Kings, chieftains and public cult in pre-Christian Scandinavia

TY - JOUR

T1 - Kings, chieftains and public cult in pre-Christian Scandinavia

AU - Sonne, Lasse Christian Arboe

PY - 2014/2

Y1 - 2014/2

N2 - The article addresses the question of the performance of pre-Christian public cult by political leaders in early medieval Scandinavia. This question is traditionally discussed within the larger theoretical frame of sacral kingship in early medieval Scandinavia. In this article, the key contemporary evidence is presented and discussed with the conclusion that the sources do not show political leaders performing pre-Christian public cult. Instead, the evidence shows that political leaders participated in private religious rituals whose performance, however, was not connected with political leadership per se.

AB - The article addresses the question of the performance of pre-Christian public cult by political leaders in early medieval Scandinavia. This question is traditionally discussed within the larger theoretical frame of sacral kingship in early medieval Scandinavia. In this article, the key contemporary evidence is presented and discussed with the conclusion that the sources do not show political leaders performing pre-Christian public cult. Instead, the evidence shows that political leaders participated in private religious rituals whose performance, however, was not connected with political leadership per se.

KW - Faculty of Humanities

KW - Vikingetid

KW - Religion

KW - førkristen kult

KW - kongeideologi

KW - Pre Christian

KW - Scandinavia

M3 - Journal article

SN - 0963-9462

VL - 22

SP - 53

EP - 68

JO - Early Medieval Europe

JF - Early Medieval Europe

IS - 1

ER -