Research

Overview articles on classic debates in Old Norse philology. The dating of the Eddas, Snorri's reliability, Dumézil's trifunctional hypothesis, Christian influence on Völuspá, oral tradition, archaeological evidence, gender, and comparative history of religion.

  • The Dating of the Eddic Poems

    The gap between oral composition and manuscript recording makes the dating of the Eddic poems one of the hardest problems in Old Norse philology.

  • Snorri's Edda as a Source

    Snorri Sturluson is our richest source for Old Norse mythology, but his Christian learning, his aesthetic purposes, and his euhemeristic frame raise fundamental questions about the reliability of his testimony.

  • Dumézil's Trifunctional Hypothesis

    Georges Dumézil argued that Indo-European societies and their myths reflect three fundamental functions: sovereignty, war, and fertility. The hypothesis has had enormous influence and met with equally forceful criticism.

  • Christian Influence on Völuspá

    Völuspá depicts the destruction and rebirth of the world in images that strikingly resemble the Book of Revelation, sparking a long debate about whether the poem's eschatology is indigenous or Christian.

  • Oral Tradition and Literate Culture

    The Eddic poems were transmitted orally for hundreds of years before being written down, and understanding oral compositional and transmission technique is essential for interpreting the surviving texts correctly.

  • The Archaeological Evidence

    Archaeology offers evidence about Old Norse religion that is independent of the medieval written sources, but interpreting finds and monuments requires engagement with textual and iconographic analysis.

  • Gender and Power in the Mythology

    Old Norse mythology contains strong and autonomous female figures alongside a pronounced male dominance, and modern scholarship has examined how gender, power, and ritual competence interact in the mythology.

  • Comparative History of Religion

    Old Norse religion is increasingly studied in broader Indo-European, circumpolar, and Eurasian contexts, deepening understanding of individual motifs and raising questions about what is shared heritage and what is independent parallel.