Germ 148: Germanic Mythology, Religion, and Folklore

GERM 148: Germanic Mythology, Religion, and Folklore

Fall Semester 2015, MWF 3:00-3:50 pm, Wescoe 4049

Instructor: Professor William Keel, Germanic Languages & Literatures

Inevitability of Ragnarök [http://aryan-myth-and-metahistory.blogspot.com/2010_09_01_archive.html]

Ragnarök has the etymological meaning of the final destiny of the gods from ragna [genitive plural of regin-“gods or ruling powers” and rok- “end, fate”]. The term was wrongly transcribed by Snorri Sturluson as Ragnarokr which has caused its general mistranslation into “twilight of the gods” [Wagner`s opera Götterdämmerung]. Odin, chief god in Germanic mythology, chooses and calls out his Einheriar (“heroes”) who have been destined by Wyrd (“fate/destiny”) to incarnate at a specific time and in a specific place in order to fulfill the will of the All Father. It is not surprising that those who profess to be followers of Odin view themselves as strong individuals by nature who are distinct and separate from the masses. It is these men and women who, according to this belief system, will one day share in the governance of the earth under the coming generation of gods.
We will explore the pagan myths and beliefs of Teutonic (Germanic) antiquity and their survival in the popular traditions of Germanic countries, including adaptation in music (Richard Wagner Der Ring des Nibelungen) and politics (Nazism in 20^th Century Germany), as well as remaining pagan traditions in the Alpine regions of Germany, Austria and Switzerland. 

 

 

Questions? Contact Prof. Keel at [e-mail]