Book
Constructing a Cult
The Life and Veneration of Guðmundr Arason (1161-1237) in the Icelandic Written Sources
Language:
English
Published/Copyright:
2011
Purchasable on brill.com
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About this book
The figure of Guðmundr Arason (1161-1237) and especially his role in the history of medieval Iceland has provoked many strong opinions for decades. This book uses a variety of extant written sources to reexamine those views. It discusses a discrepancy between the popularity of the saint as suggested by the sagas and that reflected by other sources. One of the study’s main claims suggests that the clergy from Northern Iceland had a vital impact upon the construction of the cult. A variety of means applied to achieve it demonstrate the authorial knowledge of the vernacular and international traditions, as well as of living conditions in Iceland at the time when the sources were put down in writing.
Author / Editor information
Joanna A. Skórzewska has a Ph.D. (2007) in Medieval Nordic History from the University of Oslo. She has published on the cultus of Scandinavian royal saints, female piety and attitude towards children in medieval Iceland.
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Publishing information
Pages and Images/Illustrations in book
eBook published on:
January 27, 2011
eBook ISBN:
9789004194977
Pages and Images/Illustrations in book
Main content:
312
eBook ISBN:
9789004194977
Keywords for this book
medieval Iceland; hagiography; miracle working; medieval society; lay piety; Northern Europe
Audience(s) for this book
All those interested in the history of the Middle Ages, Icelandic history and literature, lay and clerical piety, hagiography, and the social history of Northern Europe.
