Northern Myths and Legends
• Indo-European and Germanic Peoples
– Other groups: Celts, Finns, Saami, Slavs, “Skraelings”
• Prehistory and History of Germanic Tribes
– Chieftains, warrior-farmers, and slaves
– Heroic cultural identity
– Völkerwanderung as their “Age of Legend”
• Oral Literature and Lore (verse ballads)
• Art forms, cultural means of representation
• Germanic Mythology and Ritual
Northern Myths and Legends
• History and Legend
• Transformation of Oral to Written Literature:
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Pagan to Christian world view
Public to private consumption of literature
Familial/Tribal to Courtly context of literature
Flexible narration to fixed and polished text
Personal History to impersonal, factual history
• Massive changes in the understanding and
expectations of literature.
Northern Myths and Legends
• Myth
• The World of the Gods, the Cosmos, the
Beginnings and Endings of all Things
• Legend
• The World of Heroes, of Kingdoms and
Dynasties, Superhuman Deeds and Events
• Saga
• The World of Men, of Families and Settlements,
Feuds and Marriages, Battles and Voyages
Northern Myths and Legends
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Medieval History (1100-1400)
New Society, new culture, new religion
Old Cultural Traditions still important!
Germanic Legends adapted as Literary Epics
for new audiences:
• Volsunga Saga – Icelandic, local, prose
• Nibelungenlied – German, courtly, verse
Northern Myths and Legends
• Early Modern Period (1400 – 1600)
• New Society, new culture, new religion!
• Printing Press (1450) – new understanding
of literature and its social role and value.
• Folklore can also generate legends, but of a
very different kind:
• Faust and Eulenspiegel – simple prose,
bourgeois audience, contemporary
concerns, moral utility now important!
Northern Myths and Legends
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Romantic Period (1790 – 1850)
German Cultural Identity and Nationalism
German Language and Literature
Brothers Grimm and Folklore Studies
Fairy Tales as the “Voice of the People” –
Lower Class uncorrupted by foreign influences,
reflect ancient cultural traditions and values,
preserve “unique” German lore in changing
social and political environment.
Northern Myths and Legends
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Romantic Period (cont.)
German Nationalism (Bismark, 1871)
Cultural Focus and National Identity
Political Use of Legend and Myth
• Hermann, the Germanic Hero!
• Richard Wagner and The Ring Cycle
• Nazi Appropriation of Legendary Material in
the Third Reich.
Northern Myths and Legends
• Modern Period
• New society, new culture, new media!
• Entertainment and Escapist Fantasy:
• “The Hobbit” and Shire – innocence and virtue.
• “Conan the Barbarian” – sex and violence.
• New Media allow new forms of presentation
of ancient cultural material: comic books,
animation, silent and feature films, board games,
and interactive computer games.
Northern Myths and Legends
• Review Session on Final Class Day
Monday, 27 April 2009
1:00 – 1:50 p.m. in Rm. 105
• Final Exam
Thursday, 30 April 2009
1:30 – 4:00 p.m. in Rm. 105