COA07 - Chieftains and Temples
- 1 minChieftains and Temples
In this episode we begin to explore Pagan practice in Iceland, focusing on the religious roles of the goðar. In this first episode we will be discussing:
- The role played by the goðar in the conversion of Iceland.
- A rune stone attesting to an early Danish goði.
- A remarkable cult building at Uppkåra in South Western Sweden.
- The close ties between political and religious power in Viking Age Scandinavia.
I hope you enjoy.
Recommended Reading
Recommended reading for this episode is Pre-Christian cult at aristocratic residences and settlement complexes in Southern Scandinavia in the 3rd – 10th centuries AD by Lars Jørgensen. It provides an excellent overview of major Scandinavian Central Places and possible cult activities which took place at them. There are also some fantastic illustrations.
Sources
Eyrbyggja saga. translated by Pálsson, H., & Edwards, P. G.
The Poetic Edda translated by Jackson Crawford
Skaldic Project Runestone Database: DR 190, DR 192 and DR 209
The Viking diaspora. by Judith Jesch.
The Viking-Age Rune-Stones by Brigit Sawyer
Hof, Halls, Goðar and Dwarves by Terry Gunnell
Blót and Þing. The function of the tenth-century Goði. In A Piece of Horse Liver by Jón Hnefill Aðalsteinsson
A ceremonial building as a ‘home of the gods’? by Lars Larsson
Pre-Christian cult at aristocratic residences and settlement complexes in Southern Scandinavia in the 3rd – 10th centuries AD by Lars Jørgensen
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