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Doors to other worlds: Scandinavian death rituals in Gotlandic perspectives

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  27 January 2017

Anders Andrén
Anders Andrén*
Affiliation:
Institute of Archaeology, Krafts torg 1, S-223 50 Lund, Sweden
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Abstract

This paper examines Gotlandic picture stones and their relation to death rituals in Scandinavia from AD 400 to 1100. The stones are shown to mediate, as ‘doors’, between the living and the dead, and their iconography can be related to a specific form of narrative which may also have been relevant to ship burial on the mainland. The interaction between this tradition of burial and Christianity is discussed.

Dieser Artikel untersucht gotländische Bildersteine und deren Bedeutung für Begräbniszeremonien in Skandinavien zwischen 400 AD und 1100 AD. Es wird gezeigt, daß diese Steine als ‘Pforten’ eine Vermittlerrolle zwischen den Lebenden und den Toten einnahmen, und daß ihre Ikonographie mit einer spezifischen Überlieferung in Zusammenhang gebracht werden kann, die auch in bezug auf die Bootsbestattungen auf dem Festland von Bedeutung ist. Wechselwirkungen zwischen dieser Bestattungstradition und dem christentum werden diskutiert.

Cet article est consacré aux blocs figurés du Gotland et à leurs relations avec les rituels funéraires scandinaves, de 400 à 1100 après J.C. Les blocs sont décrits comme des médiateurs, ou des ‘portes’ entre le monde des vivants et le domaine de la mort. Leur iconographie peut être mise en rapport avec une forme spécifique de narration, qui peut s'être également appliquée aux tombes en forme de bateau du continent. L'interaction entre cette tradition funéraire et le christianisme est discutée.

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Articles
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Journal of European Archaeology , Volume 1 , Issue 1 , Spring 1993 , pp. 33 - 56
Copyright
Copyright © European Association of Archaeologists 

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