[gothic-l] Re: Goths, Eruli in the East-Migration period legends.

[Tore Gannholm]

>
>**** Einar; In short, Scandinavia was NO Christian area around 800AD
>and not even in 900 AD.It was a firmly pagan area. Iceland was
>Christianized before Sweden and at a similar time as Denmark and
>Norway and Christianity was much more easliy accepted in Iceland than
>the other Scandinavian countries for the obvious reasons of that
>Christianity came to Iceland with the settlers and both Christianity
>and Paganism was practiced in Iceland from the beginning. Many
>influential settlers of powerful families were Christians.
>In short,in 800 AD all Scandinavia was pagan(and in 900 AD too) and
>probably Iceland was the first of the Scand. countries to indroduce
>Christianity.
>And most literature in Iceland was created in the 13th century about
>2-300 years after Christianity was accepted.
>
>So why were these poems/legends not preserved within Scand
>chieftainly families but just the Icelandic ones? Scandinavia was a
>pagan area.!
>And why did the majority of professional scalds come from Iceland?
>>>From families were skaldic poetry had been composed in a professional
>way for generations back. If you could answer this I would be
>surprised because this is a mystery Scand. scholars can not solve
>(except Barthi Guthmundsson)
>And NB then Iceland had a population that was very small compared to
>other Scand. countries.
>
>  **So I say in a polite way that the above argumentation by you is
>not valid.
>

Einar,

I don't know if you include Gotland in Scandinavia.
However, even if Gotland only officially became Christian in the 11th
century there are Christian graves as far back as perhaps the 6th
century.

In the Guta saga written down about 1220 it says:
"Although they were heathens they sailed with merchant goods to all
countries and came in contact with Christian customs after which some
were baptized and brought Christian priests to Gotland.

In the 8th century there was probably English missionaries in Gotland.

The oldest Gotlandic poem the Beowulf was probably written down in
the 8th century by Christian missionaries. Only one copy is known
which today is in British museum in London.

The Guta lagh was written down in about 1220 on instruction by the
Archbishop Andreas Sunesen.

Tore

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