Cultural Legacies of Old Norse Literature

Cultural Legacies of Old Norse Literature
Author: Dustin Geeraert
Publisher: Boydell & Brewer
Total Pages: 233
Release: 2022-08-23
Genre: Mythology, Norse, in literature
ISBN: 1843846381

The cultural and literary legacy of medieval Iceland, with its roots in Norse heathen religion, heroic literature, and Viking Age history, is the focus of this volume. Its chapters examine the history and reception of a particular text or topic within this remarkable tradition. They treat a number of topics, including the legendary dragon-slayer Sigurd, the many personas of the mysterious god Odin, aspects of the ancient mythology of gods and giants, the early settlement of Iceland, the defiant Viking warriors known as the "Sworn Brothers", the entrepreneurial role of cloth production in medieval Scandinavia, the codicology and book history of key literary works, the many references to medieval Nordic lore in modern fiction and poetry, and the cultural position of islands such as Iceland in relation to the ebb and flow of religions, institutions and empires. Reconsidering these areas of Old Norse-Icelandic literary culture reveals the striking resilience and adaptability of its traditions, through a startling variety of transformations.

Old Norse-Icelandic Literature

Old Norse-Icelandic Literature
Author: Carol J. Clover
Publisher: Cornell University Press
Total Pages: 400
Release: 2019-06-30
Genre: History
ISBN: 1501741659

The current revival of interest in the rich and varied literature of early Scandinavia has prompted a corresponding interest in its background: its origins, social and historical context, and relationship to other medieval literatures. Even readers with a knowledge of Old Norse and Icelandic have found these subjects difficult to pursue, however, for up-to-date reference works in any language are few and none exist in English. To fill the gap, six distinguished scholars have contributed ambitious new essays to this volume. The contributors summarize and comment on scholarly work in the major branches of the field: Eddie and skaldic poetry, family and kings' sagas, courtly writing, and mythology. Taken together, their judicious and attractively written essays-each with a full bibliography-make up the first book-length survey of Old Norse literature in English and a basic reference work that will stimulate research in these areas and help to open up the field to a wider academic readership.

A Critical Companion to Beowulf

A Critical Companion to Beowulf
Author: Andy Orchard
Publisher: Boydell & Brewer Ltd
Total Pages: 424
Release: 2003
Genre: Literary Collections
ISBN: 9781843840299

This is a complete guide to the text and context of the most famous Old English poem. In this book, the specific roles of selcted individual characters, both major and minor, are assessed.

Discourse in Old Norse Literature

Discourse in Old Norse Literature
Author: Eric Shane Bryan
Publisher: Boydell & Brewer
Total Pages: 277
Release: 2021
Genre: Literary Collections
ISBN: 1843845970

An examination of what dialogues and direct speech in Old Norse literature can convey and mean, beyond their immediate face-value.

A Handbook to Eddic Poetry

A Handbook to Eddic Poetry
Author: Carolyne Larrington
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Total Pages: 675
Release: 2016-08-19
Genre: Literary Criticism
ISBN: 1316720853

This is the first comprehensive and accessible survey in English of Old Norse eddic poetry: a remarkable body of literature rooted in the Viking Age, which is a critical source for the study of early Scandinavian myths, poetics, culture and society. Dramatically recreating the voices of the legendary past, eddic poems distil moments of high emotion as human heroes and supernatural beings alike grapple with betrayal, loyalty, mortality and love. These poems relate the most famous deeds of gods such as Óðinn and Þórr with their adversaries the giants; they bring to life the often fraught interactions between kings, queens and heroes as well as their encounters with valkyries, elves, dragons and dwarfs. Written by leading international scholars, the chapters in this volume showcase the poetic riches of the eddic corpus, and reveal its relevance to the history of poetics, gender studies, pre-Christian religions, art history and archaeology.

The Cambridge Introduction to the Old Norse-Icelandic Saga

The Cambridge Introduction to the Old Norse-Icelandic Saga
Author: Margaret Clunies Ross
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Total Pages: 210
Release: 2010-10-28
Genre: Literary Criticism
ISBN: 1139492640

The medieval Norse-Icelandic saga is one of the most important European vernacular literary genres of the Middle Ages. This Introduction to the saga genre outlines its origins and development, its literary character, its material existence in manuscripts and printed editions, and its changing reception from the Middle Ages to the present time. Its multiple sub-genres - including family sagas, mythical-heroic sagas and sagas of knights - are described and discussed in detail, and the world of medieval Icelanders is powerfully evoked. The first general study of the Old Norse-Icelandic saga to be written in English for some decades, the Introduction is based on up-to-date scholarship and engages with current debates in the field. With suggestions for further reading, detailed information about the Icelandic literary canon, and a map of medieval Iceland, this book is aimed at students of medieval literature and assumes no prior knowledge of Scandinavian languages.

Old English Literature

Old English Literature
Author: John D. Niles
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons
Total Pages: 352
Release: 2016-02-18
Genre: Literary Criticism
ISBN: 1118598830

This review of the critical reception of Old English literature from 1900 to the present moves beyond a focus on individual literary texts so as to survey the different schools, methods, and assumptions that have shaped the discipline. Examines the notable works and authors from the period, including Beowulf, the Venerable Bede, heroic poems, and devotional literature Reinforces key perspectives with excerpts from ten critical studies Addresses questions of medieval literacy, textuality, and orality, as well as style, gender, genre, and theme Embraces the interdisciplinary nature of the field with reference to historical studies, religious studies, anthropology, art history, and more

The Matter of the North

The Matter of the North
Author: Torfi H. Tulinius
Publisher: University Press of Southern Denmark
Total Pages: 348
Release: 2002
Genre: Literary Criticism
ISBN:

This study evaluates the role of legendary sagas in the lives of Icelanders from the twelfth and thirteenth centuries. It looks at the legendary sagas from the perspective of fictional prose narrative, and sheds light on the origin and nature of other genres that arose in Iceland, especially the Icelandic family saga Islendingasaga. The author wishes to point out the richness and complexity of these long-neglected sagas. Even though they were probably composed for amusement and recreation, they deserve to be taken seriously as works of the intellect.

Iceland’s Relationship with Norway c.870 – c.1100

Iceland’s Relationship with Norway c.870 – c.1100
Author: Ann-Marie Long
Publisher: BRILL
Total Pages: 311
Release: 2017-07-03
Genre: History
ISBN: 9004336516

In Iceland’s Relationship with Norway c.870 – c.1100: Memory, History and Identity, Ann-Marie Long reassesses the development of Icelandic society from the earliest settlements to the twelfth century. Through a series of thematic studies, the book discusses the place of Norway in Icelandic cultural memory and how Icelandic authors envisioned and reconstructed their past. It examines in particular how these authors instrumentalized Norway to explain the changing parameters of Icelandic autonomy. Over time this strategy evolved to meet the needs of thirteenth-century Icelandic politics as well as the demands posed by the transition from autonomous island to Norwegian dependency.