Volcanoes in Old Norse mythology : myth and environment in early Iceland / by Mathias Nordvig.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Volcanoes in Old Norse Mythology' details how Viking Age Icelanders, migrating from Scandinavia to a new and volcanically active environment, used Old Norse mythology to understand and negotiate the hazards of the island. These pre-Christian myths recorded in medieval Iceland expound an indigenous Icelandic theory on volcanism that revolves around the activities of supernatural beings, such as the fire-demon Surtr and the gods Odin and Thor. Before the Icelanders were introduced to Christianity and its teachings, they formulated an indigenous theory of volcanism on basis of their traditional mythology much like other indigenous peoples across the world.0.

Online resource; title from PDF title page (EBSCO; viewed March 18, 2021)

Frontmatter -- CONTENTS -- Introduction -- Chapter 1. Old Norse Mythology between Environment and Literature -- Chapter 2. An Indigenous Theory of Volcanism in Iceland -- Chapter 3. Volcanism in Old Norse Cosmogony -- Chapter 4. Volcanoes in the Social Order of Old Norse Mythology -- Chapter 5. Volcanoes as a Cosmological Principle in Old Norse Mythology -- Bibliography -- Index.

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