Episode 29 - Spotting the Christian Influence

Some Norse mythology enthusiasts are strangely terrified of Christian influence in our sources. And some will even go so far as advise others to ignore some of our most important sources, believing them to be full of corruption. In this episode, we'll talk about why there is no real need to be afraid of Christian influence in Norse mythology, and about how to recognize it when you see it.

Sources:

  • “Dictionary of Northern Mythology” by Rudolf Simek, 2007
  • “Mímir: Two Myths or One?” by Jacqueline Simpson, 1965
  • “The Conversion of Scandinavia: Vikings, Merchants, and Missionaries in the Remaking of Northern Europe” by Anders Winroth, 2012
  • “The King, The Champion and the Sorcerer” by Lotte Motz, 1996
  • “The Poetic Edda”, transl. by Carolyne Larrington, 2014
  • “The Prose Edda”, transl. by Anthony Faulkes, 1995

Contact:

Music:

Celebration by Alexander Nakarada (www.serpentsoundstudios.com) Licensed under Creative Commons BY Attribution 4.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Om Podcasten

What makes Norse mythology "norse"? Why does Thor kill giants? What do the myths tell us about Loki's gender identity? The world of popular media is always happy to provide a modernized re-telling of ancient stories with a heavy scoop of creative license, but on "Norse Mythology: The Unofficial Guide", we'll dive into the original tales directly from the sources and learn together from experts in the field about what these stories really mean and how they would have affected the lives of the ancient people of the pagan north. Contact me any time at waelhraefn (at) gmail (dot) com!