More than Mythology

Overview

Written by distinguished scholars from multiple perspectives, this account widens the interpretative scope on religious life among the pre-Christian Scandinavian people. The religion of the Viking Age is conventionally identified through its mythology: the ambiguous character Odin, the forceful Thor, and the end of the world approaching in Ragnarök. However, pre-Christian religion consisted of so much more than mythic imagery and legends and has long lingered in folk tradition. Exploring the religion of the North through an interdisciplinary approach, the book sheds new light on a number of topics, including rituals, gender relations, social hierarchies, and interregional contacts between the Nordic tradition and the Sami and Finnish regions.

Reviews

"This is one of the finest collections of essays I have read in our field: that the editors have included material and authors that normally might not be in such an anthology by reasons of cultural tradition or discipline is to the book's credit and truly enhances the experience of reading the essays." —Stephen Mitchell, professor of Scandinavian and Folklore, Harvard University

Author Biography

Catharina Raudvere is a professor of the history of religions at the University of Copenhagen and the author of The Book of the Roses. Jens Peter Schjødt is a professor of the history of religions at the University of Aarhus and the author of Initiation Between Worlds.