In “An Arena for Higher Powers” Olof Sundqvist investigates ceremonial buildings and religious ruler strategies in Late Iron Age Scandinavia (i.e. AD 550-1050/1100). The author offers an account of the role played by religion in political undertakings among the pre-Christian ruling elites at halls and cultic buildings. This period is often described through the location of regional power-centres near ancient ancestral mounds, the organisation of “things”, the role of the great halls, the construction of cultic buildings and/or stone heaps used for sacrificing of animals. To this should be added the often remarkable finds of ceremonial beakers and drinking horns, statuettes and other cultic representations, which have often been dug out at these places. However, one peculiar fact is the variation and complexity of what was obviously different forms of religious ceremonies and ints interplay with local rulership, which may be detected. In this new book Sundqvist applies a regional approach, so as to be able to account for the specific historical, cultural and social contexts.
The focus is mainly on three regions, the Lake Mälaren area in Sweden, Trøndelag in Norway, and Iceland. Since the political structure and other contextual aspects partly differed in the three regions, the religious strategies for gaining legitimacy and authorization at the sanctuaries also varied to some extent in these areas.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Olof Sundqvist is a specialist on ancient Scandinavian religion and a professor in the history of religions at Stockholm University in Sweden. He has published monographs and many articles, such as Freyr’s offspring (2002) and Kultledare i fornskandinavisk religion (2007).
FEATURED PHOTO:
Helgö in Lake Mälaren, location for extensive excavations.
