Olof Sundqvist

When describing the transition from Old Norse religion to Christianity in recent studies, the concept of "Christianization" is often applied. To a large extent this historiography focuses on the outcome of the encounter, namely the description of early Medieval Christianity and the new Christian society. The purpose of the present study is to concentrate more exclusively on the Old Norse religion during this period of change and to analyze the processes behind its disappearance on an official level of the society. More specifically this study concentrates on the role of Viking kings and indigenous agency in the winding up of the old religion. An actor-oriented perspective will thus be established, which focuses on the actions, methods and strategies applied by the early Christian Viking kings when dismantling the religious tradition that had previously formed their lives. In addition, the resistance that some pagan chieftains offered against these Christian kings is discussed as well as the question why they defended the old religious tradition.

I denna introduktion till religionshistoriens teori och metod beskrivs ämnets innehåll, karaktär och gränser: Vad är religionshistoria, vilka frågor ställer en religionshistoriker och hur skiljer ämnet sig från andra närliggande ämnen? I den första delen introduceras olika sätt att studera och synliggöra religion. Här presenteras jämförande, historiska, etnografiska, sociologiska, kognitionsvetenskapliga, genusvetenskapliga, postkoloniala, politiska och didaktiska perspektiv på religion. I bokens andra del behandlas centrala religionshistoriska begrepp och hur de kan användas i vetenskapliga sammanhang. Här ges pedagogiska beskrivningar av magi, gudar, myt, rit, symbol, asketism och sekularisering. Boken är avsedd för studenter på grundnivå i religionshistoria, men är även användbar i andra ämnen där studiet av religion utgör en viktig del. Den kan läsas av studenter och andra intresserade utan närmare förkunskaper, men också utgöra ett referensverk för de studenter som kommit längre i sina studier.

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 here an account of the role played by religion in political undertakings among the pre-Christian ruling elites at halls and cultic buildings. 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.