The Road to Hel: A Study of the Conception of the Dead in Old Norse LiteratureOriginally published in 1943, this book was written using a variety of evidence from archaeology and literature concerning Norse funeral customs to reconstruct their conception of future life, the soul of man, the cult of the dead, and the journey to the land of the dead. The text is notable as one of the first comprehensive treatments of these areas, showing how knowledge could be forwarded by correlation of the evidence from various academic fields. This book will be of value to anyone with an interest in Norse history, archaeology and literature. |
Contents
CHAPTER | 7 |
The disposal of the dead in heathen times p 7 The funeral | 16 |
THE EVIDENCE OF LITERATURE | 30 |
Cremation and inhumation p 30 Shipfuneral p 39 Human | 61 |
The conception of Valhöll in the poems p 66 The Valkyries | 96 |
Worship of the dead and of the gravemound p 100 The custom | 119 |
Shapechanging p 122 The animal fylgja p 127 The guardian | 147 |
NECROMANCY | 165 |
THE JOURNEY TO THE LAND OF THE DEAD page | 170 |
The journey acknowledged as such p 171 The journey through | 194 |
Common terms and phrases
Æsir Almgren animal Ásmundr Balder battle belief body Bronze Age Brynhildr burial mound buried burning century ceremony chapter Christian conception connected corpse cremation cult custom dead death dísir draugr dreams earth Edda poems Egils Saga elves evidence example Eyrbyggja Saga Flateyjarbók Fornaldar Sögur Freyja Freyr funeral fylgja give given gods grave grave-goods grave-mound Grímnismál Hadingus Hálfdan hall hamingja Harald heathen Heimskringla Helgi Hervör human Ibid Iceland idea inhumation Íslendinga Sögur Jarl journey king laid land Landnámabók Laxdæla Saga Lindqvist living Njáls Saga Norse literature Norway noticed Olaf Ólafs Saga Oseberg Othin passage possessions practice prose pyre realm rebirth sacrifice Saga Tryggvasonar Saxo Scandinavia seems shape-changing ship ship-burial ship-funeral Sigurðr sitting slain Snorri soul spirit story suggests supernatural suttee Sweden tells told tradition treasure Underworld Valhöll Valkyrie Vendel verse Viking Age Völuspá völva warriors woman women worship Ynglinga Saga Þórólfr Þorsteinn