Tragic myths, magic projectiles: the mythical narratives of Baldr as mnemonical vestiges of a repertoire of ritual technologies in Medieval Scandinavia

as narrativas míticas do deus Balder enquanto vestígios mnemônicos de um repertório de tecnologias rituais ofensivas na Escandinávia Medieval

Authors

  • Victor Hugo Sampaio Alves Universidade Federal da Paraíba

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.34019/2236-6296.2024.v27.43395

Keywords:

Mitologia nórdica, Escandinávia Medieval, História da Magia

Abstract

One of the most impressive myths from Norse mythology is the one in regards to the death of Baldr, who is struck by a mistletoe. The importance of this myth is such that it antecedes Ragnarök, the end of gods and men. The purpose of this paper is to analyses this myth in connection to certain types of offensive magic practiced by the ritual specialists of the Medieval Scandinavia peoples. Our hypothesis is that the myth of Baldr’s death is a mnemonical vestige of the belief in magical projectiles which were believed to cause harm or even death.

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Published

2024-08-23

How to Cite

SAMPAIO ALVES, V. H. Tragic myths, magic projectiles: the mythical narratives of Baldr as mnemonical vestiges of a repertoire of ritual technologies in Medieval Scandinavia: as narrativas míticas do deus Balder enquanto vestígios mnemônicos de um repertório de tecnologias rituais ofensivas na Escandinávia Medieval. Numen, [S. l.], v. 27, n. 1, 2024. DOI: 10.34019/2236-6296.2024.v27.43395. Disponível em: https://periodicos.ufjf.br/index.php/numen/article/view/43395. Acesso em: 21 nov. 2024.