Hamhleypur in fiorskfirdinga saga: a postclassical ironisation of myth?
Hamhleypur in fiorskfirdinga saga: a postclassical ironisation of myth? By Phil Cardew Paper given at the 11th International Saga Conference (2000) Introduction: The notion of…
Myth and Religion in the Poetry of a Reluctant Convert
Myth and Religion in the Poetry of a Reluctant Convert By Diana Whaley Paper given at the 11th International Saga Conference (2000) Introduction: Great exceptions…
Witches and «bitches»: genderised laughter in medieval comic tales
During this period, it is possible to differentiate two kinds of witches, in the geographical context of England and Continental Europe: the English popular archetypal witch; and the Continental demonic witch.
Repentant soul or walking corpse? Debatable apparitions in Medieval England
This paper examines two sets of medieval English narratives describing encounters with ghosts, those by William of Newburgh and those in a manuscript from Byland Abbey
From Greek myth to medieval witches: infertile women as monstrous and evil
From Greek myth to medieval witches: infertile women as monstrous and evil McGuire, Linda Interdisciplinary.net Abstract In 1484, Pope Innocent VIII issued a…
Law and the (Un)dead: medieval models for understanding the hauntings in Eyrbyggja saga
Eyrbyggja saga alone, then, presents modern readers with at least three possible conceptions of the revenants nature.
The Fathers of the Church and the Evil Eye
The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate how difficult even the most highly educated and sophisticated Christians of the late fourth and early fifth centuries found it to rid themselves of the idea that envy lends a malign power to men’s eyes.
The Krakus’ and Wanda’s Burial Mounds of Cracow
The Krakus’ and Wanda’s Burial Mounds of Cracow By Leszek Pawel Slupecki Studia Mythologica Slavica vol.2 (1999) Abstract: The author presents the Krakus’…
Bloody Slaughter: Ritual Decapitation and Display At the Viking Settlement of Hofstaðir, Iceland
This article attempts an interpretation of an unusual assemblage of cattle skulls recovered from recent excavations at the Viking Age monumental hall of Hofstaðir in Iceland.
Saga and East Scandinavia: Preprint papers of The 14th International Saga Conference
Saga and East Scandinavia: Preprint papers of The 14th International Saga Conference Edited by Agneta Ney, Henrik Williams and Fredrik Charpentier Ljungqvist Gävle:…
Power and Conversion – a Comparative Study of Christianization in Scandinavia
This book examines the Christianization of Scandinavia with the help of comparative material from Anglo-Saxon England, Old Frisia and Old Saxony.
Procopius about the supreme god of the Slavs (Bella VII 14, 23): Two critical remarks
Procopius about the supreme god of the Slavs (Bella VII 14, 23): Two critical remarks By Aleksandar Loma Zbornik radova Vizantoloskog instituta, Issue…
Pagans and Christians at the frontier: Viking burial in the Danelaw
The rapid conversion of Scandinavian settlers, so we are led to believe, demonstrates the weakness of their own pagan religions in the face of an all-embracing Christianity, and provides another example of their eagerness to become assimilated.
Glosses, Gaps and Gender: The Rise of Female Elves in Anglo-Saxon Culture
Around the eighth century, it appears that Old English had no close equivalent to words for the supernatural, feminine and generally unthreatening nymphs
Christianization of Norway
How long did the old Norse religion persist after Christianity was imposed?
The Disenchantment of Magic: Spells, Charms, and Superstition in Early European Witchcraft Literature
When confronting common spells and charms, or any other potential superstition, clerical authorities in the fifteenth century, as throughout the Middle Ages, were concerned above all to correct errors and provide clarity, for in the theological parlance of this period, superstition entailed improper belief and improperly understood ritual acts.
Slavic Paganism in Kievan Russia and the Coming of Christianity
Slavic Paganism in Kievan Russia and the Coming of Christianity By Yaroslav V. Riabinin Published Online (2007) Introduction: Orthodox Christianity is currently the dominant…
Latin Charms of Medieval England: Verbal Healing in a Christian Oral Tradition
In what follows I shall address four elementary questions: (1) What are the near-allied genres? In other words, in what contexts do charms appear in the manuscripts? (2) In what sense can the genre be described as oral traditional? (3) What are the forms of language in which the genre coheres? (4) How, on what occasion, by whom, and for whom are charms performed, and how do they function within these situations?
The Church in Anglo-Saxon England
The Church in Anglo-Saxon England By John Godfrey Cambridge University Press, 2009 ISBN: 9780521109048 It is likely that the gospel was brought to…
Monotheism between Pagans and Christians in Late Antiquity
Monotheism between Pagans and Christians in Late Antiquity By Stephen Mitchell and Peter Van Nuffelen Peeters, 2009 ISBN: 978-90-429-2242-6 The fourth century was…
Gods and Worshippers in the Viking and Germanic world
Gods and Worshippers in the Viking and Germanic world By Thor Ewing Termpus Publishing, 2008 ISBN 978-0752435909 What was paganism really like? Who…
A Quantitative Evaluation of Demographic, Gender and Social Transformation Theories of the Rise of European Witch Hunting 1300-1500
A Quantitative Evaluation of Demographic, Gender and Social Transformation Theories of the Rise of European Witch Hunting 1300-1500 By Philip Smith Historical Social…
The Terror of History: The Witch Hunt in Early Modern Europe
Professor Ruiz discusses the witch craze of medieval and Early Modern Europe.
Survivals of the Cult of the Matronae into the Early Middle Ages and Beyond
From the late first century to the beginning of the fifth century CE, the area now referred to as the Rhineland was under Roman occupation. During this period, thousands of altars were carved and dedicated by individuals from diverse ethnic backgrounds, in honor of divine beings known as the Matres in Gaul and the Matronae in Germania Inferior
Witchcraft, Weather and Economic Growth in Renaissance Europe
This paper explores the possibility that the witchcraft trials are a large-scale example of violence and scapegoating prompted by a deterioration in economic conditions.