The French Connection, or Þórr versus the Golem
This article investigates the extent to which Jewish exegetical and magical traditions were known in medieval Scandinavia. Particular attention is paid to the mythological work, Snorra Edda (ca. 1220), and the prose narrative Þorleifs þáttr jarlsskálds (ca. 1300). In Snorra Edda, we encounter the ch...
| Published in: | Medieval encounters |
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| Main Author: | |
| Format: | Electronic Article |
| Language: | English |
| Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
| Journals Online & Print: | Drawer...
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| Fernleihe: | Fernleihe für die Fachinformationsdienste |
| Published: |
Brill
2014
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| In: |
Medieval encounters
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| Further subjects: | B
Old Norse
Scandinavia
runes
Snorra Edda
golem
Jewish magic
Sefer Toledot Yešu
St. Victor
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| Online Access: |
Presumably Free Access Volltext (Verlag) |
| Summary: | This article investigates the extent to which Jewish exegetical and magical traditions were known in medieval Scandinavia. Particular attention is paid to the mythological work, Snorra Edda (ca. 1220), and the prose narrative Þorleifs þáttr jarlsskálds (ca. 1300). In Snorra Edda, we encounter the character of Mǫkkurkálfi, a clay giant who has been magically animated to defend the race of giants against the god Thor (Þórr). In Þorleifs þáttr jarlsskálds, a similarly animated “trémaðr” (“wooden man”) is sent on an assassination mission to dispatch a troublesome poet. Both these figures are considered in light of various traditions pertaining to the golem. Possible routes of transmission between the Jewish and Scandinavian worlds are considered to explain these similarities, with a special focus on Norwegian students at the Abbey of St. Victor. |
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| ISSN: | 1570-0674 |
| Contains: | In: Medieval encounters
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| Persistent identifiers: | DOI: 10.1163/15700674-12342171 |