Pre-Christian Religions of the North
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LecturesIrina Manea
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.

Course Instructor: Dr. Irina Manea
  • Lecture 1: Religions in the Bronze Age – stone pictures, megalithic cultures
    01:15:14
    01:15:14
  • Lecture 2: Ritual and sacrifice – Iron and Viking Age public and private sacrifices
    01:06:53
    01:06:53
  • Lecture 3: Pantheons, cosmogonies, eschatologies – Pre-Norse and Norse deities, fate, death
    01:18:20
    01:18:20
  • Lecture 4: Conversion stories – phases, peoples, syncretism
    51:38
    51:38