Kings, chieftains and public cult in pre‐ C hristian S candinavia

The article addresses the question of the performance of pre‐ C hristian public cult by political leaders in early medieval S candinavia. This question is traditionally discussed within the larger theoretical frame of sacral kingship in early medieval S candinavia. In this article, the key contempor...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Early medieval Europe 2014-02, Vol.22 (1), p.53-68
Main Author: Sonne, Lasse C. A.
Format: Article
Language:English
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Summary:The article addresses the question of the performance of pre‐ C hristian public cult by political leaders in early medieval S candinavia. This question is traditionally discussed within the larger theoretical frame of sacral kingship in early medieval S candinavia. In this article, the key contemporary evidence is presented and discussed with the conclusion that the sources do not show political leaders performing pre‐ C hristian public cult. Instead, the evidence shows that political leaders participated in private religious rituals whose performance, however, was not connected with political leadership per se.
ISSN:0963-9462
1468-0254
DOI:10.1111/emed.12038