Entangled worlds : archaeologies of ambivalence in the Viking age
When all available sources on the Viking world are combined, there is a strong sense that the Scandinavians of the late Iron Age (8th-11th centuries AD) recognised no clear distinctions between the profane and the sacred. The latter could manifest itself in different ways, in places, beings or objects, and it often aroused ambivalent feelings of both fear and awe. This thesis explores these entanglements and the notion of ambivalence in relation to a particular group of Viking-Age individuals involved in the practice of magic (e.g. seiĂ°r). Chapters 1-3 form the background for the considerations on ritual specialists' lives, tools of trade and ways of burial. After a detailed review of Viking-Age funerary practices, focus shifts towards the corpus of so-called âdeviant burials', which in recent years have often been interpreted as belonging to ritual specialists. Chapter 4 compares the written and archaeological evidence for the funerary treatment of ritual specialists. Particular attention is devoted to graves where the deceased are covered with stones, since in the written sources execution by stoning is often employed as a punishment for malevolent magic. Nonetheless, caution is suggested in labeling
Gardela, Leszek
Viking antiquities ; Vikings ; Mythology ; Norse ; Staffs (Sticks ; canes ; etc.)
Entangled worlds : archaeologies of ambivalence in the Viking age. When all available sources on the Viking world are combined, there is a strong sense that the Scandinavians of the late Iron Age (8th-11th centuries AD) recognised no clear distinctions between the profane and the sacred. The latter could manifest itself in different ways, in places, beings or objects, and it often aroused ambivalent feelings of both fear and awe. This thesis explores these entanglements and the notion of ambivalence in relation to a particular group of Viking-Age individuals involved in the practice of magic (e.g. seiĂ°r). Chapters 1-3 form the background for the considerations on ritual specialists' lives, tools of trade and ways of burial. After a detailed review of Viking-Age funerary practices, focus shifts towards the corpus of so-called âdeviant burials', which in recent years have often been interpreted as belonging to ritual specialists. Chapter 4 compares the written and archaeological evidence for the funerary treatment of ritual specialists. Particular attention is devoted to graves where the deceased are covered with stones, since in the written sources execution by stoning is often employed as a punishment for malevolent magic. Nonetheless, caution is suggested in labeling
entangled world archaeology ambivalence viking_age available_source viking world combine strong_sense late_iron_age recognise clear_distinction profane sacred latter could manifest different_way place being object often arouse ambivalent feeling fear explores entanglement notion ambivalence relation particular_group viking_age individual_involve practice magic form background consideration ritual specialist life tool trade way burial detailed_review viking_age funerary_practice focus shift_towards corpus so_called deviant burial often interpreted belong ritual specialist compare write archaeological_evidence funerary_treatment ritual specialist particular_attention devote graf decease stone since write_source execution stone often_employ punishment magic nonetheless caution suggest label