Review of Godden, Old English History of the World (Speculum, 2018) (original) (raw)
Related papers
Parergon, Vol. 35, No. 2, pp. 203-205, 2018
This large edited book consists of thirty-seven chapters and three introductions, and covers a broad range of historical and cultural receptions of pre-Christian Scandinavian myths and legends from the Christian Middle Ages to the nineteenth century. It is an immensely learned and useful resource, though not best suited to being read in toto, but rather to dip into to look for information on specific topics, geographical regions, or eras. More than sixty illustrations magnify the impact of the scholarship considerably. Editor Margaret Clunies Ross’s introduction situates the large-scale research project, initially conceived by Jónas Kristjánsson (1924– 2014), and later led by Bergur Thorgeirsson, which will result in two other sets of published outputs (four volumes of Histories and Structures and two of Sources, textual and archaeological) apart from the two-volume set of which this volume is the first. The reflexive nature of the project is clear. Clunies Ross notes that ‘it is now recognized, more perhaps than it was in former times, that research itself is subject to changes in cultural values and assumptions, and that research is itself a kind of reception, just as artistic creativity is’ (p. xxv).
The Cult of Saints and Legitimization of Elite Power in East Central and Northern Europe up to 1300, 2024
The volume presented here is the result of a collaborative effort. Initially, it was a collaboration among a group of researchers who participated in the conference 'The Cult of Saints and Legitimization of Elite Power in East Central Europe and Scandinavia until 1300', held at the University of War saw on 8 and 9 November 2021, and organized by the editors. This event provided an opportunity for researchers not only to present their own work but also to exchange ideas and engage in stimulating discussions. We are especially grateful to these researchers for their willingness to consider our perspectives and suggestions during the subsequent editorial stages, as we sought to ensure that the volume was coherent. However, none of this would have been possible without the preexisting collaboration between the editors and the institutions they rep resent: the Faculty of History at the University of Warsaw and the De partment of Archaeology, Conservation, and History at the University of Oslo. This collaboration was established within the framework of the joint project titled 'Symbolic Resources and Political Structures on the Pe riphery: Legitimization of ELITES in Poland and Norway, c. 1000-1300', of which this volume is one of the outcomes. The ELITES project has received funding from the Norwegian Financial Mechanism 2014-2021 (2019/34/H/HS3/00500). The Norway grants funded the Warsaw con ference and have also, together with the University of Warsaw, enabled this volume's open access publication. Moreover, while we invited numerous researchers to collaborate, the volume also includes chapters by members of the ELITES team, who present the results of research funded by the Norwegian Financial Mechanism 2014-2021 as part of our project. We express our profound gratitude to the Norway grants for their tremendous support. We extend our gratitude to the two anonymous reviewers of our volume, not only for their kindness but also for their valuable advice, comments, and corrections. For the same we are also grateful to Warren Brown, who shepherded the book on behalf of Brepols. We would also like to thank Rosie Bonté and the entire Brepols team for their excellent cooperation, as well as the two series editors, Louisa Taylor, and Hans Jacob Orning, who oversaw the entire process and did quite a bit of work. Finally, we appreciate Sarah Thomas for her outstanding, professional proofreading and copy-editing. © FHG Haraldur Hreinsson • is Assistant Professor in the history of the Christian religion and religious studies at the University of Iceland. His research interests include the cultural history of the political and the study of historical secularities. He has recently published Force of Words: A Cultural History of Christianity and Politics in Medieval Iceland (11th-13th cts.), Northern World, 90 (Leiden: Brill, 2021).
International Journal of Osteoarchaeology, 2023
This exploration of a pilgrimage site associated with St. Olaf helps to link the legends and sagas associated with early Christianity in the Viking world. Ancient people would only undertake arduous journeys on pilgrimage if there was a good reason to make that trip. It seems quite possible that it was the nature of the people buried here that made S:t Olofsholm a site worthy of pilgrims traveling to it. We find evidence for migration and for weapon injuries in those buried at this pilgrimage site. In view of the historical texts about Olaf’s conversion of Gotland, Geber’s team argue that these individuals may have been involved in the Christian conversion of the island, so making the site worthy of pilgrimage.
Saints and their Legacies in Medieval Iceland
2021
Icelanders venerated numerous saints, both indigenous and from overseas, in the Middle Ages. However, although its literary elite was well acquainted with contemporary Continental currents in hagiographic compositions, theological discussions, and worship practices, much of the history of the learned European networks through which the Icelandic cult of the saints developed and partially survived the Lutheran Reformation remains obscure. The essays collected in this volume address this lacuna by exploring the legacies of the cult of some of the most prominent saints and holy men in medieval Iceland (the Virgin Mary along with SS Agnes of Rome, Benedict of Nursia, Catherine of Alexandria, Dominic of Caleruega, Michael the Archangel, Jón of Hólar, Þorlákr of Skálholt, Lárentíus of Hólar, and Guðmundr the Good), using evidence drawn from Old Norse-Icelandic and Latin hagiographic literature, homilies, prayers, diplomas, sacred art, place-names, and church dedications. By placing the medieval Icelandic cult of the saints within its wider European context, the contributions trace new historical routes of cultural transmission and define the creative processes of the accommodation and adaptation of foreign hagiographic sources and models in medieval and early modern Iceland. They provide a clear picture of an Icelandic hagiographic literature and culture that celebrates the splendour of the saints; they also show how an engaging literary genre, which became immensely popular on the island throughout the Middle Ages and beyond, was created.
Sanctity in the North: Saints, Lives, and Cults in Medieval Scandinavia, ed. Thomas A. DuBois.
Scandinavian-Canadian Studies / Études scandinaves au Canada, 2009
The genre of hagiography in medieval Scandinavia has long been overlooked by scholars of the period in favour of the epic stories of Scandinavian kings, the tales of mythical heroes of the German migration age, and especially, the family sagas of medieval Iceland. Accordingly, little has been written on medieval Scandinavian saints' lives, especially in English, and aside from Birgitta of Sweden the majority of native Scandinavian saints are largely unknown to non-specialists. Fortunately, the last couple of decades have witnessed an upsurge in interest in both translated and natively produced saints' lives, particularly those composed in medieval Iceland. This collection of essays, edited by Thomas A. DuBois, is an excellent example of the increasing scholarly attention that has recently been paid to the genre of hagiography in medieval Scandinavia.
The first time Norse religion saw the shores of the British Isles was at the end of the eighth century, when bands of Viking men pillaged Portland and Lindisfarne. This period of raiding lasted until the middle of the next century at which time Norse people, mostly hailing from Jutland and the Danish islands, came to settle on the British Isles as overlords and farmers. This does not necessarily imply a massmigration from Scandanavia, although as many scholars have made clear it is extraordinarily difficult to be certain. 1 In parts of Northern England it has been argued by scholars such as Julian D. Richards that the Nordic elements were most frequently a higher social strata presiding over Anglo-Saxon peasantry, whereas in other locations like the Isle of Man -a hub for the sea lanes across the Irish Sea -it is possible that the native Manx were more fully supplanted by an incoming Norse population and a diverse array of ethnic hangers-on. 2 The Norse carried their religion over from Scandinavia and although on the Isle of Man they converted to Christianity in a relatively short period of time (as indicated by a shift to unambiguously Christian burials), if we are to take the eleventh century (Christian) King Cnut of England at his word certain of their religious practices lasted on the mainland well past the decline of Norse temporal power and fall of the last pagan king in York, Erik Bloodaxe, in 954. 3