Performing Oaths in Eddic Poetry: Viking Age Fact or Medieval Fiction?
A.I. Riisøy
Abstract It is argued here that eddic poetry, where oaths were sworn on items like rings and weapons, can provide insight into practices of swearing in the real world Vikings. problematic earliest surviving manuscripts poems date from late 13th century, but other sources, including written sources outside Scandinavia, evidence existence such oaths. The workings rested beliefs gods, invoked process, would take vengeance oath-breakers. When Christianity arrived, procedure continued, a new wrapping: around year 1000 A.D., God replaced weapons disappeared procedure, instead, people swore Bible or cross. This transformation legal rooted heathen times accepted Christian context seems to have taken place among Germanic peoples Celts who converted centuries bef...
Journal of The North Atlantic