Genealogy as a Method to Legitimise Rulership in Some Balkan and Scandinavian Sources
Genealogy as a Method to Legitimise Rulership in Some Balkan and Scandinavian Sources
Author(s): Vesela StankovaSubject(s): History, Language and Literature Studies, Literary Texts
Published by: Wydawnictwo Uniwersytetu Łódzkiego
Keywords: Icelandic sagas; the Nominalia; kings lists; genealogies; origin stories; legitimization; cultural memory; cultural identity; founding narratives; crisis literature
Summary/Abstract: This paper will focus on several sources from Scandinavia and the Balkans, and compare the types of genealogies portrayed in them – descent from gods, descent from another kind of supernatural being, descent from a legendary hero. The paper will examine the types of genealogies and the purpose they serve; how and why they were commissioned? Is there a difference in the establishment of the image of the ruler if the latter has descended from gods, legendary heroes, or a specific clan or dynasty? Does Christianity change the tradition of writing genealogies and the stories they retell? Are personal qualities enough to provide legitimate claims?
- Issue Year: 2020
- Issue No: 10
- Page Range: 227-239
- Page Count: 13
- Language: English