Medieval Texts and Cultures of Northern Europe (TCNE 29)
C. Etchingham, J. V. Sigurðsson, M. Ní Mhaonaigh, E. Ashman Rowe
Norse-Gaelic Contacts in a Viking World
XII+439 p., 8 b/w ill., 1 b/w tables, 156 x 234 mm, 2019
Online content: https://www.brepolsonline.net/action/showBook?doi=10.1484/M.TCNE-EB.5.114808
This multi-disciplinary volume draws on the combined expertise of specialists in the history and literature of medieval Ireland, Iceland, Norway, and Scotland to shed new light on the interplay of Norse and Gaelic literary traditions. Through four detailed case-studies, which examine the Norwegian Konungs skuggsjá, the Icelandic Njáls saga and Landnámabók, and the Gaelic text Baile Suthach Sith Emhna, the volume explores the linguistic, cultural, and political contacts that existed between Norse and Gaelic speakers in the High Middle Ages, and examines the impetus behind these texts, including oral tradition, transfer of written sources, and authorial adaption and invention. Crucially, these texts are not only examined as literary products of the thirteenth century, but also as repositories of older historical traditions, and the authors seek to explore these wider historical contexts, as well as analyse how and why historical and literary material was transmitted. The volume contains English translations of key extracts and also provides a detailed discussion of sources and methodologies to ensure that this milestone of scholarship is accessible to both students and subject-specialists.
'This is a brilliant and genuinely ground-breaking book, representing a significant step forward in literary and historical analysis of the Norse-Gaelic interface'. (Professor Ralph O'Connor, University of Aberdeen).
Note on Orthography of Names
Chapter 1: Norse–Gaelic Contacts in a Viking World: Concept and Context
Chapter 2: The 'Wonders of Ireland' in Konungs skuggsjá: Text, Sources, Context
Chapter 3: Baile Suthach Síth Emhna, a Poem to Raghnall, King of Man: Text and Context
Chapter 4: The Battle of Clontarf in Icelandic Sources
Chapter 5: Kjarvalr Írakonungr and Gaelic Ancestry in Iceland
Chapter 6: Textual Reflexes of Norse–Gaelic Contacts
Germanic langs & lits (other than English)
North Germanic/Scandinavian languages & literatures
Other Indo-European langs & lits
Celtic languages & literatures
Comparative & cultural studies through literature
Cultural studies (general & theoretical)
Medieval European history (400-1500) : main subdisciplines
Cultural & intellectual history
Medieval European history (400-1500) : local & regional history
Scandinavian & Baltic lands
This publication is also distributed by: Proquest e-books, ISD, Marston
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