Medieval Scandinavian Studies—Whence, Whereto, Why

Abstract

Medieval Scandinavian Studies started emerging as a discipline in the 19th century, at a time when Old Norse literature had become an important source both for the reconstruction of an alleged Germanic worldview, and the substantiation of national political claims. Scholars in the early 20th century consolidated this view, and thereby even coined public ideas of a Germanic past that became influential in the reception of the Middle Ages in general. To the present day, the popular fascination with these Middle Ages thus is strongly informed by Old Norse sources, and a wealth of recent adaptations seem to perpetuate this view. However, the same sources, as well as earlier scholarship, are used by extremist groups to substantiate populist and racist claims. Scholars in Medieval Scandinavian Studies find themselves at the intersection of these conflicting and yet connected spheres of appropriation. Their task to take a stance in this situation is all the more challenging as the international field struggles with cutbacks of budgets, study programs, and institutes. The present special issue seeks to bring together current opinions on this ambivalent state.

“Almost Like Family. Or Were They?” Vikings, Frisian Identity, and the Nordification of the Past

“…It takes a critical eye to notice the more subtle ways in which the Nordic frame of reference can influence modern conceptions of the past in this genre. For instance, in the catalogue to the permanent exhibition of the Frisian Museum, the chapter on Redbad's aborted baptism relates how the ruler suddenly decided that he preferred the prospect of spending his afterlife in Walhalla: a term exclusive to the Scandinavian sources and of which no attestations have yet been found in relation to the supposed worldviews of pre-Christian Frisians (van Zijverden [2013(van Zijverden [ ] 2014. This is worth pointing out because it enhances our awareness of the distortive effects entirely unconscious frames of reference can have on our renditions of the past.…”