The lost beliefs of northern Europe / / Hilda Ellis Davidson

• Record Nr.: UNINA9910825419303321
• Autore: Davidson H. R. Ellis (Hilda Roderick Ellis), <1914-2006.>
• Pubbl/distr/stampa: London ; ; New York : , : Routledge, , 1993
• ISBN: 1-134-94468-3; 0-203-32261-4; 1-134-94469-1; 0-203-40850-0; 1-280-05218-X
• Edizione: [1st ed.]
• Descrizione fisica: 1 online resource (viii, 181 pages) : illustrations
• Disciplina: 291/.0936
• Soggetti: Celts - Religion; Germanic peoples - Religion; Mythology, Norse; Europe, Northern Religion; Europe, Northern Antiquities
• Lingua di pubblicazione: Inglese
• Formato: Materiale a stampa
• Livello bibliografico: Monografia
• Nota di bibliografia: Includes bibliographical references (p. 163-171) and index.
• Nota di contenuto: 1. Help from Archaeology. Sacred space. The burial at Vix. The ship-burial at Sutton Hoo. The ball at Yeavering. The Strettweg Wagon. The Gundestrup Cauldron. The memorial stones of Gotland. The contribution of archaeology -- 2. Glimpses of the Gods. Early amulets. Stones from the Roman provinces. Myths and monuments. Naming after the gods. Divine names and titles -- 3. The Gods in the Myths. Sources of the myths. The divine world. Myths of the divine community. Myths of Odin. Myths of Thor. Myths of Loki. Other deities in the myths -- 4. The Cults of the Northern Gods. Communal worship. Cults of the battle-gods. The cult of Odin. The cult of Thor. The cult of Freyr -- 5. Goddesses and Guardian Spirits. The cult of the Great Goddess. The local goddesses. Guardian spirits. The cult of the dead -- 6. Contacts with the Otherworld. The early centuries. Funeral symbolism. Communication with the Otherworld. Holy places. Fitting the pieces together -- 7. The Interpreters. The medieval Christian viewpoint. The ; first collectors. The solar myths. Ritual and myth. The structure of myth. The approach of Dumezil. Outside influences.
• Sommario/riassunto: Fragments of ancient belief mingle with folklore and Christian dogma until the original tenets are lost in the myths and psychologies of the intervening years. Hilda Ellis Davidson illustrates how pagan beliefs have been represented and misinterpreted by the Christian tradition, and throws light on the nature of pre-Christian beliefs and how they have been preserved. The Lost Beliefs of Northern Europe stresses both the possibilities and the difficulties of investigating the lost religious beliefs of Northern Europe.