Norse Culture

[MasterOLightning]

I've become more interested lately in exploring in depth various aspects of the Norse culture, and I was wondering if anyone could point me in the right direction, as far as some good websites or books. So far, I've come across quite a few websites that offer differing opinions on seemingly simple issues such as the futhark. I suppose this would be a valid place to discuss the merits of Norse culture, and its relevance today, especially within the metal scene, to the general worldview of people.

 

[SunMontage]

http://www.runaraven.com/

 

[MasterOLightning]

Yeah, I wouldn't know where to begin out of those. Anything more introductory?

 

[SunMontage]

Check your library for books. Most of the shit out these days is highly biased but yet more appealing than the 'real' historical books... Take it all in with giant grains of salt, don't believe anything you read for too long and you should be all right.

If you're interested in the runes then check out the archeological books before the Stephen Flowers aka Edred Thorsson Temple of Set influenced books...

 

[Hubster]

I found a good stepping stone in a book I bought about mythology in general... it's an encyclopedia of mythology. Finding one of those is a good start.

 

[Øjeblikket]

try using Wikipedia's resources.

here's a couple of good starting points.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norse

(I assume by "Norse" in your original question you mean Norway and Sweden, since a generalization of the cultures considered to be Nordic in the modern sense of the word, would be a generalization tantamount to bias, and thus error. Although, I'm not too sure it's a safe bet to consider Sweden and Norway and their respective cultures one in the same, either.)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nordic_countries

also, let's consider the breadth of the term "culture", and recognize that a people are not merely beings whose being-ness is ultimately determined by their peoples myths; since being, especially in this age, is a becoming and not an history. I recognize that you only mentioned futhark as an example of the extant discrepancies on the subject, but let's get focused proper anyway, ok.?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Culture

also,

"culture: The totality of socially transmitted behavior patterns, arts, beliefs, institutions, and all other products of human work and thought."

http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=culture

surely we should observe that Norse does not lend itself to one specific culture, nor does "culture" lend itself to a generalized definition.

 

[derek]

Yeah, wikipedia can help out with just about anything. Good thread, i've always been interested in the subject too.

 

[the alumnus]

are you interested in modern or ancient norse culture? the two are quite different, and will require different research.
for ancient culture, the best way is to dig into primary sources. historical text make a good starting point, and there were a few histories compiled by outsiders that reference the norse (venerable bede, etc.). the norse didn't gain literacy until the christian era, so much of it has been lost. some has been preserved in the icelandic sagas, the eddas, and some bits from here and there.

for modern norse culture, there are a lot of contemporary sources. the cia factbook is a good start, and available online. since the culture is egalitarian and socialist, searching within a study of socialism or egalitarianism will probably yield valuable results.

 

[MasterOLightning]

Thanks for the help everyone. At the time though, I'm getting buried by schoolwork. I probably won't have a ton of time for this stuff until winter break I guess.

 

[infoterror]

Yeah, wikipedia can help out with just about anything.

As long as you don't require accurate information, that's true.

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2005/10/18/wikipedia_quality_problem/

 

[Disgustipated]

Havamál. Nuff said.

 

[Freanan]

Just get a copy of each the Sturluson Edda and the Saemunds Edda.
They are also called prose-edda and poetic edda (or something like that) or the younger and older edda.
The latter one is often just called "The Edda".

Then you have "the original sources"...
You might also add some icelandic saga. Maybe the Volsung's saga, because it is more mythological then the other sagas (it is the norse version of the nibelungenlied).

 

[ARC150]

Once you are able to exhume yourself from the schoolwork burial, please specify what it is you are looking to learn - this will help people direct you.

Until then, and since this is a metal site, go listen to Amorphis - Tales From the Thousand Lakes and Elegy.