The Role of the Shaman
Hilda R. Ellis Davidson
Routledge eBooks June 20, 2023 DOI: 10.4324/9781003415831-26 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Historical analysis Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Key points | Argues that Old Norse myths and tales of magic contain a strong shamanistic element, using Eliade's ecstasy-and-spirit-journey definition of the shaman. The author compares Odin's self-hanging to gain knowledge with shamans' initiation torments, and reads the enchanted 'dapple-grey' bull of Eyrbyggja Saga as closely resembling shamanic tales. |
Abstract
As increasing interest has been shown in shamanism during recent years, it has been recognised that there is a strong shamanistic element in Old Norse myths and tales of magic. Mircea Eliade took as the essential quality of the shaman ability to enter into a state of ecstasy and to journey in spirit to other regions. He compared the myth of Odin hanging on a tree to gain knowledge with tales of shamans enduring the torments of initiation before gaining full powers. A story from the sagas which bears a close resemblance to some of those collected from shamans is the tale of the enchanted bull in Eyrbyggja Saga , a ‘dapple-grey’ animal, born to a cow after she had licked the ashes of the fire on which the dead body of the evil Thorolf Lamefoot had been burned to stop him walking after death.