Newberry 2024 Graduate Conference Abstract
The literature of medieval Scandinavia reflects a world in transition; oral culture gives way to written; regional autonomy to nations governed by kings; and traditional religions to Christianity, to name just a few. These are macro-level transformations, but underlying and supporting them are myriad stories of individuals in transformation. My research takes a micro-level, case study approach to explore a limited number of these personal narratives in order to extrapolate common motifs and processes related to the larger theme of transformation.
How to Change Your Viking*: A Transformative Bromance in Saxo's Gesta Danorum
Saxo Grammaticus devotes the largest portion of his monumental history to the entwined narratives of two characters: His patron Absalon, Archbishop of Lund, and his patron's king, Valdemar I of Denmark. Saxo follows the two men through the Danish civil war, Valdemar's co-regency and rise to sole monarch of Denmark, Absalon's election and consecration first as Bishop, then Archbishop, and finally the death of Valdemar. In Saxo's narrative, the relationship between the two men is far more intimate than Bishop to King: They are foster-brothers, devoted lifelong friends, and each is an essential part of the other's transformative process.
My research focuses on narratives of personal transformation in Medieval Scandinavian literature, and more specifically on individuals in the process of becoming rulers. This case study affords the rare opportunity to examine the portrayal of two rulers--one monarch and one bishop--emerging in concert. Laura Ashe has written that "medieval chroniclers, hagiographers, and romancers very much want to suggest a consistency of character in their subject; and furthermore, that this is so even in cases where the narrative in question seems ultimately to rely upon the idea of transformation." Expanding on Ashe's observation, I argue that Saxo deftly uses the close friendship between Bishop and King as a literary tool to balance between the consistency he requires for his twin examplars of spiritual and regnal authority, and the transformation needed to advance the narrative. I conclude by considering how the author himself attempts to function as a catalyst for the literary and historical transformation of the monarchy and episcopacy in medieval Scandinavia.
- I realize that, among other things, the 12th century context pushes the limits of who we can reasonably call "vikings." On the other hand, Absalon and Valdemar's favorite brotherly pastime seems to be strapping on their swords, hopping into a boat at the head of a fleet, sailing down-river and wreaking havoc on the Slavs. I can't think of anything more "viking" than that. Well... other than the fact that Saxo himself refers to Absalon as pirata--which Zeeberg notes is usually rendered in Danish as "viking."
