> [[ross-m]] (ed). *The pre-Christian religions of the North: research and reception*. VOLUMES #fix Research and Reception, Volume ii: from c. 1830 to the Present #have ## Description > This book reveals the various ways people have understood or reacted to Scandinavian paganism from the Middle Ages to today. Over more than a thousand years since pre-Christian religions were actively practised, European, and later contemporary, society has developed a fascination with the beliefs of northern Europe before the arrival of Christianity, which have been the subject of a huge range of popular and scholarly theories, interpretations, and uses. Indeed, the pre-Christian religions of the North have exerted a phenomenal influence on modern culture, appearing in everything from the names of days of the week to Hollywood blockbusters. Scholarly treatments have been hardly less varied. Theories, from the Middle Ages until today, have depicted these pre-Christian religious systems as dangerous illusions, the works of Satan, representatives of a lost proto-Indo-European religious culture, a form of "natural" religion, and even as a system non-indigenous in origin, derived from cultures outside Europe. The "Research and Reception" strand of the "Pre-Christian Religions of the North" project establishes a definitive survey of the current and historical uses and interpretations of pre-Christian mythology and religious culture, tracing the many ways in which people both within and outside Scandinavia have understood and been influenced by these religions, from the Christian Middle Ages to contemporary media of all kinds. Volume I traces the reception down to the early nineteenth century, while Volume II takes up the story from c.1830 down to the present day and the burgeoning of interest across a diversity of new as well as old media--Publisher's statement. ## Summary > Over more than a thousand years since pre-Christian religions were actively practised, European - and later contemporary - society has developed a fascination with the beliefs of northern Europe before the arrival of Christianity, which have been the subject of a huge range of popular and scholarly theories, interpretations, and uses. Indeed, the pre-Christian religions of the North have exerted a phenomenal influence on modern culture, appearing in everything from the names of days of the week to Hollywood blockbusters. Scholarly treatments have been hardly less varied. Theories - from the Middle Ages until today - have depicted these pre-Christian religious systems as dangerous illusions, the works of Satan, representatives of a lost proto-Indo-European religious culture, a form of 'natural' religion, and even as a system non-indigenous in origin, derived from cultures outside Europe. The Research and Reception strand of the Pre-Christian Religions of the North project establishes a definitive survey of the current and historical uses and interpretations of pre-Christian mythology and religious culture, tracing the many ways in which people both within and outside Scandinavia have understood and been influenced by these religions, from the Christian Middle Ages to contemporary media of all kinds. The present volume (I) traces the reception down to the early nineteenth century, while Volume II takes up the story from c.1830 down to the present day and the burgeoning of interest across a diversity of new as well as old media. ## ToC List of Illustrationsp. ix Acknowledgementsp. xv Abbreviations for Volume Ip. xvii Introduction to Volume Ip. xxiMargaret Clunies Ross Part 1 Looking In: The Non-Scandinavian Perspective 1.0 Introduction to Part 1p. 3Margaret Clunies Ross 1.1 Pictured by the Other: Classical and Early Medieval Perspectives on Religions in the Northp. 7Henrik Janson 1.2 Anglo-Saxon Responses to Scandinavian Myth and Religionp. 41Philip A. Shaw 1.3 Finno-Ugric Neighboursp. 57Thomas A. Dubois 1.4 Celtic-Scandinavian Contactsp. 61Bernhard Maier 1.5 The Reception of Early Nordic Religions and Myths in Old Rus'p. 69Vladimir JA. Petrukhin and Tatjana N. Jackson 1.6 The Reception in Early Arabic Writingsp. 81Jan Retsö Part 2 The View from Inside: Medieval Scandinavian Reception 2.0 Introduction to Part 2p. 93Margaret Clunies Ross 2.1.1 The Learned Prehistory and Natural Religionsp. 97Mats Malm 2.1.2 The Tower of Babel and the Diffusion of World Languages and Religionsp. 105Annette Lassen 2.1.3 Demonism and the Pre-Christian Gods of Scandinaviap. 119Margaret Clunies Ross 2.1.4 Remnants of Indigenous Beliefs in the Other World in Saga Literaturep. 127Ármann Jakobsson 2.2.1 The Medieval Reception of Eddie Poetry with Mythological Subjectsp. 137Annette Lassen 2.2.2 The Reception in Skaldic Poetry and Snorri Stutluson's Skáldskaparmálp. 149Margaret Clunies Ross 2.2.3 The Reception in Medieval Historiographyp. 159Annette Lassen 2.2.4 The Reception in Saga Literaturep. 171Margaret Clunies Ross Part 3 The Humanist Reception 3.1 The Humanist Reception in Scandinaviap. 187Mats Malm 3.2 Icelandic Humanismp. 219Annette Lassen Part 4 From Humanism to the Romantics 4.1 Myth and Religion in the Enlightenment and Pre-Romantic Periodp. 249Margaret Clunies Ross 4.2 Pre-Christian Religions of the North and the Political Idea of Libertyp. 255Julia Zernack 4.3 The New Aesthetics and the Concept of the Sublimep. 267Margaret Clunies Ross 4.4 Dalin, Ramsay and the Enlightened Reaction to Rudbeckianismp. 273Lars Lönnroth 4.5 A Key Work for the Reception History of Norse Mythology and Poetry: Paul Henri Mallets History of the Danish Empire and its European Impactp. 281 Part 5 The Romantics 5.1 Images and Imageries of Norse Mythology in German Sentimentalism and Romanticism: From Herder to Heinep. 317 5.2 Ewald's and Oehlenschläger's Poetry Inspired by Old Norse Mythp. 331Lise Præstgaard Andersen 5.3 Swedish Romanticism and Gothicism: Aesthetic Synergiesp. 351Mats Malm 5.4 The Norwegian Reception during the Late Eighteenth and Early Nineteenth Centuriesp. 357Jan Ragnar Hagland 5.5 Old Norse Myths and Icelandic Romanticismp. 365Sveinn Yngvi Egilsson 5.6 English Romanticism and Norse Mythologyp. 383Heather O'Donoghue 5.7 The 'Nordic Renaissance' in Russia and Polandp. 391Julia Zernack 5.8 The International Reception of a Seminal Work: Baldrs draumarp. 405Julia Zernack Part 6 The Reception in Drama and the Visual Arts from c. 1750 6.1.1 Early Representations of Old Nordic Religions in Dramap. 421Terry Gunnell 6.2.1 Painting and Sculpture in Denmarkp. 447Bo Grandien 6.2.2 Painting and Sculpture in Swedenp. 469Bo Grandien 6.2.3 Painting and Sculpture in Norwayp. 503Bo Grandien 6.2.4 Painting and Sculpture in Germany, c. 1750 to the Early Twentieth Centuryp. 521Sarah Timme 6.2.5 The Visual Arts in Britainp. 557Margaret Clunies Ross Part 7 Enabling Philology 7.1 Enabling Philology: Essential Preconditions for a Scholarly Reception of the Pre-Christian Religions of the North p. 581 Part 8 The Early Grundtvig 8.1 N. F. S. Grundtvig: The Æsir Intoxication and Nordens Mytologi (1808) p. 595Flemming Lundgreen-Nielsen Index of Authors, Artists and Works p. 623 Index of Concepts p. 633