The Making of Christian Myths in the Periphery of Latin Christendom (c. 1000-1300)
Title | The Making of Christian Myths in the Periphery of Latin Christendom (c. 1000-1300) PDF eBook |
Author | Lars Boje Mortensen |
Publisher | Museum Tusculanum Press |
Total Pages | 352 |
Release | 2006 |
Genre | History |
ISBN | 9788763504072 |
Mythology is usually reserved for non-Christian religions. However, the adoption of Christianity in Northern and East-Central Europe between c. 1000 and 1300 can be adequately described as a myth-making process: local saints were added to the Christian pantheon in all regions entering Latin Europe. The present collection explores the links between local sanctity and the making of national myths in medieval historical writing. By bringing together specialists in history and literature of the European periphery in question, the case is made that the writing of history and saints lives from this pioneering period should been analysed together as mainly successful attempts at creating cultural foundation myths.
Ideology and Power in the Viking and Middle Ages
Title | Ideology and Power in the Viking and Middle Ages PDF eBook |
Author | |
Publisher | BRILL |
Total Pages | 420 |
Release | 2011-04-21 |
Genre | History |
ISBN | 9004205071 |
This book analyses the Nordic pre-Christian ideology of rulership, and its confrontation with, survival into and adaptation to the European Christian ideals during the transition from the Viking to the Middle Ages from the ninth to the thirteenth century.
Slavic Gods and Heroes
Title | Slavic Gods and Heroes PDF eBook |
Author | Judith Kalik |
Publisher | Routledge |
Total Pages | 186 |
Release | 2018-07-11 |
Genre | History |
ISBN | 1351028685 |
This book offers a radical reinterpretation of the Slavic pagan religion made on the basis of a thorough re-examination of all reliable sources. What did Slavic pagan religion have in common with the Afro-American cult of voodoo? Why were no Slavic gods mentioned before the mid-tenth century, and why were there no Slavic gods at all between the Dnieper and the Order? Why were Slavic foundation legends similar to the totemic myths of the nomadic peoples of the Eurasian Steppe, and who were Slavic Remus and Romulus? What were the Indo-European roots of Slavic hippomantic rituals, and where was the Eastern Slavic dragon Zmey Gorynych born? Answers to these and many other provocative questions can be found in this book.
The Meaning of Media
Title | The Meaning of Media PDF eBook |
Author | Anna Catharina Horn |
Publisher | Walter de Gruyter GmbH & Co KG |
Total Pages | 290 |
Release | 2021-05-10 |
Genre | Literary Criticism |
ISBN | 3110695499 |
The book highlights aspects of mediality and materiality in the dissemination and distribution of texts in the Scandinavian Middle Ages important for achieving a general understanding of the emerging literate culture. In nine chapters various types of texts represented in different media and in a range of materials are treated. The topics include two chapters on epigraphy, on lead amulets and stone monuments inscribed with runes and Roman letters. In four chapters aspects of the manuscript culture is discussed, the role of authorship and of the dissemination of Christian topics in translations. The appropriation of a Latin book culture in the vernaculars is treated as well as the adminstrative use of writing in charters. In the two final chapters topics related to the emerging print culture in early post-medieval manuscripts and prints are discussed with a focus on reception. The range of topics will make the book relevant for scholars from all fields of medieval research as well as those interested in mediality and materiality in general.
Methods and the Medievalist
Title | Methods and the Medievalist PDF eBook |
Author | Jesse Keskiaho |
Publisher | Cambridge Scholars Publishing |
Total Pages | 300 |
Release | 2020-11-09 |
Genre | History |
ISBN | 1527561801 |
The field of medieval studies has shifted towards a growing degree of inter- and multidisciplinarity during the recent decades. The concept of medieval studies covers in fact a multitude of disciplines, some of them being loyal to their long-established traditions, whereas others are very new and borrow methods from other branches of the humanities or even from modern natural or social sciences. Since this means not only new possibilities but also new challenges, sources and methodology should obviously concern anyone engaged in the history and culture of the Middle Ages. Regardless of what aspects of the medieval world a scholar is dealing with, his or her study has much to gain from a source-pluralistic approach: in order to be able to understand and even combine different types of sources, a scholar must be aware of what methods are relevant and available and how they can be adapted and applied. This collection of essays presents a comprehensive overview of current and fresh approaches to the history of medieval Europe. The topics include, among other things, the complex relationship between the spoken and the written word, explorations in social and geographic space, layers and mental images perceivable in medieval texts, source edition techniques, relics as visual and tangible items, not to mention the possibilities offered by prosopography, zooarchaelogy and the natural sciences. Also the question and significance of ethics, an ever more important issue in present-day academic circles, is discussed. The contributors to this volume themselves form a very inter- and multidisciplinary team: although they can all be labeled as medievalists, they in fact they work within different disciplines and in several different research units in different countries. Geographically, several parts of Europe are covered in the essays – not only the westernmost part of the continent but also the poorly known eastern and northern parts as well. This diversity makes the collection worthwhile reading for students and scholars alike.
Tracing the Jerusalem Code
Title | Tracing the Jerusalem Code PDF eBook |
Author | Kristin B. Aavitsland |
Publisher | Walter de Gruyter GmbH & Co KG |
Total Pages | 805 |
Release | 2021-04-19 |
Genre | Religion |
ISBN | 3110636271 |
With the aim to write the history of Christianity in Scandinavia with Jerusalem as a lens, this book investigates the image – or rather the imagination – of Jerusalem in the religious, political, and artistic cultures of Scandinavia through most of the second millennium. Jerusalem is conceived as a code to Christian cultures in Scandinavia. The first volume is dealing with the different notions of Jerusalem in the Middle Ages. Tracing the Jerusalem Code in three volumes Volume 1: The Holy City Christian Cultures in Medieval Scandinavia (ca. 1100–1536) Volume 2: The Chosen People Christian Cultures in Early Modern Scandinavia (1536–ca. 1750) Volume 3: The Promised Land Christian Cultures in Modern Scandinavia (ca. 1750–ca. 1920)
The Routledge Handbook of East Central and Eastern Europe in the Middle Ages, 500-1300
Title | The Routledge Handbook of East Central and Eastern Europe in the Middle Ages, 500-1300 PDF eBook |
Author | Florin Curta |
Publisher | Routledge |
Total Pages | 886 |
Release | 2021-11-29 |
Genre | History |
ISBN | 1000476243 |
The Routledge Handbook of East Central and Eastern Europe in the Middle Ages, 500–1300 is the first of its kind to provide a point of reference for the history of the whole of Eastern Europe during the Middle Ages. While historians have recognized the importance of integrating the eastern part of the European continent into surveys of the Middle Ages, few have actually paid attention to the region, its specific features, problems of chronology and historiography. This vast region represents more than two-thirds of the European continent, but its history in general—and its medieval history in particular—is poorly known. This book covers the history of the whole region, from the Balkans to the Carpathian Basin, and the Bohemian Forest to the Finnish Bay. It provides an overview of the current state of research and a route map for navigating an abundant historiography available in more than ten different languages. Chapters cover topics as diverse as religion, architecture, art, state formation, migration, law, trade and the experiences of women and children. This book is an essential reference for scholars and students of medieval history, as well as those interested in the history of Central and Eastern Europe.