Tag: Medieval Iceland
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Introducing the Course: Medieval Iceland
“The story goes that some people wanted to sail from Norway to the Faroes—a viking called Naddodd, to name one of them. They were driven out to sea westwards, and came to a vast country.” (landnámabók, 16) Far to the north lies a small island called Iceland. Settled by vikings, it eventually would become an…
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Sagas: Icelanders and Style
Last week, we discussed the two saga genres of Fornaldarsögur (mythical-heroic sagas) and Konungasögur (king sagas). This week, we will be discussing the third genre of saga literature:Íslendingasögur (family sagas). This final genre actually makes up the bulk of saga literature we have. It is also the genre that is most studied for historical information, in regards to medieval…
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Sagas: Snorri and Eddas
This week we will continue our discussion of Viking Age related literature by entering the realm of the Edda and Eddic poetry. We will start by discussing an important Icelander named Snorri Sturluson, discussing the literature that has preserved much of our mythological material. Contents: Snorri Sturluson (d. 1241) Snorri Sturluson was a prominent member of…
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Sagas: Sources
This week’s lesson begins a multi-part series on the literature pertaining to the Vikings. This is among the more important of topics to understand for those wishing to study the period. Much of the information that we know about Vikings have come from this literature (and other literature from other places). The most important thing to…
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Norse and Celtic Overlap in Sagas
no-destiny asked: Hey! I just found your blog and now I’m in love with it. So, I felt free to make some questions! First I wanna ask about a post, tagged in the “Celtic History” link, where you said that Ireland was mentioned in the Viking Sagas and that the Vikings where also said in the…
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Vegvísir and Medieval Icelandic Magic
Anonymous asked: Hi. I’ve read somewhere that Vegvisir and other Icelandic “magical” staves were made by Christians in the 19th century. Yet they seem to always be associated with the Vikings and the Viking Age. Can you confirm this, or do you have any other information about it? Thanks! This is quite complicated a subject,…
