Berserk for berserkir: Introducing Combat Trauma to the Compendium of Theories on the Norse Berserker
Institution: | University of Iceland |
---|---|
Department: | |
Year: | 2015 |
Keywords: | Miðaldabókmenntir |
Record ID: | 1220918 |
Full text PDF: | http://hdl.handle.net/1946/21040 |
This thesis attempts to provide a brief overview of major pieces of the English-language scholarship concerning the Norse berserker. It tries to demonstrate consistent flaws in scholarly treatment and the hollow nature of many major theories and attitudes. In doing so, I hope to demonstrate the importance of brining in outside scholarship on the berserker, specifically the work of Jonathan Shay, who’s book Achilles in Vietnam, demonstrated a strong continuity of experience between Achilles in Homer’s Iliad, and the experiences of American soldiers in the Vietnam War. I believe his work can be equally applied to the Norse berserker, and hoep to introduce Shay into the conversation. Í þessari ritgerð er reynt að gefa stutta grein fyrir helstu þáttum norrænna berserkja sem hluti af enskum námstyrk. Reynt verður að varpa ljósi á vankanta fræðilega hlutars og gloppur sem leynast í helstu kenningum og viðhorfum. Með þessu vonast eg til þess að sýna fram á mikilvogi þess að koma með utanaðkomandi sýn á þetta verkefni. Þá sérstaklega vinnu Jonathan Shay í bókinn Achilles in Vietnam þár sem hann synir framú sterk tengsl á milli ATH og reynslu USA hermann í Víetnam. Eg tel verk hans eiga vel við í þessum samanburði.