Gro Steinsland
Encyclopedia
Gro Steinsland is a Norwegian scholar of medieval studies
and history of religion and since August 2009 has been the Scientific Director of the Centre for Advanced Study of the Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters
.
Steinsland has most recently been a professor in the Institute for Linguistic and Nordic Studies
at the University of Oslo
, where she was also a member of the international interdepartmental Centre for Studies in the Viking Age
and Nordic Middle Ages
from its founding in 1993 until its dissolution. She has also taught in the Institute for Religious Studies at the University of Tromsø
and has held guest faculty positions at Linacre College, Oxford University and at the University of Bonn
. In 2007/08 she led the international interdisciplinary research group in "The Power of the Ruler and the Ideology of Rulership in Nordic Culture 800-1200" at the Centre for Advanced Study of the Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters, and since 1 August 2009 has been its Scientific Director.
Steinsland specialises in pre-Christian religion
, the associated Old Norse
texts and mythology
and the conversion
of Scandinavia. At both Oslo and Tromsø, she made Norse religion a main subject within the history of religion programme. She is a member of the group for theology and religious studies in the Academy of Science and Letters. As a historian of religion, her publications take Norse
paganism seriously and present it in a non-traditional light as having been still strong and vital when it encountered Christianity. In 2005 she published a wideranging introductory book, Norrøn religion (Norse religion), which presents the subject from the perspective of myth and praxis. In her influential 1989 PhD
dissertation, Det hellige bryllup og norrøn kongeideologi: en analyse av hierogami-myten i Skírnismál, Ynglingatal, Háleygjatal og Hyndluljód (the sacred marriage and Norse ideology of kingship: an analysis of the myth of the hieros gamos in Skírnismál
, Ynglingatal
, Háleygjatal
and Hyndluljóð
), she reinterpreted the sacred marriage between a god and a giantess
as a power myth legitimising rulership rather than a fertility myth; she specialises in the interpretation of written sources but has also made extensive use of archaeology
and frequently takes an interdisciplinary approach. She has also emphasised the female aspect of pre-Christian religion, particularly in her 1997 book Eros og død i norrøne myter (Eros and death in Norse myths), in which she contrasts the sexualisation of death in, for example, references to drowning as being embraced by the sea goddess Rán
with the post-conversion view of female sexuality as shameful.
Steinsland has also readily written newspaper opinion article
s, for example in 2000 taking the position that Thor Heyerdahl
's Odin
expedition to Azerbaijan
was a "charade" orchestrated by Snorri Sturluson
.
Medieval studies
-Development:The term 'medieval studies' began to be adopted by academics in the opening decades of the twentieth century, initially in the titles of books like G. G. Coulton's Ten Medieval Studies , to emphasize a greater interdisciplinary approach to a historical subject...
and history of religion and since August 2009 has been the Scientific Director of the Centre for Advanced Study of the Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters
Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters
The Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters is a learned society based in Oslo, Norway.-History:The University of Oslo was established in 1811. The idea of a learned society in Christiania surfaced for the first time in 1841. The city of Throndhjem had no university, but had a learned...
.
Steinsland has most recently been a professor in the Institute for Linguistic and Nordic Studies
Scandinavian studies
Scandinavian studies is an interdisciplinary academic field of area studies that covers topics related to Scandinavia and the Nordic countries, including their languages, literature, history, culture and society, in countries other than these. As described in the article on Scandinavia, that name...
at the University of Oslo
University of Oslo
The University of Oslo , formerly The Royal Frederick University , is the oldest and largest university in Norway, situated in the Norwegian capital of Oslo. The university was founded in 1811 and was modelled after the recently established University of Berlin...
, where she was also a member of the international interdepartmental Centre for Studies in the Viking Age
Viking Age
Viking Age is the term for the period in European history, especially Northern European and Scandinavian history, spanning the late 8th to 11th centuries. Scandinavian Vikings explored Europe by its oceans and rivers through trade and warfare. The Vikings also reached Iceland, Greenland,...
and Nordic Middle Ages
Middle Ages
The Middle Ages is a periodization of European history from the 5th century to the 15th century. The Middle Ages follows the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 and precedes the Early Modern Era. It is the middle period of a three-period division of Western history: Classic, Medieval and Modern...
from its founding in 1993 until its dissolution. She has also taught in the Institute for Religious Studies at the University of Tromsø
University of Tromsø
The University of Tromsø is the world's northernmost university. Located in the city of Tromsø, Norway, it was established in 1968, and opened in 1972. It is one of eight universities in Norway. The University of Tromsø is the largest research and educational institution in northern Norway...
and has held guest faculty positions at Linacre College, Oxford University and at the University of Bonn
University of Bonn
The University of Bonn is a public research university located in Bonn, Germany. Founded in its present form in 1818, as the linear successor of earlier academic institutions, the University of Bonn is today one of the leading universities in Germany. The University of Bonn offers a large number...
. In 2007/08 she led the international interdisciplinary research group in "The Power of the Ruler and the Ideology of Rulership in Nordic Culture 800-1200" at the Centre for Advanced Study of the Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters, and since 1 August 2009 has been its Scientific Director.
Steinsland specialises in pre-Christian religion
Germanic paganism
Germanic paganism refers to the theology and religious practices of the Germanic peoples of north-western Europe from the Iron Age until their Christianization during the Medieval period...
, the associated Old Norse
Old Norse
Old Norse is a North Germanic language that was spoken by inhabitants of Scandinavia and inhabitants of their overseas settlements during the Viking Age, until about 1300....
texts and mythology
Mythology
The term mythology can refer either to the study of myths, or to a body or collection of myths. As examples, comparative mythology is the study of connections between myths from different cultures, whereas Greek mythology is the body of myths from ancient Greece...
and the conversion
Christianization
The historical phenomenon of Christianization is the conversion of individuals to Christianity or the conversion of entire peoples at once...
of Scandinavia. At both Oslo and Tromsø, she made Norse religion a main subject within the history of religion programme. She is a member of the group for theology and religious studies in the Academy of Science and Letters. As a historian of religion, her publications take Norse
Norsemen
Norsemen is used to refer to the group of people as a whole who spoke what is now called the Old Norse language belonging to the North Germanic branch of Indo-European languages, especially Norwegian, Icelandic, Faroese, Swedish and Danish in their earlier forms.The meaning of Norseman was "people...
paganism seriously and present it in a non-traditional light as having been still strong and vital when it encountered Christianity. In 2005 she published a wideranging introductory book, Norrøn religion (Norse religion), which presents the subject from the perspective of myth and praxis. In her influential 1989 PhD
PHD
PHD may refer to:*Ph.D., a doctorate of philosophy*Ph.D. , a 1980s British group*PHD finger, a protein sequence*PHD Mountain Software, an outdoor clothing and equipment company*PhD Docbook renderer, an XML renderer...
dissertation, Det hellige bryllup og norrøn kongeideologi: en analyse av hierogami-myten i Skírnismál, Ynglingatal, Háleygjatal og Hyndluljód (the sacred marriage and Norse ideology of kingship: an analysis of the myth of the hieros gamos in Skírnismál
Skírnismál
Skírnismál is one of the poems of the Poetic Edda. It is preserved in the 13th century manuscripts Codex Regius and AM 748 I 4to but may have been originally composed in heathen times...
, Ynglingatal
Ynglingatal
Ynglingatal is a skaldic poem listing the kings of the House of Ynglings, dated by most scholars to the late 9th century.The original version is attributed to Þjóðólfr af Hvini who was the skald of a Norwegian petty king named Ragnvald the Mountain-High and who was a cousin of Harald Fairhair...
, Háleygjatal
Háleygjatal
Háleygjatal is a skaldic poem by Eyvindr skáldaspillir made in honour of Haakon Sigurdsson and his ancestors, in the end of the 10th century.The poem is only partially preserved in disjoint parts quoted in Skáldskaparmál, Heimskringla and two other manuscripts of kings' sagas. It appears to be a...
and Hyndluljóð
Hyndluljóð
Hyndluljóð or Lay of Hyndla is an Old Norse poem often considered a part of the Poetic Edda. It is preserved in its entirety only in Flateyjarbók but some stanzas are also quoted in the Prose Edda where they are said to come from Völuspá hin skamma.In the poem, the goddess Freyja meets the völva...
), she reinterpreted the sacred marriage between a god and a giantess
Jotun
A jötunn was a giant in Norse mythology, a member of a race of nature spirits with superhuman strength, described as sometimes standing in opposition to the races of the tribes of the Æsir and Vanir, although they frequently mingle with or intermarry with these...
as a power myth legitimising rulership rather than a fertility myth; she specialises in the interpretation of written sources but has also made extensive use of archaeology
Archaeology
Archaeology, or archeology , is the study of human society, primarily through the recovery and analysis of the material culture and environmental data that they have left behind, which includes artifacts, architecture, biofacts and cultural landscapes...
and frequently takes an interdisciplinary approach. She has also emphasised the female aspect of pre-Christian religion, particularly in her 1997 book Eros og død i norrøne myter (Eros and death in Norse myths), in which she contrasts the sexualisation of death in, for example, references to drowning as being embraced by the sea goddess Rán
Rán
In Norse mythology, Rán is a sea goddess. According to Snorri Sturluson's Prose Edda book Skáldskaparmál, in his retelling of the Poetic Edda poem Lokasenna, she is married to Ægir and they have nine daughters together...
with the post-conversion view of female sexuality as shameful.
Steinsland has also readily written newspaper opinion article
Op-ed
An op-ed, abbreviated from opposite the editorial page , is a newspaper article that expresses the opinions of a named writer who is usually unaffiliated with the newspaper's editorial board...
s, for example in 2000 taking the position that Thor Heyerdahl
Thor Heyerdahl
Thor Heyerdahl was a Norwegian ethnographer and adventurer with a background in zoology and geography. He became notable for his Kon-Tiki expedition, in which he sailed by raft from South America to the Tuamotu Islands...
's Odin
Odin
Odin is a major god in Norse mythology and the ruler of Asgard. Homologous with the Anglo-Saxon "Wōden" and the Old High German "Wotan", the name is descended from Proto-Germanic "*Wodanaz" or "*Wōđanaz"....
expedition to Azerbaijan
Azerbaijan
Azerbaijan , officially the Republic of Azerbaijan is the largest country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia. Located at the crossroads of Western Asia and Eastern Europe, it is bounded by the Caspian Sea to the east, Russia to the north, Georgia to the northwest, Armenia to the west, and Iran to...
was a "charade" orchestrated by Snorri Sturluson
Snorri Sturluson
Snorri Sturluson was an Icelandic historian, poet, and politician. He was twice elected lawspeaker at the Icelandic parliament, the Althing...
.
Selected publications
- Det hellige bryllup og norrøn kongeideologi: en analyse av hierogami-myten i Skírnismál, Ynglingatal, Háleygjatal og Hyndluljód. Oslo: Solum, 1991. ISBN 8256007648. Doctoral dissertation, University of Oslo, 1989.
- (with Preben Meulengracht Sørensen) Før kristendommen: digtning og livssyn i vikingetiden Copenhagen: Gyldendal, 1990. ISBN 8700791946
- (with Preben Meulengracht Sørensen) Menneske og makter i vikingenes verden Oslo: Universitetsforlaget, 1994. ISBN 8200213161
- Eros og død i norrøne myter. Oslo: Universitetsforlaget, 1997. ISBN 8200229386
- (with Preben Meulengracht Sørensen) Voluspå, Gjendiktning og kommentar. Oslo: Pax, 1999. ISBN 8253021364
- Den hellige kongen; om religion og herskermakt fra vikingtid til middelalder. Oslo: Pax, 2000. ISBN 8253022271
- (with Magnus Rindal) Heilage stader i Norge. Oslo: Det Norske samlaget, 2001. ISBN 8252156576
- Norrøn religion: Myter, riter, samfunn. Oslo: Pax, 2005. ISBN 8253026072
- (Ed.) Words and Objects: Towards a Dialogue Between Archaeology and History of Religion. (Conference proceedings) Instituttet for sammenlignende kulturforskning Serie B-Skrifter 71. Oslo: Norwegian University Press / Oxford/New York: Oxford University, 1984. ISBN 8200077519
- (Ed.) Voluspå, og andre norrøne helligtekster. Verdens hellige skrifter. Oslo: De norske Bokklubbene, 2003. ISBN 8252541135
- (Ed.) Draumkvedet, og tekster fra norrøn middelalder. Verdens hellige skrifter. Oslo: De norske Bokklubbene, 2004. ISBN 8252546277
External links
- Gro Steinsland at Institute for Linguistic and Nordic Studies, University of Oslo
- Gro Steinsland at OCLC Worldcat
- Gro Steinsland at Worldwide Universities Network: Medieval Studies