Inhoudsopgave:
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\u003cb\u003eElves and elf-belief during the Anglo-Saxon period are reassessed in this lively and provocative study.\u003c/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAnglo-Saxon elves [Old English \u003ci\u003eælfe\u003c/i\u003e] are one of the best attested non-Christian beliefs in early medieval Europe, but current interpretations of the evidence derive directly from outdated nineteenth- and early twentieth-century scholarship. Integrating linguistic and textual approaches into an anthropologically-inspired framework, this book reassesses the full range of evidence. It traces continuities and changes in medieval non-Christian beliefs with a new degree of reliability, from pre-conversion times to the eleventh century and beyond, and uses comparative material from medieval Ireland and Scandinavia to argue for a dynamic relationship between beliefs and society. Inparticular, it interprets the cultural significance of elves as a cause of illness in medical texts, and provides new insights into the much-discussed Scandinavian magic of \u003ci\u003eseidr\u003c/i\u003e. Elf-beliefs, moreover, were connected withAnglo-Saxon constructions of sex and gender; their changing nature provides a rare insight into a fascinating area of early medieval European culture.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Shortlisted for the Katharine Briggs Folklore Award 2007\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e ALARIC HALL is a fellow of the Helsinki Collegium for Advanced Studies. |
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