Damnation and Salvation in Old Norse Literature

Description

The hope of salvation and the fear of damnation were fundamental in the Middle Ages. Surprisingly, however, this topic, as reflected in Old Norse literature, has received limited critical attention. This book addresses this lacuna in the scholarship, from two major perspectives. Firstly, it examines how the twin themes of damnation and salvation interact with other more familiar and better explored topoi, such as the life-cycle, the moment of death, and the material world. Secondly, it looks at how issues relating to damnation and salvation influence the structure of texts, with regard both to individual scenes and poems and sagas as a whole. The author argues that comparable features and patterns reoccur throughout the corpus, albeit with individual variations contingent on the relevant historical and literary context. A broad range of the literature is considered, including Sagas of Icelanders, Kings' sagas, Contemporary Sagas, Legendary sagas and poems of Christian instruction. Acknowledgements ix Abbreviations xi Note on the Text xiii Introduction 1 1. Confession and Penance 23 2. Life's Journey towards Salvation: Salvation and the Biographical Pattern 57 3. Betrayal 97 4. Outlaws and Marginal Figures 115 5. Salvation, Damnation and the Visible World 139 6. The Hour of Death 183 7. Last Things and Judgement Day 211 Bibliography 231 Index 251