press Limited, Exeter CONTENTS INTRODUCTION ................................................................................ vii Sources ............................................................................................. xi This Translation ............................................................................. xiv BIBLIOGRAPHICAL REFERENCES ............................................ xvi HEIMSKRINGLA III ............................................................................ 1 Magnúss saga ins góða ..................................................................... 3 Haralds saga Sigurðarsonar ............................................................ 41 Óláfs saga kyrra ............................................................................ 123 Magnúss saga berfœtts .................................................................. 127
    [Show full text]
  • Of Magical Beings and Where to Find Them. Scripta Islandica 72/2021
    Of Magical Beings and Where to Find Them On the Concept of álfar in the Translated riddarasǫgur FELIX LUMMER 1. Introduction The process of translation attempts to enable the understanding of for­ eign concepts and ideas, something which naturally involves the use of both words and concepts that are already extant in the receiving culture. This natu rally involves linguistic problems, but more interestingly often results in the overlapping, alteration and merging of concepts, something that can have long­term consequences on language and cultural under­ standing. This article aims to explore how the Old Norse mythological concept of the álfar in the Nordic countries (especially Iceland due to its pre­served­manu­scripts)­may­have­been­altered­through­the­influence­of­the­ trans lation of Old French romances into Norwegian and Icelandic during the Middle Ages. As will be shown below, the mythological concept that lies behind the introduction and use of the female variant of álfar (sg. álfr) known as álfkonur (sg. álfkona) in Old Norse literature (and culture) appears to have been that of the Old French fée (pl. fées). Indeed, prior to the translation of foreign (especially Continental) works, some of which appear to have been initiated by the Norwegian King Hákon Hákonar son (1204–1263) in the early thirteenth century, the álfkona (and motifs associated with her) seem to have been mostly absent in Old Norse Lummer, Felix. 2021. Of Magical Beings and Where to Find Them: On the Concept of álfar in the Translated riddarasǫgur. Scripta Islandica 72: 5–42. © Felix Lummer (CC BY) DOI: 10.33063/diva­439400 6 Felix Lummer literature and folk belief (one minor exception is, for example, Fáfnis mál st.
    [Show full text]
  • Troms Og Finnmark
    Kommunestyre- og fylkestingsvalget 2019 Valglister med kandidater Fylkestingsvalget 2019 i Troms og Finnmark Valglistens navn: Partiet De Kristne Status: Godkjent av valgstyret Kandidatnr. Navn Fødselsår Bosted Stilling 1 Svein Svendsen 1993 Alta 2 Karl Tobias Hansen 1992 Tromsø 3 Torleif Selseng 1956 Balsfjord 4 Dag Erik Larssen 1953 Skånland 5 Papy Zefaniya 1986 Sør-Varanger 6 Aud Oddrun Grønning 1940 Tromsø 7 Annbjørg Watnedal 1939 Tromsø 8 Arlene Marie Hansen 1949 Balsfjord 04.06.2019 12:53:00 Lister og kandidater Side 1 Kommunestyre- og fylkestingsvalget 2019 Valglister med kandidater Fylkestingsvalget 2019 i Troms og Finnmark Valglistens navn: Høyre Status: Godkjent av valgstyret Kandidatnr. Navn Fødselsår Bosted Stilling 1 Christine Bertheussen Killie 1979 Tjeldsund 2 Jo Inge Hesjevik 1969 Porsanger 3 Benjamin Nordberg Furuly 1996 Bardu 4 Tove Alstadsæter 1967 Sør-Varanger 5 Line Fusdahl 1957 Tromsø 6 Geir-Inge Sivertsen 1965 Senja 7 Kristen Albert Ellingsen 1961 Alta 8 Cecilie Mathisen 1994 Tromsø 9 Lise Svenning 1963 Vadsø 10 Håkon Rønning Vahl 1972 Harstad 11 Steinar Halvorsen 1970 Loppa 12 Tor Arne Johansen Morskogen 1979 Tromsø 13 Gro Marie Johannessen Nilssen 1963 Hasvik 14 Vetle Langedahl 1996 Tromsø 15 Erling Espeland 1976 Alta 16 Kjersti Karijord Smørvik 1966 Harstad 17 Sharon Fjellvang 1999 Nordkapp 18 Nils Ante Oskal Eira 1975 Lavangen 19 Johnny Aikio 1967 Vadsø 20 Remi Iversen 1985 Tromsø 21 Lisbeth Eriksen 1959 Balsfjord 22 Jan Ivvar Juuso Smuk 1987 Nesseby 23 Terje Olsen 1951 Nordreisa 24 Geir-Johnny Varvik 1958 Storfjord 25 Ellen Kristina Saba 1975 Tana 26 Tonje Nilsen 1998 Storfjord 27 Sebastian Hansen Henriksen 1997 Tromsø 28 Ståle Sæther 1973 Loppa 29 Beate Seljenes 1978 Senja 30 Joakim Breivik 1992 Tromsø 31 Jonas Sørum Nymo 1989 Porsanger 32 Ole Even Andreassen 1997 Harstad 04.06.2019 12:53:00 Lister og kandidater Side 2 Kommunestyre- og fylkestingsvalget 2019 Valglister med kandidater Fylkestingsvalget 2019 i Troms og Finnmark Valglistens navn: Høyre Status: Godkjent av valgstyret Kandidatnr.
    [Show full text]
  • GIANTS and GIANTESSES a Study in Norse Mythology and Belief by Lotte Motz - Hunter College, N.Y
    GIANTS AND GIANTESSES A study in Norse mythology and belief by Lotte Motz - Hunter College, N.Y. The family of giants plays apart of great importance in North­ Germanic mythology, as this is presented in the 'Eddas'. The phy­ sical environment as weIl as the race of gods and men owe their existence ultimately to the giants, for the world was shaped from a giant's body and the gods, who in turn created men, had de­ scended from the mighty creatures. The energy and efforts of the ruling gods center on their battles with trolls and giants; yet even so the world will ultimately perish through the giants' kindling of a deadly blaze. In the narratives which are concerned with human heroes trolls and giants enter, shape, and direct, more than other superhuman forces, the life of the protagonist. The mountains, rivers, or valleys of Iceland and Scandinavia are often designated with a giant's name, and royal houses, famous heroes, as weIl as leading families among the Icelandic settlers trace their origin to a giant or a giantess. The significance of the race of giants further is affirmed by the recor­ ding and the presence of several hundred giant-names in the Ice­ landic texts. It is not surprising that students of Germanic mythology and religion have probed the nature of the superhuman family. Thus giants were considered to be the representatives of untamed na­ ture1, the forces of sterility and death, the destructive powers of 1. Wolfgang Golther, Handbuch der germanischen Mythologie, Leipzig 1895, quoted by R.Broderius, The Giant in Germanic Tradition, Diss.
    [Show full text]
  • The Hostages of the Northmen: from the Viking Age to the Middle Ages
    Part IV: Legal Rights It has previously been mentioned how hostages as rituals during peace processes – which in the sources may be described with an ambivalence, or ambiguity – and how people could be used as social capital in different conflicts. It is therefore important to understand how the persons who became hostages were vauled and how their new collective – the new household – responded to its new members and what was crucial for his or her status and participation in the new setting. All this may be related to the legal rights and special privileges, such as the right to wear coat of arms, weapons, or other status symbols. Personal rights could be regu- lated by agreements: oral, written, or even implied. Rights could also be related to the nature of the agreement itself, what kind of peace process the hostage occurred in and the type of hostage. But being a hostage also meant that a person was subjected to restric- tions on freedom and mobility. What did such situations meant for the hostage-taking party? What were their privileges and obli- gations? To answer these questions, a point of departure will be Kosto’s definition of hostages in continental and Mediterranean cultures around during the period 400–1400, when hostages were a form of security for the behaviour of other people. Hostages and law The hostage had its special role in legal contexts that could be related to the discussion in the introduction of the relationship between religion and law. The views on this subject are divided How to cite this book chapter: Olsson, S.
    [Show full text]
  • The American Line
    The American Line “The Quickening of the West” by Christopher L. Lingle The American Line ‘en Simultaneum’ “The Quickening of the West” researched and written by Christopher L. Lingle (Futurist) Copyright by - Yahu Yahweh’s Covenant Offer - YAHUYAHWEH.co TimelineoftheGods.com Submitted to my fellow Americans and to the faculty of my peers Qadesh La Yahweh - Ambassador College and Alumni (Worldwide) Migration Chart from Tracing Our Ancestors by Fred Haberman: The American Line has emerged from the admixture of Europeans that have traversed across time for thousands of years; co-mingling bloodlines over centuries within each period of crossing. Not since the time of the Norse (proto-Germanic) People crossing together with the Jewish population of Rome in Britain has a union resulted in such a perfect th st admixture, UNTIL the emergence of North America (17 -21 centuries). The migration of Israel and Rome into N.W. Europe is a well-documented fact of History. Together, we have structured a world of commerce over centuries. Once again, we are One People, stronger than ever, descended of Royal Race - The American Line. ~~~~ The Greatest Awakening in History will be experienced over the coming Quarter Century. After which time, a fixed and developed geo-politics will have a lasting affect for centuries to come… This Work is part of the larger discussion that currently rages within the Interdisciplinary Sciences and the drivers that influence the very edifice of Religion and Politics… The knowledge of our illustrious heritage is stirring a sudden and rapid awakening. Knowledge is our best aid in survival.
    [Show full text]
  • Status for Interkommunalt Samarbeid I Troms Og Finnmark
    NIVI Rapport 2019:4 Status for interkommunalt samarbeid i Troms og Finnmark Utarbeidet på oppdrag av Fylkesmannen Notat 2020- Av Geir Vinsand - NIVI Analyse AS FORORD På oppdrag fra Fylkesmannen i Troms og Finnmark har NIVI Analyse gjennomført en kartlegging av det formaliserte interkommunale samarbeidet i alle fylkets 43 kommuner. Kartleggingen har form av en kommunevis totalkartlegging og bygger på NIVIs kartleggingsmetodikk som er brukt i flere andre fylker. Prosjektet er gjennomført i nær dialog med Fylkesmannen og rådmennene i kommunene. Prosjektet ble startet opp i august 2019. Kontaktperson hos oppdragsgiver har vært fagdirektør Jan-Peder Andreassen. NIVI er ansvarlig for alle analyser av innsamlet materiale, inkludert løpende problematiseringer og anbefalinger. Ansvarlig konsulent i NIVI Analyse har vært Geir Vinsand. Sandefjord, 20. desember 2019 1 - NIVI Analyse AS INNHOLD HOVEDPUNKTER ................................................................................................. 3 1 METODISK TILNÆRMING ........................................................................ 6 1.1 Bakgrunn og formål ............................................................................. 6 1.2 Problemstillinger .................................................................................. 6 1.3 Definisjon av interkommunalt samarbeid ............................................ 7 1.4 Gjennomføring og erfaringer ............................................................... 8 1.5 Rapportering .......................................................................................
    [Show full text]
  • Catalogue of Place Names in Northern East Greenland
    Catalogue of place names in northern East Greenland In this section all officially approved, and many Greenlandic names are spelt according to the unapproved, names are listed, together with explana- modern Greenland orthography (spelling reform tions where known. Approved names are listed in 1973), with cross-references from the old-style normal type or bold type, whereas unapproved spelling still to be found on many published maps. names are always given in italics. Names of ships are Prospectors place names used only in confidential given in small CAPITALS. Individual name entries are company reports are not found in this volume. In listed in Danish alphabetical order, such that names general, only selected unapproved names introduced beginning with the Danish letters Æ, Ø and Å come by scientific or climbing expeditions are included. after Z. This means that Danish names beginning Incomplete documentation of climbing activities with Å or Aa (e.g. Aage Bertelsen Gletscher, Aage de by expeditions claiming ‘first ascents’ on Milne Land Lemos Dal, Åkerblom Ø, Ålborg Fjord etc) are found and in nunatak regions such as Dronning Louise towards the end of this catalogue. Å replaced aa in Land, has led to a decision to exclude them. Many Danish spelling for most purposes in 1948, but aa is recent expeditions to Dronning Louise Land, and commonly retained in personal names, and is option- other nunatak areas, have gained access to their al in some Danish town names (e.g. Ålborg or Aalborg region of interest using Twin Otter aircraft, such that are both correct). However, Greenlandic names be - the remaining ‘climb’ to the summits of some peaks ginning with aa following the spelling reform dating may be as little as a few hundred metres; this raises from 1973 (a long vowel sound rather than short) are the question of what constitutes an ‘ascent’? treated as two consecutive ‘a’s.
    [Show full text]