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The popular image of the Viking as a horn-helmeted berserker plying the ocean in a dragon-headed long boat is firmly fixed in history. Imagining Viking "conquerors" as much more numerous, technologically superior, and somehow inherently more warlike than their neighbors has overshadowed the cooperation and cultural exchange which characterized much of the Viking Age. In actuality, the Norse explorers and traders were players in a complex exchange of technology, customs, and religious beliefs between the ancient pre-Christian societies of northern Europe and the Christian-dominated nations surrounding the Mediterranean. DuBois examines Anglo-Saxon, Celtic, and Mediterranean traditions to locate significant Nordic parallels in conceptions of supernatural beings, cults of the dead, beliefs in ghosts, and magical practices. These beliefs were actively held alongside Christianity for many years, and were finally incorporated into the vernacular religious practice. The Icelandic sagas reflect this complex process in their inclusion of both Christian and pagan details. This work differs from previous examinations in its inclusion of the Christian thirteenth century as part of the evolution of Nordic religions from localized pagan cults to adherents of a larger Roman faith. Thomas DuBois unravels for the first time the history of the Nordic religions in the Viking Age and shows how these ancient beliefs and their oral traditions incorporated both a myriad of local beliefs and aspects of foreign religions, most notably Christianity.… (more)
User reviews
Wading through the orthography is worthwhile, though. Although my first expectation on seeing the title (Nordic Religions in the Viking Age) was the Norse mythos, DuBois devotes considerable attention to the Finnish, Sámi and Baltic peoples as well. Finns and Sámi acquired particular reputations as shamans; when Christianity came to the area, laws were enacted prescribing penalties for “trusting a Finn” (presumably shorthand for “putting your trust in Finnish magic rather than Christianity”). There was some Norse shamanism as well; DuBois devotes a chapter to the seiðr, a ceremony performed by a circle of chanters on a raised platform (in one case, the roof of a house). Seiðr music was supposed to be very beautiful but unsettling; the net effect was supposed to be driving the target mad, often by giving him an irresistible desire to undertake some disadvantageous action. Norse women could participate in the seiðr; the Finnish and Sámi shamans, however, were invariably men; in fact although many of the Finnish and Sámi divinities were female, women could not participate in worship; for a woman to even look in the direction of a temple was defilement.
The Nordic peoples eventually accepted Christianity; often there was some syncretism involved. DuBois cites a carving that shows Odin treading on Fenrir on one side and Christ treading on a serpent on the other; another carving shows a Crucifixion; except Christ is being carried to heaven by a Valkyrie (DuBois concedes it’s possible the female figure is Mary). Archeological excavations find the Thor’s Hammer symbol only appears rarely before the arrival of Christianity, suggesting it was more of a reaction to people wearing a cross or crucifix (there’s an illustration of casting mold that allowed production of either Thor’s hammers or crosses depending on where you poured the metal). There’s also a note of a 7th century Norse grave containing a small statute of the Buddha, which would probably have interesting stories to tell if it could talk.
A quick read, especially if you skip the parts in foreign languages. Illustrations dispersed through the text. Extensive references, including a primary source section and a secondary source section. Useful endnotes and index.