Space and Movement in Old Norse Myth.

Abstract

This thesis is an examination of space and movement in Old Norse myth. By the term ‘space,’ I refer to the various spatial realms of Old Norse myth and the geographic phenomena located within. Chapters one and two are surveys of the various mythological races: Æsir, Vanir, Vǫlur, the ‘Forces of chaos,’ Giants, Elves and Dwarfs. After defining my methodological framework in relation to developments in spatial theory, I examine each race in turn according to their spatial associations and the ways in which the medieval written sources present their kinetic or bodily abilities as well as their limitations. In these chapters I show that each race, and the individuals who belong to it, are all limited to some extent in terms of how they move through space and the kinds of spaces they can access. In chapters three and four, I conduct close readings of two poems, Hárbarðsljóð and Lokasenna, with a spatial lens. With regard to the former, I argue that Þórr here is presented in a rather unusual way in comparison to much other mythological material, not least because he is kinetically constrained. In my close reading on Lokasenna, I examine the interpersonal relationships between Loki and the other gods in the highly symbolic drinking hall, which Loki proceeds to defile with his ‘words of malice.’ Both of these poems are examples of sennur or flytings, a genre in which two or more figures partake in a verbal duel. However, they diverge in terms of the spaces in which they are set – a vast fiord in one, and a hall in the other. The final chapter examines six Viking Age picture stones from Gotland, Sweden, that purportedly display elements of Norse myth later documented in Old Norse-Icelandic written sources from the Middle Ages. I argue that by constructing a spatial typology and examining the spatial arrangement of the scenes, such as the placement of an individual scene ‘high’ or ‘low’ on the stone, we can confirm the nature of a myth without all the elements being present.