Religion in the Viking Age Moral Economy : A reading of a lausavísa by Egill Skallagrímsson
ABSTRACT: On those rare occasions when Old Norse religion and morality are set alongside one another, the notion of a non-Christian morality is typically dismissed or Old Norse religion is viewed as actively holding back moral progress. I seek to challenge that rough consensus by examining lausavísa...
| Published in: | Religionsvidenskabeligt tidsskrift |
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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: |
Univ.
2022
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| In: |
Religionsvidenskabeligt tidsskrift
Year: 2022, Volume: 74, Pages: 433-458 |
| Further subjects: | B
Old Norse religion
B lausavísa 19 B skaldic poetry B landáss B Morality B Eiríkr blóðøx B Egill Skallagrímsson |
| Online Access: |
Volltext (kostenfrei) Volltext (kostenfrei) |
| Summary: | ABSTRACT: On those rare occasions when Old Norse religion and morality are set alongside one another, the notion of a non-Christian morality is typically dismissed or Old Norse religion is viewed as actively holding back moral progress. I seek to challenge that rough consensus by examining lausavísa 19 by Egill Skallagrímsson, a short poem that seems to directly link gods with punishing certain forms of conduct. I approach the text with three research questions in mind: 1) Were the gods perceived as being aware of and concerned with human actions? 2) What types of transgressions do they seem to care about? 3) What is their perceived efficacy? Through this process, I seek to improve the modern understanding of the extent to which Old Norse deities were perceived as sympathetic to particular moralities and responsive to abuses against their followers. RESUME: I de sjældne tilfælde, hvor forskere sammenstiller norrøn religion og moral, bliver begrebet om en ikke-kristen moral typisk afvist, eller også anføres det, at norrøn religion aktivt modvirkede moralske fremskridt. Jeg argumenterer imod denne konsensus, idet jeg undersøger lausavísa 19 af Egill Skallagrímsson, et kort digt, som synes direkte at forbinde guder med straf for bestemte typer adfærd. Jeg tilgår teksten på baggrund af tre forskningsspørgsmål: 1) Blev guderne opfattet som værende opmærksomme på og optagede af menneskers handlinger? 2) Hvilke typer overtrædelser forekommer de at være opmærksomme på? 3) Er der en opfattelse af, at guderne handler imod sådanne overtrædelser? Igennem denne analyse søger jeg at forbedre den moderne forståelse af, i hvor høj grad norrøne guder af deres dyrkere blev opfattet som værende sympatisk indstillede over for bestemte typer moralsk opførsel, og hvorvidt de reagerede på deres dyrkeres overtrædelser. |
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| ISSN: | 1904-8181 |
| Contains: | Enthalten in: Religionsvidenskabeligt tidsskrift
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| Persistent identifiers: | DOI: 10.7146/rt.v74i.132114 |