[Gandur] NOTE CHANGED TIME: The form of memorizing the past in Old Norse historiography and its construct of identity - exemplified by the relation of Landnámabók and Ynglinga saga

[Gerður Halldóra Sigurðardóttir]

Laura Wamhoff, M.A. (University of Kiel, Germany): The form of memorizing
the past in Old Norse historiography and its construct of identity –
exemplified by the relation of Landnámabók and Ynglinga saga

 

ATH!  Since the Strengleikar-lecture is at 16.30 that same day we decided to
move this one to 17.30

 

Háskóla Íslands, stofu 102 í Gimli þann 8. mars n.k. kl. 17.30

 

This paper intends to look at Old Norse historiography (mainly Landnámabók
and  Heimskringla) and its construction of the past. Instead of looking at
the texts as religious or historical sources, I want to examine them from an
anthropological point of view in order to show how the texts memorize the
past, and to establish which identity they construct. Twenty years ago the
debate of “cultural memory” began to arise, and a lot of research has taken
place since then, particularly concerning the Íslendingasögur and their
relation to the historiographical material, for instance Landnámabók. Only a
few investigations broached the issue of the historiographical texts and
their treatment of the past. It is therefore my aim to take a closer look at
these texts as narrative material. It seems to be very useful to compare the
different sorts of texts with each other and establish differing forms of
the past. As a case study, a brief consideration will be made of Landnámabók
and Ynglinga saga. At first glance, these two texts seem to have only a few
similarities, but I want to propose the thesis that they are in fact closer
than they appear. Furthermore, I will suggest possible functions of such
historiographical texts, remembrance culture and their location in the
textual canon.

 

 

Laura Wamhoff, M.A., studied Scandinavian Studies and German Philology as
well as Archeology at the Christian-Albrechts-Universität zu Kiel and
Reykjavík from 2006-2010. She is engaged as a lecturer in Old Norse and
Medieval Literature at the University in Kiel and works on her doctoral
thesis in Old Norse Medieval Studies since 2011 (“Foundation myths in Old
Norse Historiography – the role of Íslendingabók, Landnámabók, Ynglinga saga
and Snorra Edda for the identity of the medieval Icelandic society”).