scholarly journals Valhall and Helgafell: syncretistic traits of the Old Norse religion

1969 ◽  
Vol 3 ◽  
pp. 66-99
Author(s):  
Odd Nordland
Keyword(s):  
Indigenous Population ◽  
The Other ◽  
Christian Faith ◽  
Old Norse ◽  
Viking Age ◽  
Place Names ◽  
13Th Century ◽  
The World

The religion of the Viking age, the pre-Christian faith,  presents itself as a syncretism, It is quite peculiarly evident from the tradition surrounding the origin of the gods in Åsgard. The gods behind the palisade of this mythological dwelling place were of two kinds, the result of an exchange of hostages after war between the æsir and the vanir. From the flock of vanir came the two fertility-gods: Njgrbr and Freyr to dwell in Åsgard and be accepted there on equal terms with the other gods around the "allfather", Othin. This quite remarkable information, concerning the syncretism of the eddic religion, is generally interpreted as a historic reminiscence of a contrast between a fertility religion, and a more aristocratic and warlike religion attached to the cult of Othin. The fertility religion then is often conceived of as old traits belonging to the indigenous population of Scandinavia, while the Othin-cult as something which was introduced by the same innovations that brought the Indo-European boat-axe people to our part of the world. We know the result of the process that created the heathen religion which reigned in our countries at the time Christianity was introduced here, but we are highly bewildered when faced with the task of describing the syncretistic process itself, and the religions that were a part of it. This is true despite our abundant material of mythological poetry, legends and 13th century information. This too, despite our extremely favorable situation of being in possession of the exiting amount of theoforic place-names.

scholarly journals Odins viden - dens funktion og betydning

2004 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jens Peter Schjødt
Keyword(s):  
The Other ◽  
Old Norse ◽  
Viking Age ◽  
Other Hand ◽  
The World ◽  
Norse Mythology ◽  
The Many ◽  
Intellectual Power

it is the purpose of this article to discuss how to interpret Odin's wisdom. Many scholars have argued over the last ten years that Odin's wisdom should be compared to the abilities of the shaman as this figure is known from many circumpolar religions and that Odin should accordingly be viewed as a prototypical shaman. There are, however, some arguments against this theoy. First and foremost, it is obvious that Odin has certain functions in old Norse mythology that do not fit in with the "shamanic" interpretation. If we take a closer view of the role of Odin, it is obvious that he is not primarily linked to the magicians but rather to warriors and kings. This is due to the fact that shamans are normally practicing in societies very different from those of Scandinavia during the Viking age. The results of two analyses of mythical cores, that of Mimer, primarily known from the Eddas, and that of Hadding, known from Saxo's Gesta Danorum, show that a religious phenomenon explaining more adequately the many roles of Odin is  that of initiation. The Mimer myth shows how Odin acquires intellectual power by confronting an object (the head of Mimer) which has been in the under world where is has been given numious poser. This myth is compared to the phenomenon of initiation and it is maintained that the myth, containing death and intellectual rebirth, must be seen as parallel in its structure as well as its symbolism to the initiation rituals which we see all over the world. Odin has thus gained knowledge as all initiates do during their initiation. On the other hand, the Hadding myth shows us Odin in a different role which is known equally well in the context of the mythology, namely that as an initator giving advice and skills to the young hero of the myth. Here we find the same symbolism as that of the initiation.Eventually, it is concluded that even if many of Odin's skills may be compared to those of the shaman, the phenomenon of initiation is able to account for the whole spectrum of functions that can be seen in Odin. Odin, then, must be seen first and foremost as the god of initiation.

Old Norse Mythology as Sacred Narrative

2021 ◽  
pp. 65-102
Author(s):  
John Lindow
Keyword(s):  
Thirteenth Century ◽  
Deep Sea ◽  
Old Norse ◽  
Viking Age ◽  
Chronological Order ◽  
Simple Fact ◽  
The Earth ◽  
The World ◽  
Norse Mythology

This chapter presents a case study of one myth that we have from pictorial sources in the Viking Age, from poems almost certainly composed in the Viking Age, and from thirteenth-century sources, namely the encounter between the god Þórr (Thor) and his cosmic enemy, the World serpent, a beast that encircles the earth, in the deep sea. In this myth, Þórr fishes up the serpent, and depending on the variant, Þórr may or may not kill the serpent. I present and analyze the texts in more or less chronological order, from the older skalds through the Eddic poem Hymiskviða, through Snorri Sturluson in Edda, and compare the texts to the rock carvings that portray the myth. I argue that the issue of the death or survival of the serpent is less important than the simple fact that Þórr had the serpent on his hook.

scholarly journals Burial Layout, Society and Sacred Geography - A Viking Age Example from Jämtland

2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 79-98
Author(s):  
Mikael Jakobsson
Keyword(s):  
Structural Analysis ◽  
Political Power ◽  
The Other ◽  
The Political ◽  
Viking Age ◽  
Place Names ◽  
Sacred Place ◽  
Sacred Geography ◽  
Source Materials

ln the Viking Age cotnmunity in the Lake Storsjön district in central Jämtland the landscape, the society and the religion formed a conceptual totality. The political power had religious overtones and was legitimized through the topography of the district, which was comprehended by the inhabitants as god-given. This result has been achieved through structural analysis of two different source materials. One is an analysis of the sacred place-names in the district. The other analysis has used the richly furnished Viking Age cemetery of Röstahammaren, in particular its most well-equipped grave, male grave IV. There are structural parallels between these materials,

scholarly journals The Grave as a Doorway to the Other World: Architectural Religious Symbolism in Iron Age Graves in Scandinavia

2009 ◽  
Vol 45 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
ANDREAS NORDBERG
Keyword(s):  
Iron Age ◽  
The Other ◽  
Old Norse ◽  
Religious Symbolism ◽  
The World ◽  
The Subject ◽  
Other World

During the last twenty years, the category ‘grave’ has been the subject of increasing debate in Swedish archaeology. It has been recognized that monuments commonly regarded as graves are sometimes also found in cultic contexts other than those associated with death and burial. In many cases, for instance, monuments similar to graves have been erected at cult sites, and seem to have been used in sacrificial practices rather than for burials. According to archaeological, textual and onomastic sources, it was common practice in Old Norse religion to suspend sacrificial victims from trees of from upraised posts, or to deposit offerings at the base of sacred rocks and boulders. In all these cases, the trees, posts and boulders seem to be representation of the World Axis, depicted in cosmological myths as a Cosmic Tree, Pillar or Mountain. I argue that these various representations of the World Axis are also incorporated in the architectonic symbolism of several forms of grave monuments in pre-Christian Scandinavia. The architectonic shape of these monuments could thus be used in several different contexts, since they represented a ‘Cosmic Center’ and a ‘doorway’ to the Other World.

scholarly journals Antara Selfie Dan Selfless: Sebuah Tinjauan Teologis Terhadap Tren Instagram

2021 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
pp. 369-394
Author(s):  
Yudi Jatmiko
Keyword(s):  
The Self ◽  
The Other ◽  
Christian Faith ◽  
Literary Research ◽  
Other Hand ◽  
The World ◽  
Per Se ◽  
God's Image

The emergence of Instagram has indisputably made the world full of pictures. Messages that are generally dominated by words have turned into a collection of colorful pictures on Instagram. Pictures have brought a world that is beyond words. On the other hand, many experts observe the destructive sides of Instagram. The pictures that are initially meant to reveal beauty have transformed into a means of self-fulfillment. Pictures have turned into a context where the self has become the center of the message and the world. In the Christian faith, this is fatal! A self-centered life is contradictory to the Christian nature as God’s image, which basically must center life on God. The question begs to answer: how should Christian respond to Instagram? This is the focus of the research. To answer the question above, using the methodology of phenomenology approach and literary research, I will explain the history and impacts of Instagram. After that, I will analyze it from the perspective of the Christian faith, especially those that are related to the philosophy undergirding Instagram. Finally, I believe Instagram is not evil per se. However, appropriate responses are needed to bring forth a clearer God’s image in the world that is full of pictures.

The Hebrew Version of De celo et mundo Attributed to Ibn Sīnā

1996 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. 89-112 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ruth Glasner
Keyword(s):  
Hebrew Text ◽  
The Other ◽  
Arabic Text ◽  
13Th Century ◽  
Ibn Sina ◽  
Other Hand ◽  
The World ◽  
Hebrew Version ◽  
Preliminary Study

The Hebrew text On the Heavens and the World, ascribed to Ibn Sīnā, is an interesting and intriguing composition. It dates from the 13th century and was quite influential. It is not a translation of any text of Ibn Sīnā known to us, but is related to the (pseudo-Avicennian) Latin De celo et mundo, which appears in the 1508 Venice edition of translations of Ibn Sīnā. The Latin and Hebrew texts differ widely and the relation between them is far from being clear. Both are in sixteen chapters, the titles of the chapters are the same, but the texts are only roughly similar. The Hebrew text often offers short, incomplete summaries of the Latin arguments. On the other hand it includes many passages which have no parallel in the Latin. There are two possible explanations of the perplexing relationship between the two texts: either that there was more than one version of the Latin (or of the original Arabic) text, or that the translator, Shlomo ben Moshe of Laguiri wrote a kind of paraphrase. The paper shows that the second explanation is correct and offers a preliminary study of the sources and the aims of the Hebrew text.

Del manuscrito al registro actual: toponimia ribagorzana en textos medievales escritos en catalán

2021 ◽  
Vol 137 (4) ◽  
pp. 1101-1129
Author(s):  
Javier Giralt Latorre ◽  
María Teresa Moret Oliver
Keyword(s):  
Iberian Peninsula ◽  
Oral Language ◽  
Written Language ◽  
The Other ◽  
Romance Languages ◽  
Place Names ◽  
13Th Century ◽  
14Th Century ◽  
Oral Speech ◽  
Linguistic Reality

Abstract Catalan started to be used in writing in the 13th century like the other Romance languages of the Iberian Peninsula and gradually replaced Latin. This was the case in all its territories, including the County of Ribagorza. However, this written Catalan does not faithfully reflect the oral language of that time because it is very uniform, as can be seen in the 14th century manuscripts of the old archive of Roda de Isábena (Huesca). That written language is far away from the oral speech and the dialectal solutions of the Catalan spoken in Ribagorza, although the oral linguistic reality can be perceived through some features that come up regularly, as occurs in texts from other places in the area known as “Franja de Aragón” (eastern territories of Aragon in the border with Catalonia, with a large Catalan-speaking population). Toponyms are some of those elements that connect us with the Catalan spoken in the 14th century in Ribagorza. For this reason, in this work we offer a study of the place names mentioned in the 14th century documentation written in Catalan and kept in the archive of Roda de Isábena: we analyse linguistically each of the place names noted, and we verify if they have been preserved or if they have undergone any transformation until the present day.

Indonesian Literature’s Position in World Literature

TEKNOSASTIK ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 14 (2) ◽  
pp. 1
Author(s):  
Dina Amelia
Keyword(s):  
World Literature ◽  
The Other ◽  
National Literature ◽  
Western World ◽  
The World ◽  
The One ◽  
The Voice

There are two most inevitable issues on national literature, in this case Indonesian literature. First is the translation and the second is the standard of world literature. Can one speak for the other as a representative? Why is this representation matter? Does translation embody the voice of the represented? Without translation Indonesian literature cannot gain its recognition in world literature, yet, translation conveys the voice of other. In the case of production, publication, or distribution of Indonesian Literature to the world, translation works can be very beneficial. The position of Indonesian literature is as a part of world literature. The concept that the Western world should be the one who represent the subaltern can be overcome as long as the subaltern performs as the active speaker. If the subaltern remains silent then it means it allows the “representation” by the Western.

Experiment role in the world music (based on the «The Road» album of the Ukrainian «Dakha Brakha» band)

2018 ◽  
pp. 215-227
Author(s):  
Iia Fedorova
Keyword(s):  
Folk Music ◽  
World Music ◽  
The Other ◽  
Modern Music ◽  
Musical Practice ◽  
The Road ◽  
Music Practice ◽  
The World ◽  
Binary Oppositions ◽  
Musical Practices

The main objective of this study is the substantiation of experiment as one of the key features of the world music in Ukraine. Based on the creative works of the brightest world music representatives in Ukraine, «Dakha Brakha» band, the experiment is regarded as a kind of creative setting. Methodology and scientific approaches. The methodology was based on the music practice theory by T. Cherednychenko. The author distinguishes four binary oppositions, which can describe the musical practice. According to one of these oppositions («observance of the canon or violation of the canon»), the musical practices, to which the Ukrainian musicology usually classifies the world music («folk music» and «minstrel music»), are compared with the creative work of «Dakha Brakha» band. Study findings. A lack of the setting to experiment in the musical practices of the «folk music» and «minstrel music» separates the world music musical practice from them. Therefore, the world music is a separate type of musical practice in which the experiment is crucial. The study analyzed several scientific articles of Ukrainian musicologists on the world music; examined the history of the Ukrainian «Dakha Brakha» band; presented a list of the folk songs used in the fifth album «The Road» by «Dakha Brakha» band; and showed the degree of the source transformation by musicians based on the example of the «Monk» song. The study findings can be used to form a comprehensive understanding of the world music musical practice. The further studies may be related to clarification of the other parameters of the world music musical practice, and to determination of the experiment role in creative works of the other world music representatives, both Ukrainian and foreign. The practical study value is the ability to use its key provisions in the course of modern music in higher artistic schools of Ukraine. Originality / value. So far, the Ukrainian musicology did not consider the experiment role as the key one in the world music.

Does Literature Matter Today? Thoughts of the Outside

CounterText ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. 98-113
Author(s):  
Shaobo Xie
Keyword(s):  
Aesthetic Education ◽  
The Other ◽  
Human Values ◽  
Literary Texts ◽  
Lost Cause ◽  
Western Tradition ◽  
The World

The paper celebrates the publication of Ranjan Ghosh and J. Hillis Miller's Thinking Literature across Continents as a significant event in the age of neoliberalism. It argues that, in spite of the different premises and the resulting interpretative procedures respectively championed by the two co-authors, both of them anchor their readings of literary texts in a concept of literature that is diametrically opposed to neoliberal rationality, and both impassionedly safeguard human values and experiences that resist the technologisation and marketisation of the humanities and aesthetic education. While Ghosh's readings of literature offer lightning flashes of thought from the outside of the Western tradition, signalling a new culture of reading as well as a new manner of appreciation of the other, Miller dedicatedly speaks and thinks against the hegemony of neoliberal reason, opening our eyes to the kind of change our teaching or reading of literature can trigger in the world, and the role aesthetic education should and can play at a time when the humanities are considered ‘a lost cause’.

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