People, Texts, and Things. From the History of Medieval Scandinavian Culture

Scalds, runes, and sagas of ancient Scandinavia have not escaped the attention of researchers and the love of readers. Nevertheless, this rich cultural tradition still abounds in mysteries, discrepancies, and unanswered questions. The very spirit of this culture appears mysterious as it is perceived quite differently in the early 19th century, the first half of the 20th century, and in our time. In our book, we aimed to start each chapter with a specific, usually very small detail — a phrase carved on stone, a poetic line, a biographical detail, or sometimes even a single “strange” word or nickname — and try to see how in each of these phenomena was embodied that holistic world known as medieval Scandinavia.