DOCSLIB.ORG

An Old Norse Image Hoard: from the Analog Past to the Digital Present

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
An Old Norse Image Hoard: from the Analog Past to the Digital Present An Old Norse Image Hoard: From the Analog Past to the Digital Present by Patricia Ann Baer B.A., University of Victoria, 1991 M.A., University of Victoria, 1996 A Dissertation Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY in Interdisciplinary Studies Patricia Ann Baer, 2013 University of Victoria All rights reserved. This dissertation may not be reproduced in whole or in part, by photocopy or other means, without the permission of the author. ii Supervisory Committee An Old Norse Image Hoard: From the Analog Past to the Digital Present by Patricia Ann Baer B.A., University of Victoria, 1991 M.A., University of Victoria, 1996 Supervisory Committee Dr. Raymond G. Siemens, (Department of English) Co-Supervisor Dr. Catherine Harding, (Department of History in Art) Co-Supervisor Dr. John J. Tucker (Department of English) Departmental Member Dr. Iain Macleod Higgins (Department of English) Departmental Member Christopher Petter (Special Collections) Additional Member iii Abstract Supervisory Committee Dr. Raymond G. Siemens, (Department of English) Co-Supervisor Dr. Catherine Harding, (Department of History in Art) Co-Supervisor Dr. John J. Tucker (Department of English) Departmental Member Dr. Iain Macleod Higgins (Department of English) Departmental Member Christopher Petter (Special Collections) Additional Member My Interdisciplinary dissertation examines illustrations in manuscripts and early print sources and reveals their participation in the transmission and reception of Old Norse mythology. My approach encompasses Material Philology and Media Specific Analysis. The reception history of illustrations of Old Norse Mythology affects our understanding of related Interdisciplinary fields such as Book History, Visual Studies, Literary Studies and Cultural Studies. Part One of my dissertation begins with a discussion of the tradition of Old Norse oral poetry in pagan Scandinavia and the highly visual nature of the poems. The oral tradition died out in Scandinavia but survived in Iceland and was preserved in vernacular manuscripts in the thirteenth century. The discovery of these manuscripts in the seventeenth century initiated a cycle of illustration that largely occurred outside of Iceland. Part One concludes with an analytical survey of illustrations of Old Norse mythology in print sources from 1554 to 1915 revealing important patterns of transmission. Part Two traces the technological history of production of digital editions and manuscript facsimiles back to the seventeenth century when manuscripts were hand- copied and published by means of copperplate engravings. Part Two also discusses the iv scholarly and cultural prejudices towards images that are only now slowly fading. Part Two concludes with a description of my prototype for a digital image repository named MyNDIR (My Norse Digital Image Repository). MyNDIR will facilitate the emergence of images of Old Norse Studies from the current informal crowd sourcing of material on the web to a digital image repository supporting the dissemination of accurate scholarly knowledge in a widely accessible form. Part Three presents two thematic case studies that demonstrate the value of applying the skills of visual literacy to illustrations of Old Norse mythology. The first study examines Jakob Sigurðsson’s illustrations of Norse gods in hand-copied paper manuscripts from eighteenth-century Iceland. The second study examines illustrations by prominent Norwegian artists in the editions of Snorre Sturlason: Kongesagaer published in 1899 and 1900 respectively. What emerged from these studies is an understanding that illustrations offer insights for the study of Old Norse texts that the words of the texts alone cannot provide. v Table Of Contents Supervisory Committee …………………………………………..………………………ii Abstract ………………………………………………………………….……………….iii Table of Contents …………………………...……………………………..……………...v Manuscript Sigla……………………………………………………………………..…...ix Acknowledgements………………………………………………………………………..x Dedication……………………………………………………………..……………….…xi Introduction The Visualization, Mediation and Remediation of Old Norse Mythology through the Ages………………………………………………………….................................………1 Part One: Illustrations of Old Norse Mythology in the Analog Past 1. Norse Paganism, Visualizations, and Illustrations……………………………….…...18 1.1 Introduction 1.2 Old Norse Poetry: Orality and Visuality 1.3 Artifacts as Visual Remediations of Old Norse Kennings 1.4 Literary Remediations of Cultural Artifacts 1.5 Conclusion 2. The Illustrative Tradition in Iceland………………………………………………….…43 2.1 Introduction 2.2 Preserving the Norse Cultural Heritage: From Oral to Textual 2.3 The Illustrative Tradition in Icelandic Parchment Manuscripts 2.4 The Printing Press and the Scribal Tradition of Paper Manuscripts 2.5 Conclusion 3. Antiquarian Scholarship in Scandinavia and Iceland …………………………...……55 3.1 Introduction 3.2 Antiquarian Scholarship 3.3 Antiquarian Scholars and Icelandic Manuscripts 3.4 From The Prose Edda to Laufas Edda to Resen’s Edda 3.5 From Cultural Artifacts to Illustrations in Print 3.6 From Scandinavian Print Sources to Icelandic Paper Manuscripts 3.7 Conclusion 4. Illustrations of Old Norse Mythology in Print Sources from 1554 – 1914…...………76 4.1 Introduction 4.2 Iceland 4.3 Denmark 4.4 Sweden 4.5 Norway vi 4.6 Germany 4.7 France 4.8 England 4.9 United States 4.10 Conclusion Part Two: Illustrations of Old Norse Mythology in the Digital Present 5. From the Analog Past to the Digital Present…………………………………………130 5.1 Introduction 5.2 Old Norse Scholarship and Digital Materiality 5.3 Digital Images and Fundamental Scholarly Biases 5.4 Popular Culture and Mythology Websites 5.5 The Potential of Collaborative Old Norse Scholarship 5.6 Conclusion 6. Project Implementation: MyNDIR (My Norse Digital Image Repository)…………150 6.1 Introduction 6.2 Skills Assessment and Initial Project Considerations 6.3 Designing the Interface 6.4 Copyright Concerns and Accommodations 6.5 Time Management 6.6 TEI P5’s Manuscript Description Module and Myndir’s Illustrations 6.7 Orthography and Naming Conventions for Textual Content 6.8 Creating Naming Conventions for Files and Identifiers 6.9. MyNDIR’s Vocabulary 6.10 Pedagogical Concerns and Markup Strategies 6.11 Providing a Field for Research Notes 6.12 Conclusion 7. Project Specifications: Digital Identity and Digital Longevity……………………..172 7.1. Introduction 7.2 MyNDIR’s Title 7.3. MyNDIR’s Digital Identity 7.4. The Title Banner Menu 7.5 The Search Box 7.6 The Dropdown Menu 7.7 The Thumbnail Strip 7.8 MyNDIR’s Individual Pages 7.8.1 The “Home” Page 7.8.2 The “About” Page 7.8.3 The “Bibliography (complete)” Page 7.8.4 The “Contact” Page 7.8.5 The “Links” Page 7.8.6 The “Participation” Page 7.9 Pages and Metadata Fields for Individual Illustrations vii 7.10 MyNDIR’s Glossary 7.11 Conclusion Part Three: Thematic Case Studies 8. Rationales for the Thematic Studies …………………..…………………………….184 8.1 Introduction 8.2 Rationale: “Jakob Sigurðsson’s Illustrations of The Prose Edda” 8.3 Rationale: “J. M. Stenersen’s Editions of Snorre Sturlason: Kongesagaer” 8.4 Conclusion 9. Jakob Sigurðsson’s Illustrations of The Prose Edda……………….………………..194 9.1 Introduction 9.2 Pietism and Book Culture in Eighteenth-Century Iceland 9.3 Jakob Sigurðsson’s Life and Education 9.4 The Textual Content of N And S 9.4.1 Scribal Attribution for N and S 9.4.2 Textual Items Common to N and S 9.4.3 Textual Items Specific to N 9.4.4 Textual Items in Specific to S 9.5 Attribution of the Illustrations in N and S 9.6 Jakob’s Source of Inspiration for His Edda Illustrations 9.6.1 “The Deluding Of Gylfi” Illustration in U 9.6.2 From Iceland to Denmark to Sweden 9.6.3 Swedish Renderings of “The Deluding of Gylfi” 9.6.4 From Sweden to Denmark to Iceland 9.7 Jakob’s Sets of Sixteen Mythological Illustrations in N and S 9.7.1 Further Visual Evidence that Jakob Illustrated N and S 9.7.2 Chronological and Narrative Disorder 9.7.3 Textual Differences within the Illustrations in N and S 9.7.4 Incidental Differences in the Illustrations in N and S 9.7.5 Esoteric Mythological Details in N 9.7.6 Mythological Details in S 9.8 The Nature and Provenance of N and S 9.9 Conclusion 10. J. M. Stenersen’s Editions of Snorre Sturlason: Kongesagaer……………….……253 10.1 Introduction 10.2 The Publisher 10.3 The Professor 10.4 The Team of Artists 10.4.1 Erik Werenskiold 10.4.2 Gerhard Munthe 10.4.3 Halfdan Egedius 10.4.4 Eilif Peterssen 10.4.5 Wilhelm Wetlesen viii 10.4.6 Christian Krohg 10.5 ‘Saga Style’ and Other Design Considerations 10.6 The First Edition of Kongesagaer (1899) 10.7 The Second Edition of Kongesagaer (1900) 10.8 Illustrations and the Process of Revision for the 1900 Edition 10.9 Illustrations Retained by Werenskiold for “Ynglinge Saga” 10.10 Illustrations Werenskiold Deleted from “Ynglinge Saga” 10.11 Illustrations Werenskiold Revised in “Ynglinge Saga” 10.12 Werenskiold’s New Illustrations for “Ynglinge Saga” 10.13 Conversion Era Illustrations in Kongesagaer 10.14 Conclusion Conclusion: The Synergy of the Analog Past and the Digital Present …………...........302 Works Cited ……………………………………………………………………………322 Appendices Appendix A: Timeline …………………………………………………………342 Appendix B: Early Illustrations and Their Remediations ………………….......344 Appendix C: MyNDIR Screen Shots ……………………………………..……350 Appendix D: Jakob Sigurðsson’s Illustrations ....................................................352 Appendix E: Illustrations in “Ynglinge Saga” in Kongesagaer ………….……365 Appendix F: Conversion
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]
  • Old Norse Mythology — Comparative Perspectives Old Norse Mythology— Comparative Perspectives
    Publications of the Milman Parry Collection of Oral Literature No. 3 OLd NOrse MythOLOgy — COMParative PersPeCtives OLd NOrse MythOLOgy— COMParative PersPeCtives edited by Pernille hermann, stephen a. Mitchell, and Jens Peter schjødt with amber J. rose Published by THE MILMAN PARRY COLLECTION OF ORAL LITERATURE Harvard University Distributed by HARVARD UNIVERSITY PRESS Cambridge, Massachusetts & London, England 2017 Old Norse Mythology—Comparative Perspectives Published by The Milman Parry Collection of Oral Literature, Harvard University Distributed by Harvard University Press, Cambridge, Massachusetts & London, England Copyright © 2017 The Milman Parry Collection of Oral Literature All rights reserved The Ilex Foundation (ilexfoundation.org) and the Center for Hellenic Studies (chs.harvard.edu) provided generous fnancial and production support for the publication of this book. Editorial Team of the Milman Parry Collection Managing Editors: Stephen Mitchell and Gregory Nagy Executive Editors: Casey Dué and David Elmer Production Team of the Center for Hellenic Studies Production Manager for Publications: Jill Curry Robbins Web Producer: Noel Spencer Cover Design: Joni Godlove Production: Kristin Murphy Romano Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Names: Hermann, Pernille, editor. Title: Old Norse mythology--comparative perspectives / edited by Pernille Hermann, Stephen A. Mitchell, Jens Peter Schjødt, with Amber J. Rose. Description: Cambridge, MA : Milman Parry Collection of Oral Literature, 2017. | Series: Publications of the Milman Parry collection of oral literature ; no. 3 | Includes bibliographical references and index. Identifers: LCCN 2017030125 | ISBN 9780674975699 (alk. paper) Subjects: LCSH: Mythology, Norse. | Scandinavia--Religion--History. Classifcation: LCC BL860 .O55 2017 | DDC 293/.13--dc23 LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2017030125 Table of Contents Series Foreword ...................................................
    [Show full text]
  • Hugtakasafn Úr Norrænni Goðafræði
    Hugtakasafn úr norrænni goðafræði (Birt með góðfúslegu leyfi frá Eddu útgáfu) Alfaðir er eitt af fjölmörgum heitum Óðins . Alsvinnur og Árvakur heita hestarnir sem draga kerru Sólar . Andhrímnir er nafn steikarans sem sýður göltinn Sæhrímni í katlinum Eldhrímni í Valhöll . Askur og Embla eru fyrstu manneskjurnar samkvæmt sköpunarsögu norrænnar goðafræði . Þau urðu til þegar fyrstu goðin, Óðinn, Vilji og Vé, fundu tvö tré á ströndu og gerðu úr þeim mannverur . Óðinn gaf þeim anda og líf, Vilji vit og skilning og Vé mál, heyrn og sjón . Askur Yggdrasils sjá Yggdrasill . Auðhumla heitir frumkýr sem varð til þegar hrímið draup í árdaga . Úr spenum hennar runnu fjórar mjólkurár sem nærðu hrímþursinn Ými . Auðhumla sleikti salta hrímsteina í þrjá daga og leysti úr þeim forföður goðanna, Búra . Austri er einn fjögurra dverga sem halda uppi himninum sem gerður var úr höfuðskel Ýmis. Austri heldur uppi austurhorni himinsins, Norðri norðurhorninu, Suðri suðurhorninu og Vestri vesturhorninu. Árvakur sjá Alsvinni. Ás/Ásynjur sjá æsir. Ása-Þór er eitt af heitum Þórs. Ásgarður er bústaður ása. Hann stendur þar sem heimurinn rís hæst og þangað má komast um brúna Bifröst. Þar eru bústaðir goðanna, m.a. Valhöll. Baldur er einn ásanna, sonur Óðins og Friggjar, eiginmaður Nönnu og faðir Forseta . Bústaður Baldurs er Breiðablik . Baldur er bestur og vitrastur goðanna og eftirlæti allra . Baugi er jötunn, bróðir Suttungs . Bergelmir er eini jötunninn sem ekki drukknaði í blóði Ýmis. Því eru allar ættir hrímþursa komnar af Bergelmi og konu hans. Ýmir var afi Bergelmis. NÁMSGAGNASTOFNUN 09893 © 2010 – Iðunn Steinsdóttir æsir á fLjúgandi ferð – hefnd loka – kennsluleiðbeiningar og verkefni – 54 Bestla er jötnamær, dóttir Bölþorns jötuns.
    [Show full text]
  • Breaking Definitional Boundaries – Museums in Iceland Policy Cultural Heritage, Cultural
    zarządzanie w Kulturze 2017, 18, z. 1, s. 61–74 61 doi:10.4467/20843976ZK.17.005.6288 www.ejournals.eu/Zarzadzanie-w-Kulturze Weronika Pokojska BREAKING DEFINITIONAL BOUNDARIES – MUSEUMS IN ICELAND POLICY CULTURAL HERITAGE, CULTURAL Abstract The article presents the results of a research on Icelandic museums and their specifics. The analysis is based on the traditional concept of ‘land, nation and language,’ which form the core of the Icelan- dic culture and national identity. The first section of the paper describes the definitional problems which occurred during the research. Then the methodology is explained, also taking into consider- ation the difficulties in examining Icelandic museums using standard tools and guidelines. The last section is devoted to the results of the research, presenting a few examples of different Icelandic museums and their approach to heritage through the prism of the abovementioned trinity. SŁOWA KLUCZE: dziedzictwo niematerialne, koncepcje muzeów, kultura Islandii, zarządzanie dziedzictwem KEY WORDS: intangible heritage, museum concepts, culture of Iceland, heritage management Introduction The aim of the article is to present some thoughts resulting from an on-site ob- servation on Icelandic museums proceeded during a research project named “Icelan- dic Museums: Between Tradition and Today,” conducted at Háskóllinn á Bifröst. The research was about the specifics of Icelandic museums and similar activities. I exam- ined how the image of the country is created through its approach to heritage and ex- hibiting
    [Show full text]
  • Snorri Sturluson Qua Fulcrum
    MIRATOR 12/2011 1 Snorri Sturluson qua Fulcrum: Perspectives on the Cultural Activity of Myth, Mythological Poetry and Narrative in Medieval Iceland* Frog The present paper seeks to complement discussions of the social impacts of Snorri Sturluson’s (1179–1241) mythography, concentrating on Edda and the discourse it generated in medieval Iceland. It sets out to build an overview of Snorri’s impact on the cultural activity1 of mythology in medieval Iceland through a complementary set of specific examples with no pretence of a comprehensive survey. These examples concentrate on sites of probable innovation in Snorri’s handling of mythological material as contrasted with broader evidence of the traditions to which they are related. Each example could be presented in a paper-length discussion, but the emphasis here is on the construction of an overview in order to develop a broader frame for further discussion. Although no one example is unequivocally demonstrable, the outline of the broader social pattern presented here is not dependent on the specific details of each case nor on any one case independently. Moreover, the frame of the overview affirms that individual discussions are relevant and warranted when surveying and extending existing research. Of course, the recognition of the social impacts of Edda on the cultural activity of mythology does not demonstrate that individual examples are necessarily responses to Edda, it nevertheless shows that these would be consistent with a pattern and trend rather than arbitrary. For this reason, in addition to late or statistically demonstrable examples which are * I would like to thank my two anonymous reviewers as well as Haukur Þorgeirsson for their valuable comments and suggestions in the preparation of this paper for publication.
    [Show full text]
  • How Uniform Was the Old Norse Religion?
    II. Old Norse Myth and Society HOW UNIFORM WAS THE OLD NORSE RELIGION? Stefan Brink ne often gets the impression from handbooks on Old Norse culture and religion that the pagan religion that was supposed to have been in Oexistence all over pre-Christian Scandinavia and Iceland was rather homogeneous. Due to the lack of written sources, it becomes difficult to say whether the ‘religion’ — or rather mythology, eschatology, and cult practice, which medieval sources refer to as forn siðr (‘ancient custom’) — changed over time. For obvious reasons, it is very difficult to identify a ‘pure’ Old Norse religion, uncorroded by Christianity since Scandinavia did not exist in a cultural vacuum.1 What we read in the handbooks is based almost entirely on Snorri Sturluson’s representation and interpretation in his Edda of the pre-Christian religion of Iceland, together with the ambiguous mythical and eschatological world we find represented in the Poetic Edda and in the filtered form Saxo Grammaticus presents in his Gesta Danorum. This stance is more or less presented without reflection in early scholarship, but the bias of the foundation is more readily acknowledged in more recent works.2 In the textual sources we find a considerable pantheon of gods and goddesses — Þórr, Óðinn, Freyr, Baldr, Loki, Njo3rðr, Týr, Heimdallr, Ullr, Bragi, Freyja, Frigg, Gefjon, Iðunn, et cetera — and euhemerized stories of how the gods acted and were characterized as individuals and as a collective. Since the sources are Old Icelandic (Saxo’s work appears to have been built on the same sources) one might assume that this religious world was purely Old 1 See the discussion in Gro Steinsland, Norrøn religion: Myter, riter, samfunn (Oslo: Pax, 2005).
    [Show full text]
  • An Investigation of the Kennings in Ragnarsdrápa and Øxarflokkr
    Universitet i Oslo, Fall 2013 Exploring the Emotive versus the Scholarly: an Investigation of the Kennings in Ragnarsdrápa and Øxarflokkr By Sydney A. Krell Guidance: Mikael Males Master Thesis in Nordic Viking and Medieval Culture Summary The poetry of Bragi inn Gamli and Einarr Skúlason has been thoroughly studied by many Old Norse scholars, but never directly in comparison to one another. This paper will investigate the nuances of each author’s verse, specifically regarding the way in which they utilize kennings, and draw conclusions based upon their similarities and differences. Both Bragi and Einarr composed within the same language, geographical area, and poetic tradition; they used similar kenning types that evolve from pagan imagery; and each describes a precious weapon given to them by a ruler whom they praise via a traditional skaldic long style poem. However, they could not be more different. This is due to the fact that Einarr’s kennings are meant to show his scholastic prowess, and Bragi’s are meant to affect his audience and move his plot based verse forward. The poetry of Bragi Boddason makes use of pagan mythology, ekphrasis, nýgerving, ofljóst and metaphors in the form of kennings, just as the poetry of Einarr Skúlason does. And yet the poems differ so greatly. Bragi’s kennings are meant to affect his audience on an emotional level, whereas Einarr’s are meant to impress on a scholarly level. Each author accomplishes magnificent prose, but with different expectations and outcomes achieved. 1 Acknowledgements I would like to express my gratitude to my advisor Mikael Males for his support, useful comments, encouragement and guidance throughout the process of writing my master thesis.
    [Show full text]
  • The Prose Edda
    THE PROSE EDDA SNORRI STURLUSON (1179–1241) was born in western Iceland, the son of an upstart Icelandic chieftain. In the early thirteenth century, Snorri rose to become Iceland’s richest and, for a time, its most powerful leader. Twice he was elected law-speaker at the Althing, Iceland’s national assembly, and twice he went abroad to visit Norwegian royalty. An ambitious and sometimes ruthless leader, Snorri was also a man of learning, with deep interests in the myth, poetry and history of the Viking Age. He has long been assumed to be the author of some of medieval Iceland’s greatest works, including the Prose Edda and Heimskringla, the latter a saga history of the kings of Norway. JESSE BYOCK is Professor of Old Norse and Medieval Scandinavian Studies at the University of California, Los Angeles, and Professor at UCLA’s Cotsen Institute of Archaeology. A specialist in North Atlantic and Viking Studies, he directs the Mosfell Archaeological Project in Iceland. Prof. Byock received his Ph.D. from Harvard University after studying in Iceland, Sweden and France. His books and translations include Viking Age Iceland, Medieval Iceland: Society, Sagas, and Power, Feud in the Icelandic Saga, The Saga of King Hrolf Kraki and The Saga of the Volsungs: The Norse Epic of Sigurd the Dragon Slayer. SNORRI STURLUSON The Prose Edda Norse Mythology Translated with an Introduction and Notes by JESSE L. BYOCK PENGUIN BOOKS PENGUIN CLASSICS Published by the Penguin Group Penguin Books Ltd, 80 Strand, London WC2R 0RL, England Penguin Group (USA) Inc.,
    [Show full text]
  • MAR 19—22 BAM Fisher
    Kindur MAR 19—22 BAM Fisher Compagnia TPO Artistic Direction by Francesco Gandi and Davide Venturini A co-production with Teatro Metastasio Stabile della Toscana Study Guide written by Nicole Kempskie with excerpts from Compagnia TPO BAM PETER JAY SHARP BUILDING 30 LAFAYETTE AVE. BROOKLYN, NY 11217 TABLE OF CONTENTS DEAR EDUCATOR YOUR VISIT TO BAM Welcome to the Study Guide for the The BAM program includes: this study Page 3: The Production production of Kindur that you and guide, a pre-performance workshop in Page 4: Scene-by-Scene your students will be attending as your classroom led by a BAM teaching Page 5: Iceland: A Magical Land part of BAM Education’s School Time artist, and the performance (March 19- Performance Series. This magical tale 22; 90 minutes) immediately followed by Page 6: Iceland: Its Magical follows the travels of three sheep as a post-show discussion (30-40 minutes). Creatures they make their annual journey through Page 7: Classroom Activities the Icelandic landscape. Three dancers Please arrange for your students to stay bring these adventurous sheep to life and participate in this unique question- accompanied by massive screens filled and-answer session. with gorgeous projections depicting the vast beauty of Iceland’s landscape. At this performance, students will not only sit back and watch the story unfold, they will also participate in the story, at times being invited onto the stage in order to trigger and co-create the sounds, images, music, and colors that make up this world. In addition, this performance provides a wonderful opportunity to explore the natural wonders and culture of Iceland in the classroom; its fairy-tale landscape of glaciers, volcanoes, waterfalls, and Northern Lights, as well as its mysterious elves and troublesome trolls.
    [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]
  • Agrarian Metaphors 397
    396 Agrarian Metaphors 397 The Bible provided homilists with a rich store of "agricultural" metaphors and symbols) The loci classici are passages like Isaiah's "Song of the Vineyard" (Is. 5:1-7), Ezekiel's allegories of the Tree (Ez. 15,17,19:10-14,31) and christ's parables of the Sower (Matt. 13: 3-23, Mark 4:3-20, Luke 8:5-15) ,2 the Good Seed (Matt. 13:24-30, Mark 4:26-29) , the Barren Fig-tree (Luke 13:6-9) , the Labourers in the Vineyard (Matt. 21:33-44, Mark 12:1-11, Luke 20:9-18), and the Mustard Seed (Matt. 13:31-32, Mark 4:30-32, Luke 13:18-19). Commonplace in Scripture, however, are comparisons of God to a gardener or farmer,5 6 of man to a plant or tree, of his soul to a garden, 7and of his works to "fruits of the spirit". 8 Man is called the "husbandry" of God (1 Cor. 3:6-9), and the final doom which awaits him is depicted as a harvest in which the wheat of the blessed will be gathered into God's storehouse and the chaff of the damned cast into eternal fire. Medieval scriptural commentaries and spiritual handbooks helped to standardize the interpretation of such figures and to impress them on the memories of preachers (and their congregations). The allegorical exposition of the res rustica presented in Rabanus Maurus' De Universo (XIX, cap.l, "De cultura agrorum") is a distillation of typical readings: Spiritaliter ... in Scripturis sacris agricultura corda credentium intelliguntur, in quibus fructus virtutuxn germinant: unde Apostolus ad credentes ait [1 Cor.
    [Show full text]
  • Introduction Carolyne Larrington
    Cambridge University Press 978-1-107-13544-4 — A Handbook to Eddic Poetry Edited by Carolyne Larrington , Judy Quinn , Brittany Schorn Excerpt More Information Introduction Carolyne Larrington In the mythological eddic poem Hymiskviða the gods order the sea-ruler Ægir to entertain them all at a feast. Ægir responds with the claim that he does not possess a cauldron big enough for the purpose, and Týr and Þórr set off to find a suitable vessel at the home of Týr’s mother in Jo˛tunheimar (‘the lands of the giants’). Their success means that véar hverian vel skulu drekka o˛lðr at Ægis eitt ho˛rmeitið (‘the gods will drink well ale at Ægir’s every winter’, Hym 39/4–8). The most capacious of cauldrons is appro- priated from Hymir, whose hospitality is distinctly chilly, and brought to a hall where its contents can delight gods and elves alike. The mode of eddic poetry is just such a gigantic kettle, an all-encompassing container for the Old Norse myths and heroic legends which froth, bob, and jostle together within it, whether as substantial whole poems, fragmentary verse sequences, or single lausavísur (‘free-standing verses’). When in 1955 the English poet Philip Larkin eschewed drawing on the ‘common myth- kitty’ for the inspiration for his poems (Larkin 1955, 78), he was explicitly rejecting the recent Modernist poetic practice of employing wide-ranging cultural allusions. Yet Larkin’s metaphor for all that he refused has found resonance for those who write about traditional story. Thus, this Handbook engages closely with the ‘myth-kitty’, the shared resources of traditional knowledge that find their form within the accommodating mode of eddic poetry: the myths and legends of the Old Norse–Icelandic tradition.
    [Show full text]