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Download Nordic Religions in the Viking Age (Middle Ages Series) ePub

by Thomas A. Dubois

ISBN 0812235118
ISBN13 978-0812235111
Language English
Author Thomas A. Dubois
Publisher Univ of Pennsylvania Pr (October 1, 1999)
Pages 271
Formats lit azw rtf mbr
Category History
Subcategory World
Size ePub 1217 kb
Size Fb2 1465 kb
Rating: 4.5
Votes: 945

A folklorist specializing in Finnish and Sßmi (Lapp) cultures, DuBois (U. of Washington) bases his study on the belief that in order to understand the expressions of religion in literature from the Viking age, it is necessary to look at the religious traditions not as language-bound, but across cultural and linguistic lines to people linked by similar ecological factors and protracted economic and cultural ties. He provides the original and a translation for all the quotations. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

DuBois also shows how Norse religion was never a monolithic or static phenomenon.

DuBois also shows how Norse religion was never a monolithic or static phenomenon. Central elements of the cultic traditions of one town might have been strikingly alien to the town in the next valley, not to mention another settlement hundreds of miles away across the ocean. Differences across time might have been even more marked. All of this makes it a bit imprecise to even speak of a unified Norse religion. One of the most fascinating elements of the book is DuBois’s discussions of how Christianity was part of this process.

Thomas A. DuBois is Associate Professor in the Department of Scandinavian Studies and Comparative Literature at. . DuBois is Associate Professor in the Department of Scandinavian Studies and Comparative Literature at the University of Wisconsin. He is the author of Finnish Folk Poetry and the Kalevala. Series: The Middle Ages Series. An interesting and eye-opening read overall but those uninterested in Medieval Christianity or looking for an overview of Norse Heathenism might look elsewhere.

The popular image of the Viking as a horn-helmeted berserker plying the ocean in a dragon-headed long boat is firmly fixed in history.

Thomas DuBois unravels for the first time the history of the Nordic religions in the Viking Age and shows how these ancient beliefs and their oral traditions incorporated both a myriad of local beliefs and aspects of foreign religions, most notably Christianity. Stores ▾. Audible Barnes & Noble Walmart eBooks Apple Books Google Play Abebooks Book Depository Alibris Indigo Better World Books IndieBound. Paperback, 256 pages. Idiosyncratic but interesting. Author Thomas Dubois is an Associate Professor of Scandinavian Studies at the University of Washington. The idiosyncratic part comes early and often; Dubois makes.

Ideology and Power in the Viking and Middle Ages: Scandinavia, Iceland . The Warrior in Old Norse Religion, Jens Peter Schjodt Chapter Seven.

Ideology and Power in the Viking and Middle Ages: Scandinavia, Iceland, Ireland, Orkney and the Faeroes, Gro Steinsland Chapter One. Origin Myths and Rulership. From the Viking Age Ruler to the Ruler of Medieval Historiography: Continuity, Transformations and Innovations, Gro Steinsland Chapter Two. Kings, Earls and Chieftains. Rulers in Norway, Orkney and Iceland c. 900-1300, Jon Vidar Sigurdsson Chapter Three. Odinn, Valho ll and the Einherjar. Eschatological Myth and Ideology in the Late Viking Period, Anders Hultgard Chapter Eight. DuBois received his P. Nordic Religions in the Viking Age. University of Pennsylvania. ISBN 978-0-8122-1714-8. in Folklore and Folklife from the University of Pennsylvania in 1990. He taught at the University of Washington from 1990-1999.

Talk about Nordic Religions in the Viking Age (Middle Ages Series)

Twentyfirstfinger

I bought this book thinking it would focus on pre-Christian Norse Heathenism and was a bit surprised to find a heavy focus on the Celtic, Byzantine and Roman Christianity of the Middle Ages. At first I was a bit annoyed by this but as the author points out these often conflicting and competing branches of Christianity were very much an influence during the Viking Age and it is necessary to understand this influence when interpreting the Heathen Lore, since Snorri Sturluson and all the anonymous authors of the Icelandic Sagas were Christians. None of the Lore comes down to us from Heathen authors and every one of the Christian authors who wrote of Heathen times and practices had an agenda of defaming Heathenism. In this light "Nordic Religions of the Viking Age" is very illuminating although it was not what I expected when I ordered the book. An interesting and eye-opening read overall but those uninterested in Medieval Christianity or looking for an overview of Norse Heathenism might look elsewhere.

Flarik

Dubois has one good idea, that pre-Christian religions in Scandinavia influenced each other. This should be obvious - people travelled a lot in that time, as traders, raiders and mercenaries. Sami and Norse intermarried. However, few scholars have mentioned this before, so Dubois does fill a need.
He also manages to avoid the "all pre-Christian Germanic heathen religions are the same" trap, another point that should be obvious, but that is often glossed over. However, Dubois doesn't emphasize that quite as much. This is a pity, since a good, scholarly comparative work on this subject is much needed.
For some reason, this has become an instant Asatruar classic. So, if you are Asatruar, you probably need to own this. If not, borrow a copy from the library. There isn't enough non-obvious thought here to justify owning it.

Hucama

This book covers the interaction between the varioius Nordic cultures, the Finns, the Sami and continental Europeans during the period from about 800 to 1300 CE. It covers the ancient pagan religions and their relationships and the relationships between the Christian converts of the north and other Europeans.
The chapters are as follows
Preface: Introduction: Communities of Belief
1 : The Cultures and History of the Viking Age North
2 : Religions in the Viking Age: Contexts and Concepts for Analysis
3 : Gods, Guides, and Guardians: Spiritual Aids
4. : Visitors from Beyond: Death, Afterlife, and the Problem of Ghosts
5. : Concepts of Health and Healing
6. : The Intercultural Dimension of the Seidr Ritual
7. : The Coming of the Cross: Religious and Artistic Effects
8. : Achieving Faith: Christian Themes and Pagan Function
The author covers the relationship between the pagan religions of the people of the North, the shamanistic beliefs of the Sami and the Christian beliefs of Europe and the newly converted Norse.
I would have liked a more in depth discussion of the ancient pagan, shamanistic and medieval Christian beliefs but the author does give us tantelizing tid bits. For example, I was unaware that the Cross had sush an important part in Medieval Christianity including visions of the Cross speaking, the Cross as an anulet of protection and other functions that it does not have in present day Christiantiy. The relationship between pagan beliefs and Christian beliefs was interesting in as much as they existed simultaneously.
It is not a book to read for discovering the beliefs and details of the religions covered but is very interesting in its discussion of the cultural interactions between the groups discussed. There were trade relations and hostile raiding relations between the groups and this was also reflected in their religious relations. Groups of Christians fought other Christians and the same with the non-Christians. The author gives an interesting picture of the era.

Anayanis

Very academic

Anicasalar

The book is a fresh perspective on early medieval religions in northern Europe, and the author made good use of a wide range of data. A small criticism is that he misuses "Nordic". More important criticism are that the book gives a large amount of information, the analysis is logical throughout, but the case of mutual influence of Northern European cultures is not so convincing in the latter half or third of the book, where Mr. DuBois tries to convince us that seith and Sami shamanism have a lot in common. The argument is very informative even where I see the opposite implication in the data. The book is written as a corrective to the common tendency to analyze data on early medieval northern European religions as if they were all "pure" and isolated. In fact, it is interesting that people would (by conscious will) maintain very distinct ethnic identities with as much intercultural contact as this book shows -- but that is a topic for another study.

Grarana

This is a great reference, just what I was looking for and just what I wanted. I'm very pleased with this purchase. It's a bit dry, a bit dense, and there are moments where it doesn't hold up as well, or makes a call based on dubious evidence, but for the most part it is exceptional scholarship. This is a fantastic book for the library of the academic Norse pagan, but you'll doubtless find this book derided by those who find that their imagination of pagan practice is rudely rebuffed by the reality presented here.

LoboThommy

I ordered this book because of a Viking history course I was in this fall semester. I never thought I would use it as much as I did! This book is amazingly detailed without being a hard read. The text flowed well and I learned a great deal; also, I ended up with an 'A' in the course and received lots of feed back about how informative my essays were, largely due to this book. I do not often say that a text is definitive on any topic, but this one is well done that I think this book has earned it.

A great read! Buy it!

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