The Practitioners of Magic and the Old Norse Concept of Power

Kód výsledku v IS VaVaI

<a href="https://www.isvavai.cz/riv?ss=detail&h=RIV%2F00216208%3A11210%2F24%3A10487288" target="_blank" >RIV/00216208:11210/24:10487288 - isvavai.cz</a>

Výsledek na webu

<a href="https://verso.is.cuni.cz/pub/verso.fpl?fname=obd_publikace_handle&handle=DYbOE6mEwN" target="_blank" >https://verso.is.cuni.cz/pub/verso.fpl?fname=obd_publikace_handle&handle=DYbOE6mEwN</a>

DOI - Digital Object Identifier

—

Jazyk výsledku

angličtina

Název v původním jazyce

The Practitioners of Magic and the Old Norse Concept of Power

Popis výsledku v původním jazyce

In the present study, Old Norse magic is analysed as a cultural concept that may have participated in the late medieval Icelanders&apos; interpretation of their history, social reality, and identity. The focus is on episodes in which magic and magicians are explicitly connected to knowledge, where magic is most directly associated with the various possible relationships between public and secret tools of power in medieval Norse society. The present analyses show that these relationships, as depicted in episodes containing magic, are far from uniform. On the one hand, some episodes, typically those involving male sorcerers, present an unambiguous contrast between official power as a force of order and unofficial power as a force of chaos - the legitimate social leaders are portrayed as protectors of social harmony, and their magic-wielding opponents as disruptors. On the other hand, some episodes featuring female sorceresses challenge this clearly outlined dichotomy and show that the principles of power can be more complex. The sorceresses can defend order by protecting the community from disruptive figures, such as outlaws, but at the same time their witchcraft always remains socially marginal. The co-existence of these different conceptualizations in the sagas implies that secret power can both subvert and support official power, and that both types of power can be indispensable - because public authority is not always sufficient on its own as a means of protecting society from threats that transgress its rules.

Název v anglickém jazyce

The Practitioners of Magic and the Old Norse Concept of Power

Popis výsledku anglicky

In the present study, Old Norse magic is analysed as a cultural concept that may have participated in the late medieval Icelanders&apos; interpretation of their history, social reality, and identity. The focus is on episodes in which magic and magicians are explicitly connected to knowledge, where magic is most directly associated with the various possible relationships between public and secret tools of power in medieval Norse society. The present analyses show that these relationships, as depicted in episodes containing magic, are far from uniform. On the one hand, some episodes, typically those involving male sorcerers, present an unambiguous contrast between official power as a force of order and unofficial power as a force of chaos - the legitimate social leaders are portrayed as protectors of social harmony, and their magic-wielding opponents as disruptors. On the other hand, some episodes featuring female sorceresses challenge this clearly outlined dichotomy and show that the principles of power can be more complex. The sorceresses can defend order by protecting the community from disruptive figures, such as outlaws, but at the same time their witchcraft always remains socially marginal. The co-existence of these different conceptualizations in the sagas implies that secret power can both subvert and support official power, and that both types of power can be indispensable - because public authority is not always sufficient on its own as a means of protecting society from threats that transgress its rules.

Druh

J_ost - Ostatní články v recenzovaných periodicích

CEP obor

—

OECD FORD obor

60500 - Other Humanities and the Arts

Projekt

—

Návaznosti

I - Institucionalni podpora na dlouhodoby koncepcni rozvoj vyzkumne organizace

Rok uplatnění

2024

Kód důvěrnosti údajů

S - Úplné a pravdivé údaje o projektu nepodléhají ochraně podle zvláštních právních předpisů

Název periodika

Deshima

ISSN

1957-5173

e-ISSN

—

Svazek periodika

2024

Číslo periodika v rámci svazku

18

Stát vydavatele periodika

FR - Francouzská republika

Počet stran výsledku

19

Strana od-do

35-53

Kód UT WoS článku

—

EID výsledku v databázi Scopus

—