Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin - Sprach- und literaturwissenschaftliche Fakultät - Nordeuropa-Institut

Mediävistischer Gastvortrag

im Rahmen der Vortragsreihe
Das Alte im Neuen. Aktualisierungen der altnordischen Literatur in der Gegenwartskultur

Jón Karl Helgason
Háskóli Íslands

From Wagner to Viking Metal

The image of violent Scandinavian Vikings, eager to kill and be killed, became a fi xed cliche in Western-European and North-American popular culture during the twentieth century. In most cases, the brutal mentality of the Vikings was linked to their heathen beliefs. During the past few decades, these ideas have been thrown about in heavy metal rock music by bands such as Manowar from the USA, Einherjer from Norway, Týr from the Faroe Islands, and even The Mighty Thor from Mexico. In his paper, Jón Karl Helgason will discuss a few recurring themes in the lyrics of some of these bands and consider to what degree these can be related to infl uential American Viking fi lms from the 1920s and the 1950s and even further back to Wagner‘s 19th-century recycling of the Eddas.