Volcanoes in Old Norse mythology : myth and environment in early Iceland / by Mathias Nordvig.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Nordvig, Mathias, author.

Series:

Borderlines (Leeds, England)

Borderlines

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Volcanoes--Iceland--History--To 1500.

Volcanoes.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (156 pages) : digital, PDF file(s).

Place of Publication:

Leeds : Arc Humanities Press, 2021.

Summary:

Volcanoes in Old Norse Mythology details how Viking Age Icelanders, migrating from Scandinavia to a new and volcanically active environment, used Old Norse mythology to understand and negotiate the hazards of the island. These pre-Christian myths recorded in medieval Iceland expound an indigenous Icelandic theory on volcanism that revolves around the activities of supernatural beings, such as the fire-demon Surtr and the gods Odin and Thor. Before the Icelanders were introduced to Christianity and its teachings, they formulated an indigenous theory of volcanism on basis of their traditional mythology much like other indigenous peoples across the world.

Contents:

Frontmatter

CONTENTS

Introduction

Chapter 1. Old Norse Mythology between Environment and Literature

Chapter 2. An Indigenous Theory of Volcanism in Iceland

Chapter 3. Volcanism in Old Norse Cosmogony

Chapter 4. Volcanoes in the Social Order of Old Norse Mythology

Chapter 5. Volcanoes as a Cosmological Principle in Old Norse Mythology

Bibliography

Index.

Notes:

Title from publisher's bibliographic system (viewed on 27 Apr 2021).

ISBN:

1-64189-292-7

OCLC:

1242062866