Lecture

Scandinavian Mythology: Runes, Kings, and Settlements

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In course

HUM-365: Darwin, religion and science

Ce cours revient sur l'histoire des opposants à Darwin et au darwinisme : créationnistes, néo-créationnistes, partisans du dessein intelligent. Quels sont leurs arguments ? Quelles sont leurs stratégies ? Que font-ils de certaines découvertes récentes ? ...

Description

This lecture delves into Scandinavian mythology, focusing on runes, kingship, and early settlements. It covers the historical context, religious practices, and the transition to Christianity. The instructor explores the significance of runic inscriptions, the role of kings in society, and the challenges of early state formation. The lecture also discusses the legendary figures like Odin and Harald, shedding light on their mythical and historical narratives. Additionally, it examines the settlement of Iceland and the unique legal system established at Thingvellir. Through a detailed analysis of archaeological findings and literary sources, the lecture provides insights into the complex socio-political dynamics of early Scandinavian societies.

Instructor

Jean-François Bert

Teaching & PhD Past EPFL PhD Students as codirector Alina Volynskaya Courses Anthropology of belief HUM-382 This course is an introduction to the question of conspiracy theories especially in the field of science Darwin, religion and science HUM-365 This course takes the long history of opponents of Darwin and Darwinism (creationists, neo-creationists, supporters of intelligent design) to try to understand their strategies and arguments. Sciences and religions I HU

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Related concepts (31)

Narrative

A narrative, story, or tale is any account of a series of related events or experiences, whether nonfictional (memoir, biography, news report, documentary, travelogue, etc.) or fictional (fairy tale, fable, legend, thriller, novel, etc.). Narratives can be presented through a sequence of written or spoken words, through still or moving images, or through any combination of these. The word derives from the Latin verb narrare (to tell), which is derived from the adjective gnarus (knowing or skilled). Narration (i.

Historiography

Historiography is the study of the methods of historians in developing history as an academic discipline, and by extension is any body of historical work on a particular subject. The historiography of a specific topic covers how historians have studied that topic by using particular sources, techniques, and theoretical approaches. Scholars discuss historiography by topic—such as the historiography of the United Kingdom, that of WWII, the pre-Columbian Americas, early Islam, and China—and different approaches and genres, such as political history and social history.

Myth

Myth is a folklore genre consisting of narratives that play a fundamental role in a society, such as foundational tales or origin myths. Myths are often endorsed by secular and religious authorities and are closely linked to religion or spirituality. Many societies group their myths, legends, and history together, considering myths and legends to be true accounts of their remote past. In particular, creation myths take place in a primordial age when the world had not achieved its later form.

Human sacrifice

Human sacrifice is the act of killing one or more humans as part of a ritual, which is usually intended to please or appease gods, a human ruler, public or jurisdictional demands for justice by capital punishment, an authoritative/priestly figure or spirits of dead ancestors or as a retainer sacrifice, wherein a monarch's servants are killed in order for them to continue to serve their master in the next life. Closely related practices found in some tribal societies are cannibalism and headhunting.

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