This book collects the proceedings of the first-ever academic conference on the Vikings in the Mediterranean, held in Athens on 27-30 November 2019. The meeting was jointly organised by the Norwegian, Swedish, and Danish Institutes there, in collaboration with the Swedish Research Council project The Viking Phenomenon (2015-00466), based at Uppsala University. Over the three days of the conference, some 27 papers were presented by 29 speakers, interspersed with receptions and functions spread across the venues of the Nordic Institutes.
Anglo-Saxon elves (Old English ælfe) are one of the best attested non-Christian beliefs in early medieval Europe, but current interpretations of the evidence derive directly from outdated nineteenth- and early twentieth-century scholarship. Integrating linguistic and textual approaches into an anthropologically-inspired framework, this book reassesses the full range of evidence. It traces continuities and changes in medieval non-Christian beliefs with a new degree of reliability, from pre-conversion times to the eleventh century and beyond, and uses comparative material from medieval Ireland and Scandinavia to argue for a dynamic relationship between beliefs and society. In particular, it interprets the cultural significance of elves as a cause of illness in medical texts, and provides new insights into the much-discussed Scandinavian magic of seidr. Elf-beliefs, moreover, were connected with Anglo-Saxon constructions of sex and gender; their changing nature provides a rare insight into a fascinating area of early medieval European culture.
The history of Lapland: containing a geographical description, and a natural history of that country; with an account of the inhabitants, their original, religion, customs, habits, marriages, conjurations, employments.
The Reader may please to take notice, that the diligent and learned Author of this History, (to the writing of which he was commanded, and therein assisted by the Chancellor of Sweden) hath in the whole work taken care to justify what he relates, from the faith of authentic records, the testimony of Historians, and the Discourses of Laplanders themselves, with whom he had ready opportunities of converse. And this he hath don so precisely, that having in the contexture of his work, given a full account of what he thought observable in the writings, or narratives to which he refers, he afterwards constantly puts down at length the very words of his Authors, a great part of which are in the Swedish Tongue. Now in this Edition we have spared ourselves the labor of such repetition; which we hope will not be regretted by the Reader, who we suppose would not have been much edified by them. As to the subject here discoursed of, twill not be needful to give a character of it. Military Action, and those public murders in which other Histories triumph, have no share here. Hunger, cold and solitude are enemies that engage all the fortitude of this People: and where so much passive valor is necessary, we may dispense with the want of Active. Amidst the barbarity and darkness which reign in Lapland, there appear strictures of light, which will entertain the eye of the most knowing observer; as the Stars are no less remarkable then is the Sun itself. However, the Reader will[vi] not fail to meet here with what may gratify his curiosity. Warmer Climates having all the comforts and necessaries of life plentifully bestowed upon them, are but a more distant home; where we have little else talked of, then what we daily see among ourselves: but here it is indeed, where, rather than in America, we have a new World discovered: and those extravagant falsehoods, which have commonly past in the narratives of these Northern Countries, are not so inexcusable for their being lies, as that they were told without temptation; the real truth being equally entertaining, and incredible.
Download: The History of Lapland Written by John Scheffer Oxford 1674
After providing a concise view of the history of the ancient Goths and their legacy, this text embarks on an ambitious esoteric adventure into the realm of authentic Gothic lore. These adventures encompass the particulars of the ancient Gothic religion, both its pagan roots and Arian-Christian expressions. The mysteries of the unique Gothic alphabet, a synthesis of Runic, Greek and Roman lore, are deeply explored in ways never before revealed. The great Gothic treasures and artifacts, such as the so-called Temple Treasure and the magical Gothic spears of destiny, are also systematically brought to light. This book if for all who treasure the deep Gothic heritage and legacy.
Download: Stephen Edred - The mysteries of the Goths
Bogowie Słowian - The Gods of the Slavs - Le Dieux des Slaves Pięknie wydane, zabytkowe opracowanie w trzech językach (po polsku, angielsku oraz francusku) mitologii słowiańskiej. Zawiera 21 rycin.
Druk niniejszy wykonano w drukarni "Powściągliwość i Praca" w Krakowie pod kierownictwem Franciszka Szula. Wytłoczono 3,000 egzemplarzy na bezdrzewnym papierze, każdy egzemplarz zawiera 132 drzeworytów, tłoczonych z oryginalnych klocków drzeworytowych, wszystkie egzemplarze nakładu zostały podpisane przez autora, odbito również 15 egzemplarzy na japońskim papierze "Nagaban Soih" i ponumerowano w maszynie liczbami od 1 do 15. Wszystkie drzeworyty w egzemplarzach od 1 do 5 tłoczył własnoręcznie sam autor.
Runes are the ancient Norse alphabet used for communication, divination, and magical work. Here, American runologist Edred Thorsson provides an in-depth guide to the world of runes for beginners and enthusiasts alike. Thorsson's presentation of this powerful system provides a valuable tool for self-development and spiritual transformation.
The Big Book of Runes and Rune Magic: Introduces the 24 runes of the Elder Futhark along with their definitions and mystical properties. Explores the historical lore of runes using archaeological evidence to explain where the runes come from, what they mean, and how they evolved Reveals the hidden lore and esoteric dimension of runes, looking at the cosmology of the Old Norse to explain the role runes played and how they were used over time Includes specific sections on rune magic and divination, rune poems, and runic numerology, as well as instructions on how to make your own runes and imbue them with numinous power, arrange the optimum setting for a rune reading, and prepare yourself psychologically and spiritually for casting the runes
This book includes material from the author's previous books Futhark, Runelore, and Runecaster's Handbook.
In this definitive study, Prudence Jones and Nigel Pennick draw together the fragmented sources of Europe’s native religions and establish the coherence and continuity of the Pagan world vision. Challenging a traditional, Christian perspective of history, the authors argue that the modern world owes to ancient Paganism its pluralistic tolerance, its love of the arts and its respect for empirical method.
Exploring Paganism as it developed from the ancient world, through the Celtic and Germanic periods, the authors finally appraise modern Paganism and its apparent causes. Feminist spirituality, the heritage movement, nature-worship and “deep” ecology are some of the modern preoccupations which benefit from being examined within the wider context of European Paganism.
This innovative and comprehensive history of European Paganism will provide a stimulating, reliable guide to this popular dimension of religious culture.
The Mosfell Archaeological Project (MAP) is analysing the cultural and environmental landscapes of the Mosfell Valley (Mosfellsdalur) in southwestern Iceland, and this volume presents the work of twenty-three of our researchers. MAP is a crossdisciplinary, micro-regional study employing the tools of archaeology, history, anthropology, forensics, environmental sciences, and saga studies. This volume details MAP’s excavations and research on the Valley’s extensive and well-preserved archaeological remains. Habitation in Mosfellsdalur began early in the Viking Age colonization of Iceland in the ninth century. When the first Viking Age settlers arrived, the Mosfell Valley was uninhabited and forested with birch and willow. We focus on the medieval community that evolved in the Valley and its connections to the wider Icelandic and Viking worlds.
During the Medieval Period, the Mosfell region had a high population density, and inhabitants practiced livestock farming and coastal fishing. The Valley’s heaths and highlands sustained considerable sheep and cattle raising. Together the different parts of the Mosfell Valley and the surrounding highlands and coastal areas form an interconnected Valley System. The Valley was the ancestral seat of the Mosfell chieftains, the Mosfellsdælingar, a family of farmers, warriors, and legal specialists well known from the Icelandic sagas and other medieval texts. The Valley itself was in a strategic location that facilitated participation in greater Icelandic politics. Oriented east-west, the Mosfell Valley lies between modern Reykjavík and Thingvellir (Þingvellir), the site of the Althing (Alþing), Iceland’s Viking Age parliament (Map 1.1). Today, the main road between Reykjavík and Thingvellir runs through the Mosfell Valley, roughly following a medieval route to the Althing.
This book is about the prehistoric archaeology of Europe—the lives and deaths of peoples and cultures—about how we became human; the rise of hunters; the birth and growth of society; the emergence of art; the beginnings of agriculture, villages, towns and cities, wars and conquest, peace and trade—the plans and ideas, achievements and failures, of our ancestors across hundreds of thousands of years. It is a story of humanity on planet Earth. It’s also about the study of the past—how archaeologists have dug into the ground, uncovered the remaining traces of these ancient peoples, and begun to make sense of that past through painstaking detective work.
This book is about prehistoric societies from the Stone Age into the Iron Age. Th e story of European prehistory is one of spectacular growth and change. It begins more than a million years ago with the first inhabitants. Th e endpoint of this journey through the continent’s past is marked by the emergence of the literate societies of classical Greece and Rome.
Download: Europe before Rome : a site-by-site tour of the stone, bronze, and iron ages
Scandinavia, a land mass comprising the modern countries of Denmark, Sweden, and Norway, was the last part of Europe to be inhabited by humans. Not until the end of the last Ice Age when the melting of huge ice sheets left behind a fresh, barren land surface, about 13,000 BC, did the first humans arrive and settle in the region. The archaeological record of these prehistoric cultures, much of it remarkably preserved in Scandinavia's bogs, lakes, and fjords, has given us a detailed portrait of the evolution of human society at the edge of the inhabitable world. In this book, distinguished archaeologist T. Douglas Price provides a history of Scandinavia from the arrival of the first humans to the end of the Viking period, ca. AD 1050. The first book of its kind in English in many years, Ancient Scandinavia features overviews of each prehistoric epoch followed by illustrative examples from the region's rich archaeology. An engrossing and comprehensive picture of change across the millennia emerges, showing how human society evolved from small bands of hunter-gatherers to large farming communities to the complex warrior cultures of the Bronze and Iron Ages, cultures which culminated in the spectacular rise of the Vikings at the end of the prehistoric period. The material evidence of these past societies--arrowheads from reindeer hunts, megalithic tombs, rock art, beautifully wrought weaponry, Viking warships--give vivid testimony to the ancient peoples of Scandinavia and to their extensive contacts with the remote cultures of the Arctic Circle, Western Europe, and the Mediterranean
The Norse artwork of the Viking Age is incredibly captivating, with its intricate interlacing patterns and fierce animal figures woven together into some of the most exceptional expressions of art created by mankind. But as fascinating as it may be to look at, it may be as difficult to understand exactly how these patterns are constructed, and even more difficult to understand how to recreate them.
This guide breaks down the styles of Viking Age art in an easy to understand manner, to help you to quickly acquire a good grasp of its anatomy. Clear illustrations and graphics straightforwardly present the characteristics of each style, so you'll be able to easily distinguish each from the others, and understand how one style developed into the next. The accompanying timelines, maps and concise historical descriptions further help you to root your understanding of the styles in their historical context.