“Unpractical Objects” the Concept of the King's Gifts in The
Hugvísindasvið “Unpractical objects” The concept of the King’s Gifts in the Old Norse World Ritgerð til MA-prófs Csete Katona May 2014 Háskóli Íslands Icelandic and Comparative Cultural Studies Viking and Medieval Norse Studies “Unpractical objects” The concept of the King’s Gifts in the Old Norse World Ritgerð til MA-prófs Csete Katona Kt.: 010389-4619 Leiðbeinandi: Torfi H. Tulinius May 2014 Acknowledgements I would like to express my gratitude to many people who supported or helped the writing of this thesis. First of all, to my teachers at the University of Iceland and Aarhus University who apparelled me with the sufficient knowledge to complete this task: Haraldur Bernarðson, Viðar Pálsson, Rúnar Leifsson, Pernille Hermann, Rolf Stavnem, Lisbeth H. Torfing. Secondly, to all the people who supported me on different ways: Lars Rask, Oliver Boesen, Luke Murphy, Steven Shema, Yoav Tirosh, Neils Niller Nilsen and Péter Horog. I would like to particularly thank the support for my supervisors, Torfi H. Tulinius and Agnes S. Arnórsdottir and my original supervisor from my home university (University of Debrecen) Attila Bárány. Abstract According to Actor-Network-Theory, an object can have agency in social relations just as much as humans (Latour, 2005). In Old Norse literature, heroic weapons are well-known examples of objects being actors in the formulation of the plot (Torfing, 2012). However, they can have an important influence not solely for their mighty abilities as tools of violence, but sometimes for an unexpected reason as well: their social importance. This thesis attempts to shed light on the fact that objects are not always handled according to their primary role and function as social symbols rather than actual tools of violence.
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