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Comparative Mythology
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Cultural Studies
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Fantasy
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Germanic Studies
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History
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Magic
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Religious Studies
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The Middle Ages
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Viking Age
Module Series
• Non-Sequential Series
Mixed Lecture/Discussion
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Low intensity
This is the Landing Page for Prof. Irina Manea's Viking Hogwarts series exploring The World of Old Norse Sorcery.
In the first module, A Guide to Old Norse Magic, we will be critically exploring the sources for such powerful practices, the vocabulary of sorcery, as well as attempting to enter the Viking soul in search of its logic and manifestations through everyday witchcraft, while confronting the great hindrances in the study of an elusive phenomenon.
Next, in the Battle Magic and Mythology module, we will take a closer look at the most violent practices in Old Norse Sorcery. Beyond domestic practices, sorcerous aggression manifested e.g. through driving the enemy insane, sending spirits to attack, causing misfortune and on a much broader scale on the battlefield. The elements of sorcery buried deep in the often problematic sources might help us better understand the potential mindset of pre-Christian Northern peoples and illuminated the often too tightly defined warrior identity.
Finally, in the Shamanistic World Views in Norse Magic module, we will attempt to integrate the evidence from literary and archaeological sources into a broader context of shamanistic northern religions.
In the first module, A Guide to Old Norse Magic, we will be critically exploring the sources for such powerful practices, the vocabulary of sorcery, as well as attempting to enter the Viking soul in search of its logic and manifestations through everyday witchcraft, while confronting the great hindrances in the study of an elusive phenomenon.
Next, in the Battle Magic and Mythology module, we will take a closer look at the most violent practices in Old Norse Sorcery. Beyond domestic practices, sorcerous aggression manifested e.g. through driving the enemy insane, sending spirits to attack, causing misfortune and on a much broader scale on the battlefield. The elements of sorcery buried deep in the often problematic sources might help us better understand the potential mindset of pre-Christian Northern peoples and illuminated the often too tightly defined warrior identity.
Finally, in the Shamanistic World Views in Norse Magic module, we will attempt to integrate the evidence from literary and archaeological sources into a broader context of shamanistic northern religions.
Required Texts
There are no required texts for any of the modules in this series.
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