Editor in Chief: Silviu Miloiu, The Romanian Association for Baltic and Nordic Studies Associate Editors: Crina Leon, Al.I. Cuza University of Iasi Bogdan Schipor, “A.D. Xenopol” Institute of History of the Romanian Academy Editorial Assistants: Costel Coroban, "Grigore Gafencu" Research Center for the History of International Relations and Cultural Studies Alexandra Airinei, Al.I. Cuza University of Iasi Editorial Board: Kari Alenius, University of Oulu, Finland Florin Anghel, Ovidius University of Constanta Mioara Anton, “Nicolae Iorga” Institute of History of the Romanian Academy Mehmet Efe Biresselioglu, Izmir University of Economics Ioan Chiper, “Nicolae Iorga” Institute of History of the Romanian Academy Ana-Maria Despa, "Grigore Gafencu" Research Center for the History of International Relations and Cultural Studies Elena Dragomir, University of Helsinki Carsten Due-Nielsen, University of Copenhagen Jaroslav Dvorak, Klaipeda University Björn M. Felder, Germany Raluca Glavan, Mykolas Romeris University of Vilnius Rebecca Haynes, University College of London Kalervo Hovi, University of Turku Tuomas Hovi, University of Turku Vladimir Jarmolenko, Ambassador Eriks Jekabsons, University of Latvia Saulius Kaubrys, University of Vilnius Artur Lakatos, Babes-Bolyai University, Cluj-Napoca Daniela Larion, Al.I. Cuza University of Iasi Ceslovas Laurinavicius, Lithuanian Institute of History Katalin Miklóssy, University of Helsinki Viatcheslav Morozov, St. Petersburg State University Valters Šcerbinskis, Riga Stradinš University David J. Smith, University of Glasgow Viktor Trasberg, University of Tartu ISSN: 2067-1725 E-ISSN: 2067-225X © Copyright by Asociaţia Română pentru Studii Baltice şi Nordice/The Romanian Association for Baltic and Nordic Studies Revista Română de Studii Baltice şi Nordice The Romanian Journal for Baltic and Nordic Studies Vol. 11, Issue 2 (2019) Subscription information: Revista Română pentru Studii Baltice şi Nordice [The Romanian Journal for Baltic and Nordic Studies] (RRSBN) is a biannual multidisciplinary peer-reviewed journal dedicated to publishing the results of research in all fields which are intertwined with the aims of The Romanian Association for Baltic and Nordic Studies (https://balticnordic.hypotheses.org). Annual subscription: Institution Lei 80 € 20 £ 17 $ 28 Individual Lei 60 € 15 £ 13 $ 21 Online: free download (www.arsbn.ro/RRSBN.htm) Ordering information: Asociatia Româna pentru Studii Baltice si Nordice (ARSBN) 35 Lt. Stancu Ion St., 130105 Târgoviste, Romania Telephone: (004) 0724403094, Fax: (004) 0345 819714 E-mail: [email protected] Online store: http://www.arsbn.ro/store.htm Advertising: The ARSBN offers the companies the possibility to advertise their products and services in the pages of RRSBN. For more details, please contact the general-secretary of ARSBN at e-mail: [email protected] Exchanges: The magazine is open to any suggestions of publications exchange coming from publications with a similar profile or from any kind of scientific publications from Baltic and Nordic states. Quality process: Although by its peer-review process and quality standards we are striving to produce good quality articles, the RRSBN makes no representations or warranties of any kind, express or implied, about the completeness, accuracy, reliability, suitability or availability with respect to the articles presented in print or on the site. © Copyright by Asociaţia Română pentru Studii Baltice şi Nordice ISSN 2067-1725 E-ISSN: 2067-225X TABLE OF CONTENTS Crina Leon Editorial Foreword ....................................................................................................... 5 Mihai Dragnea The Saxon Expeditions against the Wends and the Foundation of Magdeburg during Otto I's Reign ................................................................................................. 7 Costel Coroban Intercultural Political Models in Egils Saga and Other Literary Sources. A Philological Study ...................................................................................................... 35 Adrian Vițalaru Mihail Pâclianu – A Romanian Diplomat in the Nordic Countries (1919-1928) ............................................................................................................................................ 49 Anja Keränen Finnish Language Teaching through Improvisation - Conforming the Educational Values within an Improvisational Frame ....................................... 63 Tomas Čelkis Traveling in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania in the 16th–17th Century. Mobility Conditions and Travellers’ Everyday Life ............................................ 79 Gintaras Druckus Dissent and Conformism: Individual Posture and Search for Universal Criteria – Possibilities of Choice .......................................................................... 121 Call for Papers ................................................................................................................ 133 Editorial Foreword Crina Leon Head of the Nordic Section of the Romanian Association for Baltic and Nordic Studies, E-mail: [email protected] The second issue of volume 11 of The Romanian Journal for Baltic and Nordic Studies includes on the one hand topics of interest for scholars focusing on Medieval Studies, and on the other hand, further approaches aspects related to dissent and conformism, which were tackled during the tenth annual international conference on Nordic and Baltic studies in Romania. The conference entitled Dissent versus Conformism in the Nordic, Baltic and Black Sea Areas was held in Constanţa between June 6-8, 2019. Mihai Dragnea is a researcher interested in political, social and cultural relations between Germans, Scandinavians and Wends during the Middle Ages. In his article on The Saxon expeditions against the Wends and the foundation of Magdeburg during Otto I's reign, he states that “by building monasteries, setting up bishoprics, and converting the Wends, the Ottonians strengthened the legitimacy of their rule through the Christian faith”. The conversion of the Wends was also supported by the Archdiocese of Magdeburg, the most important Ottonian political and ecclesiastical center. Another specialist in Medieval Studies is Costel Coroban, who reveals in his paper aspects related to the ideology of power, back in the 12th and 13th centuries Norway. The Icelandic work Egils saga is a fruitful literary source from this point of view, and it is believed that its author is the well-known Icelandic historian and poet Snorri Sturluson. Referring to more recent times, Adrian Viţalaru renders important information about the activity of the Romanian diplomat Mihail Pâclianu in the Nordic countries, at the end of his career, in the period 1919-1928. This was a long diplomatic mission in the Nordic countries, as Pâclianu was first accredited to Sweden and Denmark, and since 1922 to Norway and Finland as well. In her article on teaching Finnish as a foreign language, Anja Keränen suggests taking into account improvisation as a teaching method. The Finnish educational system is widely appreciated, and that is why, the author compares its values with the values of improvisation theatre. This method proves pragmatic practice in language learning, and its potential is worth a closer analysis. As far as the Baltic states are concerned, Tomas Čelkis discusses the public mobility in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania in the 16th and 17th centuries. The author examines the road conditions, the everyday life of the travellers, the climate and geographic conditions, the safety of such journeys etc. in an attempt to find the reasons behind the rather intense mobility at that time. Last but not least, the relationship between dissent and conformism is also examined by Gintaras Druckus with a focus on Lithuanian investigations and archival documents. In Lithuania the two terms have often been defined in the context of occupation, but it seems that they have remained up-to-date also after Lithuania‘s independence. Revista Română de Studii Baltice şi Nordice / The Romanian Journal for Baltic and Nordic Studies, ISSN 2067-1725, Vol. 11, Issue 2 (2019): pp. 7-34. he Saxon Expeditions against the Wends and the Foundation of Magdeburg during Otto I's T Reign Mihai Dragnea Balkan History Association, E-mail: [email protected] Abstract Rezumat During the Middle Ages, rulers from different În Evul Mediu, conducătorii din diferite regions in Europe aspired to an idea of imperial regiuni din Europa au aspirat la o idee de hegemony over a territory. On the other hand, hegemonie imperială asupra unui teritoriu. Pe there were rulers who deliberately refused to be de altă parte, au existat conducători care au elected as emperors, although their reign refuzat în mod deliberat să fie aleși în calitate showed some characteristics of imperial rule. de împărați, deși domnia lor arăta unele This essay asks for the reasons why some rulers caracteristici ale conducerii imperiale. Acest such as Otto I strove for an imperial agenda eseu cercetează motivele pentru care unii and how the expeditions of his margraves conducători, cum ar fi Otto I, s-au străduit să across Elbe were legitimized by contemporary promoveze o agendă imperială și modul în care writers. According to the idea of universal expedițiile margrafilor săi dincolo de Elba au expansion including both Christians and fost legitimate de scriitori contemporani. pagans from all over the world, the Ottonian Conform ideii de expansiune universală,