The Academy Of Odin

Beskrivelse

A collection of seventeen insightful articles by Lars Lönnroth exploring Icelandic sagas, Eddic poetry, and various Old Norse texts.

An in-depth look at saga origins, narrative art, and the broader impact of Old Norse literature.

This volume opens with selections from Lönnroth’s groundbreaking doctoral dissertation, European Sources of Icelandic Saga Writing (1965), where he challenged the prevailing ideas about saga origins of his time. Early essays in the book examine the storytelling techniques of sagas, disputing the common belief that these works are purely realistic, objective, and free from ideology or Christian influence.

The later writings included here cover a range of topics such as applying oral-formulaic theory to Eddic poetry, interpreting the mysterious inscription on the Swedish Rök-Stone, and tracing the reception of Old Norse literature in Western culture-from Snorri Sturluson in the 13th century to Richard Wagner in the 19th century.

Each article is accompanied by a post scriptum where Lönnroth reflects on how his work has been received and debated, sometimes revising his earlier viewpoints.