Old Norse Mythology
| Code | School | Level | Credits | Semesters |
| ENGL4383 | English | 4 | N/A | April Full Year UK, Full Year UK, January Full Year UK |
- Code
- ENGL4383
- School
- English
- Level
- 4
- Credits
- N/A
- Semesters
- April Full Year UK, Full Year UK, January Full Year UK
Summary
The world of Odin, Thor and Loki, from Creation through to Ragnarok, was brought to an end by the Christianisation of Scandinavia in the Viking Age. But this pivotal change also enabled their stories to be preserved for posterity. Students will read, in translation, a selection of Old Norse myths from the Poetic Edda and Snorri Sturluson’s Edda. The pod will engage students with questions of origins, orality, beliefs, variation, and literary and historical contexts. Students will explore medieval mechanisms of cultural memory, euhemerism and narrativisation, and how the myths were preserved in the poetic device known as kennings.
Target Students
Students registered on the School of English online masters scheme.
Assessment
- 100% Participation: Student participation
Assessed by end of designated period
Educational Aims
This module comprises an optional component in the following pathways: Applied English, Early Medieval Studies, English Literature, Medieval Englishes, Medieval Literatures, Norse and Viking Studies, and World Literatures. As such, it contributes in its specific aims to the programme-level coverage of these pathways.Learning Outcomes
Articulate an understanding of the origins, chronology and literary history of Old Norse mythology.
Demonstrate critical knowledge of some of the main themes and characters in Old Norse myths.
Conduct sustained analysis of a source text or texts using appropriate terminology, concepts and critical frameworks.
Demonstrate knowledge and skills acquired to the appropriate disciplinary and professional standard.
Assimilate and present subject-specific material in an appropriate format (assessed within the ‘Assessment Portfolio’ 1, 2 or 3).