Dr. Irina Manea

From TV shows to computer games, the Vikings still manage to capture our imagination and ensnare us in an odd mix of fact and fiction. But who were they really? This new series aims to take a deep dive and provide challenging perspectives about the real Norse characters that shaped medieval Europe.

The Vikings (ca. 800-1100) would be impossible to understand without the geography and society that produced them. In this module, we will explore the intricate social and political frameworks that shaped Viking Age Scandinavia and investigate the interplay between kinship, community hierarchies, and power dynamics that underpinned Norse society.

Topics include the general context of Scandinavian history, social order, the importance of thing assemblies, the influence of chieftains and kings in regional power struggles, but also lesser discussed aspects such as the roles of women. By integrating primary sources such as chronicles, law codes, sagas as well as the latest archaeological findings and research methods, we will develop a nuanced understanding of how the Norse functioned and what enabled them to exert far-reaching influence across Europe and beyond.

The module will follow an 8-session structure as shown below:

Outline	8-Session Structure
Week 1	Lecture 1: Ancient Scandinavia and the Beginnings of the Viking age
	Discussion 1: Discussion about Lecture 1 material
Week 2	Lecture 2: Social structures and daily life
	Discussion 2: Discussion about Lecture 2 material
Week 3	Lecture 3: Chieftains, kings and warriors
	Discussion 3: Discussion about Lecture 3 material
Week 4	Lecture 4: Women of the Viking age
	Discussion 4: Discussion about Lecture 3 material

Explore the fascinating spiritual landscape of the ancient Germanic-speaking world (Anglo-Saxon, Continental Germanic, Scandinavian), where gods, myths, and nature were deeply woven into the cultural fabric. This crash course will dive into the rich traditions of paganism in Northern and Central Europe, from the Bronze Age era to its lasting influence in medieval sagas.

We will engage with a variety of sources ranging from written texts such as Latin histories, heroic or skaldic poetry, Germanic law codes, to archaeological findings such as wooden idols, golden bracteates or bog bodies. Study cases will be analysed in their respective historical context, such as the cult of mother-goddesses from the Rhineland or remnants of pagan beliefs in healing charms.

Through discussions of cosmology, rituals, and the role of myth, we will examine how these early belief systems shaped the cultural and socio-political life in pre-Christian Central and Northern Europe, discover potential continuities, but above all else, uncover a great temporal and geographic diversity with plenty of unanswered questions.

The module will follow an 8-session structure as shown below:

Outline	8-Session Structure
Week 1	Lecture 1: Religions in the Bronze Age – stone pictures, megalithic cultures
	Discussion 1: Class discussion on Lecture 1 material.
Week 2	Lecture 2: Ritual and sacrifice – Iron and Viking Age public and private sacrifices
	Discussion 2: Class discussion on Lecture 2 material.
Week 3	Lecture 3: Pantheons, cosmogonies, eschatologies – Pre-Norse and Norse deities, fate, death
	Discussion 3: Class discussion on Lecture 3 material.
Week 4	Lecture 4: Conversion stories – phases, peoples, syncretism
	Discussion 4: Class discussion on Lecture 4 material.

Nota bene: The course serves as an overview of sources for pre-Christian practices and the evolution of religious ideas in Northern Europe over a timespan of 1000 years – there was never a homogenous, continuous and unchanged strain of “Germanic” paganism. The term remains controversial in scholarship due to its political misuse.

Paganism was most likely never a unified system of belief, and may have been much more complex and diverse than our current sources can let us know. Beyond semi-structured beliefs, we also encounter more practical forms actively trying to influence the environment – sorcery, most often referred to as seidr, a collective term to designate soothsaying, divination, healing, controlling weather, battle magic and much more.

In this module 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.

Why is Odin a god of sorcery? Who performed magic in Viking times? Was it gendered? Was sexuality involved? What did magic reveal, and how was it perceived? Put your name into the goblet of mead and let‘s get started.

The module will follow an 8-session structure as shown below:

Outline	8-Session Structure
Week 1	Lecture 1: Old Norse religion and magic - definitions, sources and challenges
	Discussion 1: Discussion about lecture 1 and extra material topics
Week 2	Lecture 2: The performers - types of magic and magicians, social status and gender issues
	Discussion 2: Discussion about lecture 2 and extra material topics
Week 3	Lecture 3: The performance - ritual places, toolkit, magic staffs
	Discussion 3: Discussion about lecture 3 and extra material topics
Week 4	Lecture 4: Spells and amulets - actual runic spells and their potential meanings
	Discussion 4: Discussion about lecture 4 and extra material topics

In this module we examine 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.

A clear projection of supernatural intervention is offered by Odin‘s servants the valkyrjur, but also shapeshifting berserkers caught by ritual frenzy, with powers stemming from Odin himself, “The Terrible” in his sorcerous role. Battle spells also seem to have been preserved as literary remnants with a chance at authenticity derived from ideas in older poems, like ideas about war-fettering, invulnerability or disguise.

Nota bene: The module can also be attended without having taken module 1. Although recommended, it is not a prerequisite. You will still have the chance to explore Norse mentalities and catch a glimpse of fascinating beliefs and sources for Iron age and early medieval Scandinavia. Topics included in this module: 1 Norse war deities 2 Supernatural agency in battle 3 Valkyrjur and berserkir 4 The afterlife in Valhöll.

In this module we will attempt to integrate the evidence from literary and archaeological sources into a broader context of shamanistic northern religions.

In the Icelandic sagas in particular, there are indications about the operative magical practices of the Sámi - one famous queen, Gunnhild (the wife of Eric Bloodaxe) is even said to have travelled to the Finns to get sorcerous instruction. In Norse myth, cosmology dwells on the world pillar, the ash tree Yggdrassil, while Odin's horse Sleipnir has the power to cross between worlds.

Shamanism as a means of accessing supernatural forces through ecstasy may have enhanced the Viking mind with challenging ideas about gender, shapeshifting, or violence that are well worth our attention.

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.