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The Pre-Christian Religions of the North History and Structures
A comprehensive overview of the religious history and world view of pre-Christian Scandinavia.
The product of an international interdisciplinary team, the History and Structures strand of the Pre-Christian Religion of the North series aims to approach the subject by giving equal weight to archaeological and textual sources, taking into consideration recent theories on religion within all the disciplines that are needed in order to gain a comprehensive view of the religious history and world view of pre-Christian Scandinavia from the perspective of the beginning of the twenty-first century.
Volume I
presents the basic premises of the study and a consideration of the sources: memory and oral tradition, written sources, religious vocabulary, place names and personal names, archaeology, and images.
Volume II
treats the social, geographical, and historical contexts in which the religion was practiced and through which it can be understood. This volume also includes communication between worlds, primarily through various ritual structures.
Volume III
explores conceptual frameworks: the cosmos and collective supernatural beings (notions regarding the cosmos and regarding such collective supernatural beings as the norns, valkyries, giants, and dwarfs) and also gods and goddesses (including Þórr, Óðinn, Freyr, Freyja, and many others).
Volume IV
describes the process of Christianization in the Nordic region and also includes a bibliography and indices for the entire four-volume work.
The product of an international interdisciplinary team, the History and Structures strand of the Pre-Christian Religion of the North series aims to approach the subject by giving equal weight to archaeological and textual sources, taking into consideration recent theories on religion within all the disciplines that are needed in order to gain a comprehensive view of the religious history and world view of pre-Christian Scandinavia from the perspective of the beginning of the twenty-first century.
Volume I
presents the basic premises of the study and a consideration of the sources: memory and oral tradition, written sources, religious vocabulary, place names and personal names, archaeology, and images.
Volume II
treats the social, geographical, and historical contexts in which the religion was practiced and through which it can be understood. This volume also includes communication between worlds, primarily through various ritual structures.
Volume III
explores conceptual frameworks: the cosmos and collective supernatural beings (notions regarding the cosmos and regarding such collective supernatural beings as the norns, valkyries, giants, and dwarfs) and also gods and goddesses (including Þórr, Óðinn, Freyr, Freyja, and many others).
Volume IV
describes the process of Christianization in the Nordic region and also includes a bibliography and indices for the entire four-volume work.
2122 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2020
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May 30, 2022
Outstanding set of books, full of the latest research and finds. It incorporate archaeology as a major source together with written sources, creating a much more nuanced and detailed view of old norse religion than before. Subjects that earlier books had little or nothing to say about is presented anew with fresh research updating our knowledge, like the possible twin gods, worship of the sun, cultic buildings, and the importance of local variations in both beliefs, rituals and customs. This is the best overview of the subject one can buy today. Pity that the prize for the complete set is so horrendous though...
Displaying 1 of 1 review