Nordic Mythology

About this course

The religion and worldview of the pre-Christian Scandinavians is reflected in the mythology preserved in medieval texts and poems from the Viking Age (800-1050). The course is based on readings of these primary texts and the Icelandic Sagas that provide further glimpses into the culture and values of the Vikings. Analysis of the sagas as anthropological source material, as well as literature, completes the course. Throughout the semester, Field Studies to museums and archaeological sites help us reconstruct Viking spiritual life.

Faculty

Bettina Sejbjerg Sommer

Faculty

Mag.art. (History of Religion, University of Copenhagen, 2006), specializing in Nordic Religions and Scandinavian Folklore. She teaches Nordic Mythology at the University of Copenhagen in addition to courses about storytelling at DIS. With DIS since 2006.

Morten Warmind

Faculty

Ph.D. (Sociology of Religion, University of Copenhagen, 1998). Mag.art. (Sociology of Religion, University of Copenhagen, 1984). Associate Professor and Director of Studies, Department of History of Religion, University of Copenhagen. With DIS 1990-1997 and since 2000.