Independent research: Norse mythology

My research has shown that categories are not applicable to Norse mythology. Neither is Thor a god of thunder, nor is Odin a god of death, nor is Loki a devil. It is time to leave systematizations à la Snorri Sturluson behind us. It is time to read and interpret the sources according to their complexity. Thereby the Norse mythology will open up anew and provide access to an as old as timeless knowledge, a knowledge that can lead us to a more comprehensive understanding of the world and ourselves even today.

I have done Scandinavian, German and English studies, each with focus on elder language stages. I have specialized in Old Norse studies and Norse mythology. My doctoral thesis deals with Loki.

Loki is one of the most complex and discussed figures of Norse mythology. Hardly another Norse god has challenged research as much as Loki. He is called a "problem" and a "riddle" and it seems that some researchers can't help questioning Loki's position among the gods – maybe hoping to solve the "problem" by "unmasking" Loki as a giant, a devil, a product of separation, a spider or late unimportant variant. The plentitude of categories applied to Loki – culture hero, trickster, fire elf, destroyer, chthonian deity, expression of "impulsive intelligence", death etc. – induce even contemporary researchers to disregard the historical context in order to find a typological solution.

In contrast to that I elaborate different levels of development as well as possibilities of interpretation of Loki in his position and function of miðjungr and sagna hrœrir on the basis of the sources and historical findings and developments. I show that many misconceptions of Loki – especially the one as murderer and "evil" element – base on blind blendings of different levels. Investigating Loki I show that the delimination of intramythological level and development from extramythological level and development is an important factor for understanding Norse mythology. This delimitation together with the definition of these levels is probably the most important innovation of this book and can be applied to Loki as well as to adjacent fields of Norse mythology. By that I do not only put light on Loki's intra- and extramythological development and function, but also provide a perspective on the intra- and extramythological chronology of Norse mythology in general. The outcome of my work is a highly differenciated understanding of Loki's and Norse mythology's development and changeableness while providing an access to the enigmatic figure of Loki on different levels of understanding (literary, social, pragmatic-cultic, inter- and paramundane and Christian).

For more information about me, please visit www.artantara.de.

Recommended literature:

Der nordgermanische Gott Loki aus literaturwissenschaftlicher Perspektive

Riding the Tree