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.
Syllabus
Faculty
Bettina Sejbjerg Sommer
FacultyMag.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.
Britt Alexandra Baillie
FacultyPhD Heritage Management and Museums, Department of Archaeology, University og Cambridge 2011. Job titles (previous jobs), place of employments, time period: Research Lead, FuturePart, 2019. Field Archaeologist, Museum Nordsjælland, 2021. Panel Tutor, University of Cambridge, 2022-2025. Visiting Researcher, Roskilde Viking Ship Museum, 2023, External Lecturer, University of AArhus, 2024. Researcher, Digital Cultural Heritage Studies Network, University of Amsterdam 2024-2027. With DIS since 2025.