User:Sigo/Workspace
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Sources of Norse mythology
Contents |
[edit] Non-written Scandinavian sources
[edit] Rock carvings
[edit] Archeological record
[edit] Theophoric place-names
The main interest of theophoric place-names – i.e. places named after a god – is to provide information on the location, extent and expansion of the cult of a god.
Toponymy as a source of Norse mythology was first widely used at the beginning of the 20th century by the Norwegian scholar Magnus Olsen.
Places named after Thor are more frequent in Norway and Iceland (though there are few theophoric toponyms in this country), after Odin in Denmark (for instance Odense, which originally meant "Odin’s sanctuary", Óðins-vé), after Freyr in Sweden.
Such toponyms often combine the name of a god with the name of a holy-place (hof, "temple"; vé, "sanctuary", "temple"; hörgt, "altarn of stone", "cairn"; lundr, "grove").
It is interesting to notice that some gods seldom mentioned in written sources are quite often found in place-names (for instance Ullr / Ullin), and conversely (Odin has few places named after him).
Nevertheless the interpretation of place-names is difficult. For instance, it may be hard to determine whether a place whose name contains Thor was named after the god or after a man whose first name was based on the name of the god.
[edit] Non-Scandinavian sources
[edit] Antiquity
[edit] Middle Ages
[edit] Written Scandinavian sources
[edit] Runic inscriptions
[edit] Skaldic poetry
Skaldic poetry – from the Old Norse word for "poet", skáld – is a much valuable source. Many skaldic poems date back to the pagan period, and some deal with mythological subjects. The oldest recorded one, Bragi Boddason's Ragnarsdrápa, for instance describes three mythological scenes depicted on a shield given to him by Ragnarr Loðbrók[1].
Skaldic poetry is often difficult to understand but a prose equivalent can sometimes be found, especially in Snorri Sturluson’s work. Thor’s killing of the giant Geirröd and his daughters, recounted in Eilífr Goðrúnarson's Þórsdrápa, is thus also related (with discrepancies) in the Skáldskaparmál.
Even when they do not directly deal with mythological themes, skaldic poems still rely on mythology, especially due to the use of kennings, periphrases that often have to do with mythology. Some of them suggest the existence of myths that were not recorded. For instance, the giant Hrungnir is called "thief of Þrúðr" in Ragnarsdrápa, which leads to think that there may have been a myth relating the abduction of Thor’s daughter.
[edit] The Poetic Edda
[edit] Saxo Grammaticus’ Gesta Danorum
[edit] Snorri Sturluson’s work
