Dr. Sandra Ballif Straubhaar 316 BUR 232-6365 E-mail: [email protected] Office Hours: MWF 2:00-3:00 T Th 10:00-11:00 and by appointment INTRODUCTION TO GERMANIC RELIGION AND MYTH Spring 2010 T TH 12:30-2:00 BUR 337 GRC 340E.1 38015 EUS 347.3 36105 RS 365.2 43705 SCA 327 38150 This course contains a substantial writing component and fulfills part of the Basic Education Requirement in writing. DESCRIPTION OF COURSE (adapted from Edgar Polomé): A survey of the sources and main features of Germanic religion and of the transition from paganism to Christianity in northern Europe and the Germanic territories of western Europe: Anglo-Saxon Great Britain, the Low Countries, Germany, Switzerland and Austria--diachronically, from the statements of Caesar and Tacitus about Germanic religion to the last pre-Christian documents in the continental area (Merseburg charms, early runic inscriptions, etc.) and in England (Beowulf) as well as the Scandinavian texts of the Eddas and sagas. Course coverage may include: cosmogonic myths, the origin of man (in Tacitus and the Eddas) and of society (in the Rigsþula), the concept of the soul (fylgja, etc.), the great gods and goddesses and their mythology (Odin, Thor, Týr, Njord, Freyr, Freyja, Heimdall, Loki, Balder, etc.), and the organization of worship (temples, sacrifices, etc.). Attention will also be devoted to the survival of Germanic myth in epic/legendary literature (Sigurd/Siegfried, Hervör, Starkad, etc.), and realistic sagas (“magic” in Egils saga, Eiríks saga rauða, Gísla saga, etc.), as well as to information about pagan worship in Christian writings (lives of the saints, Adam of Bremen, etc.). The background and expansion of Germanic worship and belief will also be examined (Indo-European heritage, correspondences with Celtic, Slavic and Finno-Ugric traditions, Arab sources, and the Thor-cult of Vikings in the diaspora [Normandy, Russia, etc.]). TEXTS: [Note: All texts below, except for the Packet, should be available at the Co-Op, but you may access them any way you like. You may find them cheaper at Half Price Books, for instance, or free at the PCL. Or you may want to find a partner to share costs with. As long as you do the readings, any option is fine.] The Poetic Edda, tr. Carolyne Larrington. Oxford University Press, 1996. (Henceforth referred to as Larrington) The Prose Edda of Snorri Sturluson, tr. Jesse L. Byock. Penguin Classics, 2006. (Henceforth referred to as Snorri) The Saga of the Volsungs, tr. Jesse L. Byock. University of California Press, 1990. (Henceforth referred to as Volsungs) Dictionary of Northern Mythology, by Rudolf Simek (tr. Angela Hall). D. S. Brewer, 1993. (Henceforth referred to as Simek) Nordic Religions in the Viking Age, by Thomas A. DuBois. University of Pennsylvania Press, 1999. (Henceforth referred to as Dubois) COURSE PACKET available from IT Copy on MLK Blvd., a few blocks west of Guadalupe, north side, phone number 476-6662. Some Recommended References: Gods and Myths of Northern Europe, by H. R. Ellis Davidson. Penguin, 1990. Myths and Symbols of Pagan Europe, by H. R. Ellis Davidson. Syracuse University Press, 1988. Shows common elements shared between Germanic and Celtic traditions. Roles of the Northern Goddess, by H. R. Ellis Davisdon. Routledge, 1998. Focuses on pan-European goddess artifacts, narratives and traditions. Cautious approach. Scandinavian Mythology: An Annotated Bibliography, by John Lindow. Garland, 1988. Pay attention to his annotations -- Lindow’s suggestions are quite reliable. This will save you LOTS of work sifting through sources (up to 1988, at any rate). This is in the PCL, but DO NOT CHECK IT OUT – leave it there for everyone else to use. Altgermanische Religionsgeschichte, by Jan de Vries. W. de Gruyter, 1970. Both this work and its author have a problematic history -- see Lindow’s account -- but should on no account be ignored. Les dieux des germains, by Georges Dumézil. PUF, 1959. The classic tripartite division of deities -- handy, if not universally applicable. Teutonic Mythology, by Jakob Grimm, tr. James Steven Stallybrass. Old, but encyclopedic. (Yes, this is the fairy-tale guy.) Dover, 1966. Norrøne gude- og heltesagn, by P. A. Munch, rev. Anne Holtsmark. Low on analysis, but brings together a lot of material. (Don’t bother with earlier, un-revised editions.) Universitetsforlag, 1967. Some Dis-Recommended References (for the purpose of this course, in any case): These fall, roughly, into three categories. 1. Re-tellings (in any genre) of early texts and narratives for modern audiences: e.g., Edgar & Ingri Parin d’Aulaire; Kevin Crossley-Holland; Padraic Colum; Rosemary Sutcliff; Diana Paxson; Stephan Grundy; Poul Anderson; Nancy Farmer; Tom Holt; Michael Chabon. 2. Re-castings of early texts for modern religious or ritual purposes. These involve authors such as Kveldulfr Gundarsson (Stephan Grundy); Edred Thorson (Stephen Flowers); “Thorsteinn of Iceland” (this is the “Thor-and-Odin-visit-us-in-flying-saucers” guy); Freya Aswynn; Diana Paxson. This category is harder to separate out than Type 1 because some of these authors and researchers also produce academic articles, written on a less speculative basis -- which you may feel free to use. How to tell the difference? DON’T use works from modern alternative-spirituality presses (e.g., Llewellyn, Samuel Weiser); BE CAUTIOUS about using things from the Internet (e.g., any of the hundreds of very interesting Ásatrú sites of various types, which are usually at least one or two steps removed from the original sources). DO use articles and books (which may be by the same authors*) which come out in academic journals or from academic presses. (*Lotte Motz is an excellent example of an author who straddled this division: a respected academic folklorist who [academic folklore says] was also a practicing witch.) WHY NOT USE the abovementioned works? 1) This course, as I see it, has plenty to do if it limits itself to the examination of religious practices then, as opposed to now. (See me if you need clarification.) 2) Some current Ásatrúarfólk will tell you that “we are not racists; we are folkish.” Is there a difference? Only sometimes, as you may find out if you look closely. Please do remember that the elevation of Germanic Traditions over and above other world traditions was (and is) a significant piece of the Nazi metanarrative. 3. Anything by: • Thomas Carlyle (1795-1881) on Norse / Germanic myth, which, while interesting, reflects what his era knew on the topic (we know considerably more now), and also reflects what his era thought about national / ethnic essence (Volksgeist). This last concept is a) certainly outdated; and b) has been used to (extremely) anti-social purposes in the twentieth century. (See above paragraph.) We think quite differently now. (And we might, for different reasons, look just as silly, down the road. .) • Viktor Rydberg (1828-1895) the Swedish poet, for many of the same reasons. (As is the case with Carlyle: you can admire his other writings all you want, but his writings on myth have been used for odd agendas.) You’ll find that some Internet sources really push Rydberg; if they do, don’t use ‘em. SEE ALSO Jim Knirk’s Esoteric Runic Bibliography in the Packet, too long to reproduce here. Bottom line is, we’re interested in what people before, say, 1250 used the runic alphabets for; not what people do with them now, or what some German- speakers did with them in the first half of the twentieth century, fascinating though those things may be. (That would be another course entirely.) GRADING: This course is a Substantial Writing Component course, and most of your grade will come from the evaluation of writing-related activities. The breakdown is like this: Quizzes on Reading (on most days when readings are due): 10 % Two six-page reaction papers or position papers, 15% each = 30 % In-class peer review activities on these papers: 10 % Three one-page film reports, 5 % each = 15 % One three- to five-page group project (groups of 3-4): 15 % One six-page research paper: 20 % All these paginations are based on normal margins, double space, Times or Times New Roman 12 point. (You may use another font if you have some compelling reason, but stick with the 12 point.) Frequently Asked Question: What’s the difference between a) reaction/position papers and b) research papers? Answer: For a), only two sources are needed (one text, and your own thoughts), although additional sources may be cited as needed. Make an argument; or outline an evaluation and/or a personal reaction. For b), a minimum of five outside sources are needed. Footnotes, Works Cited, Bibliography and such things must be consistent with each other, although the formatting is your choice (MLA, Chicago, APA or whatever; I suggest you use the format your major field uses). Film Reports are written exactly like a (short) newspaper movie review. Critique the film. Any film with Germanic or Germanic-derivative mythological content is legal. There are tons of them, including such gems as Dark Kingdom: The Dragon King and the multitudinous Beowulf treatments, not to mention the anime classic, Odin Photon Space Sailor Starlight. NOTE: Don’t worry about my agreeing with your conclusions, on any type of writing assignment. Simply believe in your argument, and make it as well as you can. MECHANICS are also significant: proofread/spell-check carefully, and weed out all mistakes of typing or English usage that you can find. Note: Obvious discrepancies in writing style and/or skill among your papers, or obvious plagiarisms from other authors (which are very easy to check for, using the Web), may activate the issues in the following paragraph.