Gripla - 20.12.2018, Blaðsíða 314

GRIPLA314
several years. Planning for volumes in the series Pre-Christian Religions of
the north took place in a series of meetings, over several years, in reykholt,
hosted by Snorrastofa, which has continued to give strong support to the
project; reykjavíkur akademían and the university that today has so kindly
honored me also provided assistance. the Pre-Christian religions of the
north project has three “strands,” one devoted to research and reception,
one devoted to close scrutiny of the textual and material evidence, and the
third and longest devoted to the “history and structures” of the pre-Christian
religions of the north, or to be a bit more specific, the religious traditions
and practices that gave way in Scandinavia and the atlantic islands, including
Iceland, to Christianity. It might also be termed northwest European Iron
age religion. those of you who are familiar with this project will know that
the first of the two volumes devoted to research and reception appeared earlier
this year (2018) with Brepols, who will pusblish the entire project. My own
involvement is with the “history and structures” strand, which I have co-edited
with the historian of religion Jens Peter Schjødt of aarhus university and the
archaeologist anders andrén of Stockholm university, an editorial team that
shows the importance of the material record and of comparison with other
religions. this strand is now in press. It consists of some 1600 pages, divided
into four volumes treating the following broad topics, beyond the obligatory
introductory chapter explaining our notions of religion and reconstruction.
these broad topics comprise the following
the sources: textual, linguistic, archaeological, iconographic, folk-•
loristic
the historical and geographic contexts: that is, when and where are •
we in time and space
the social contexts, such as concepts of ethics and gender•
communication between worlds: that is, ritual and other contact •
between humans and the powers
conceptual frameworks: that is, the myths and the characters who •
play in them
the process of Christianization•
the three editors spent a fair amount of time thinking about what I have
termed “cultural competence.” In the very first place, we had to define reli-
gion. this we take to be neither belief per se, nor practice per se, but rather a