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christianity and norse mythology essay
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The Norse tale of Ragnarok presents an interesting example of apocalyptic literature by providing both an end and a unique beginning. The world which rises from the cosmic rubble seems to be essentially equivalent to that which the apocalypse destroyed, possessing the same creatures, features and Gods of times past. This considered, and by incorporating themes of time and fate, Snorri challenges the concepts of the past, present and future of Norse lore by providing a framework which allows for the potential reiteration of history. By reviewing The Prose Edda’s telling of the events surrounding Ragnarok, the relationship between fate, time and history provide a unique alternative to the standard eschatological timeline.
The Prose Edda begins by introducing several key concepts to the later work, beginning with Snorri’s connection of Genesis to Norse mythology. Included in order to give the old tales legitimacy and scandinavians a connection to Christianity, he cites the northern migration of man away from his origins as the cause of the slow loss of the name of the Abrahamic God. This loss represents the primary reason for the need for alternate explanations of natural phenomena and thus the evolution of Nordic mythology (Snorri, 3). Typical examples include a using a convulsing God to explain earthquakes and day and night the work of sky-bound charioteers. (Snorri, 70, 19). The Gods and Goddesses of the Edda posses different traits from those of other beliefs in that they do not possess immortality nor unchanging forms. They also have the distinction of having cosmic equals in the form of the Frost Giants, the precursors to and enemies of the Gods (Snorri, 15). When combined, these two factors serve an important purpose withi...
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...’s claim of ignorance. Instead of the purely eschatological view of a timeline with a fixed conclusion, time within Nose mythology could instead be represented in the form of a cycle with Ragnarok poised waiting at both the beginning and the end. The event which Odin describes as yet to occur could have already happened numerous times, and knowledge of the imperceptible “events of the world further into the future” would be the imperceptible from knowledge of the events of the world backward into the past. Combined with the inclusion of fate, this theory presents a singular closed system which simply repeats, unchanged into infinity.
Time has thus been simplified by the framework which Snorri creates within his telling of Norse mythology, changing the traditional eschatological view of apocalyptic literature into a cyclical storyThe Prose Edda sustained by fate.
The Iceland saga, The Saga of King Hrolf Kraki, written in the 1300’s, represents about 1000 years of oral traditions. The remarkable similarities between this saga’s main character and Beowulf’s main character are just too astounding to dismiss as mere coincidences.
Apocalyptic myths tell of the end of the world. The Norse myth “Ragnarok” ends with the Gods dying, and new gods stepping in to take their places (85-88). In “The Horse-Trader’s Daughter”, Mabel loses her mother, her creator. The doctor who saves her from drowning then takes on the important role of having given her renewed life, filling that void for Mabel (Lawrence, 1-15).
In his translation of The Saga of the Volsungs: the Norse Epic of Sigurd the Dragon Slayer, Jesse L. Byock compiles many versions of this famous Norse epic and creates a very important scholarly work. Of special importance is the introduction, which provides a central working background to base readings upon. There are several themes echoed throughout the translation that reflect accurately on this portion of history. Byock does a superb job of illustrating these important aspects in his work. While the tale Byock tells is a fairy-tale handed down by generations of families, within the reader can find tell-tale signs of important aspects of Norse culture. For instance, important aspects of family life and the role of men and women surface. Likewise, the importance of wealth and material possessions on the power and prestige of a king is also evident.
Green, Martin. "Man, Time, and Apocalypse in The Wanderer, The Seafarer, and Beowulf," JEGP 74 (1975): 502-518.
Odin was the god of wisdom, magic and runes (“The Pagan Library”). The runes were the alphabet of the Vikings. Rune stones is the only documented writing from the Vikings during their existence, so a lot of the history during the ...
Through studies such as comparative mythology, researchers and philosophers have discover hundreds of parallels between the myths that make up every culture, including their creation myths. As most are deeply rooted in religion, comparisons based on geographic area, themes, and similar story lines emerge as religions form and migrate. Campbell recognized these similarities an...
In Old Norse literature, the most frequent gift of the ancestors is the fertility of the land, which, it hardly needs to be pointed out, corresponds very well to the ecological role of a decaying body – providing nourishment for other, living members
Thury, Eva and Margaret K. Devinney. “Theory: Man and His Symbols.” Introduction to Mythology: Contemporary Approaches to Classical and World Myths. New York: Oxford University Press, 2013. 519-537. Print.
One of the first literary work studied by our class was “Beowulf,” the longest and greatest surviving Anglo-Saxon poem. The poem is packed full of Christian and Pagan elements that are constantly fighting for the dominant position. In order to understand these thematic elements portrayed throughout “Beowulf,” we must first discover
Based on a 1987 Norwegian film, "Pathfinder" stars Karl Urban as Ghost, a young Viking who was raised by a tribe of Native Americans after being left behind by his Viking father after a raid on the new world. Years later, a new set of Vikings set foot on their land, and Ghost feels obliged to defend his foster people.
Further, the context in which the myth was written must be taken into account when reading the story. Bronislaw Malinowski in his essay “The Role of Myth in Life” says that “The text, of course, is extremely important, but without the context it remains lifeless” (Malinowski 201). The context that needs to be addressed when reading the myth are the cultural and sociological components that surround a mythological text. This context, consisting of the understanding of the culture in which the myth exte...
In literature, genres are often ambiguous because they are independent in creating their own conventions, as well as dependent on borrowing from others. According to author J.R.R Tolkien, fairy stories act in the same regard, functioning to create conventions like escape and recovery through eucatastrophe, as well as borrowing ideas of sub-creation from other literary styles like mythology (“On Fairy Stories” 8). In his works of fiction, including the Silmarillion and The Lord Of The Rings, the idea of genre ambiguity stays consistent, with Tolkien using conventions of horror in his creation of a second world. Thus, an analysis of the horrific imagery in The Lord Of The Rings will show that horror acts as a device in the creation of his second world, shown through monsters like Shelob and the Uruk-hai, who provide a source of interactive villainy and create a comparison between the fearful and fantastic to enchant the reader.
In most cases, the Norse Viking Age is recorded to have officially began in 793 AD with the first recorded raid through to 1066 AD, ending with the Battle of Hastings. However, these dates vary upon scholars. The Battle of Hastings wasn't exactly the end of the Viking Age, because the Norse were spread out across Europe and Viking raids continued to take place in other locations. With that said, dating the conclusion of the Viking Age is fairly generic because Viking raids were sporadic in many locations and when one area was under control, another area was being raided. Additionally, because Viking raiders weren't unified efforts and most Norsemen tended to 'vikingr' (raid) at their own whim. This places the conclusion of the Viking Age at approximately the beginning of the 12th Century-ish. This is also about the time when Norse and other Kingdoms were becoming increasingly solidified and more able to repel Viking incursions. This was also around the time when the Christianization of Northern Europe and Norse dominated lands began to take a firmer hold. So dating the exact end of the Viking Age is vague at best.
http://www.pentheon.com/articles/o/odin.html 1 page, accessed April 7, 2004. Created on March 3 1997, Modified Feb. 12, 2004. Encyclopedia Mythica 1995-2004
The Vikings have garnered attention over the years not only for their raiding and trading, but also for the Paganist gods and religion. Similar to many other ancient civilizations, the Vikings leave behind many myths containing tales of their gods and their beliefs. Marvel’s 2011 film Thor serves as an introduction to Norse gods and mythology, but it does fall flat in term of accuracy and detail in certain areas. Despite various large and small-scale changes to its overall plot and characters, Thor has been well-adapted to portray Norse myths as best as possible within an existing Marvel franchise.