Извори за архетипа на пътя в скандинавската митология
Sources for the Archetype of the Path in Scandinavian Mythology

Summary/Abstract: The article refers to the sources of the archetype of the path in Scandinavian mythology. The mythical hero and his journey are incorporated in the core of the archetype of the path in Scandinavian mythology. The sources of the archetype of the path in Scandinavian mythology are discussed according to a basic two-fold classification: literary texts (oral/verbal and written records) and non-literary (visual) texts, which have come to us mainly as archaeological artifacts. The first group includes old-Scandinavian poems, songs, odes, as well as prose works written by the Icelandic intellectual Snori Sturluson and the skald-poets, whereas the second one entails monumental structures: runic stones (“runstenar”) and funeral structures, items related to the Scandinavian customs household, cults and weaponry. The poetic texts and the runic inscriptions prevail among the sources. The conclusion emphasizes the fundamental deduction drawn by the author throughout his entire research: that, in his pilgrimage, the real historical person (king, warrior) in Scandinavian medieval culture follows and campaigns the pattern of the path that was already used either by a divinity or by a cultural hero in Scandinavian mythology.

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