[gothic-l] Re: Heyerdahl searching for Odin

[keth at ONLINE.NO]

Dirk wrote:
>Hi Nikolai,
>
>I actually indicated that Thor Heyerdahl did not say that the Goths
>brought the Odin belief to Europe, but rather that this was my own
>speculation. The whole BBC report did not take this venture entirely
>seriously as far as I could gather. However, my understanding is that
>Heyerdahl believes that this Odin was a real king in the first century
>BC, meaning that if the Scandinavians originated from South Russia
>they would have migrated northwards at around this time. Interesting,
>but is that really a viable theory???
>

I've heard some radio programs with Heyerdahl, and some only
referring to his theories.

It is however more general than just Odin.
He thinks the name "Aserbadjan" has something to do with
"Aesir". (I know, there should be an "n" there)

So he thinks a group of people came from those regions to Scandinavia
a long time ago. There are also many rockcarvings there, btw.
I think also there was the ship "Skidbladner" wasn't that the ship
that could be folded up ? Well, he thinks they had ships of hides
that also could be folded up for transport over land between waterways.
Don't remember all details, but it is a beautiful and interesting
region.

Also, a Norwegian traditional musician visited Aserbadjan "to compare
notes" as it were. And to his amazement, he found that the traditional
music there was exactly the kind found in Norway.
This kind of very old extatic music can have existed in larger areas
of Europe before - but it was displaced by the Gregorian type of music
in continental Europe. Only in isolated valleys in Norway, places that
were without roads until barely a 100 years ago, did this music survive,
in so-called cultural "pockets". He also said, in a radio interview,
this kind of music is also described in the Bosa saga (saga of Bose and
Herraud), where it has the same name as it still has in Norway.
The context of the Bosa saga, is however in Russia with som Finnish
peoples who worshipped a God called Jomali, who is also mentioned
in the Saga. And there was indeed such a God in Russia or in Karelen
or in the Perm area, because the name has been confirmed in other sources.

So there probably was "an eastern connection". At least I do not find it
unlikely. Heyerdahl has  however been heavily criticized. But he is
already so fammous and well liked that it cannot hurt him. At least
he opens up peoples minds towards considering the idea in some more
detail.

Keth



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