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IMC 2015: Sessions

Session 642: Interdisciplinary Approaches to Early Scandinavia, II

Tuesday 7 July 2015, 11.15-12.45

Moderator/Chair:Hannah Burrows, Centre for Scandinavian Studies, University of Aberdeen
Paper 642-aThe Throne of Solomon and the sedes sapientiae in Medieval Icelandic Book Painting
(Language: English)
Stefan Andreas Drechsler, Kunsthistorisches Institut, Christian-Albrecht-Universität zu Kiel
Index terms: Art History - Decorative Arts, Language and Literature - Scandinavian, Manuscripts and Palaeography
Paper 642-b'Far From Drunk With Ale': Women, Sobriety, and Power in Old Norse-Icelandic Literature
(Language: English)
Rebecca Straple, Department of English, Western Michigan University, Kalamazoo
Index terms: Gender Studies, Language and Literature - Scandinavian, Women's Studies
Paper 642-cThe Murder of King Eric IV Ploughpenny of Denmark in 1250: Communicating Royal Propaganda and Legitimacy through Images and Narratives
(Language: English)
Kerstin Hundahl, Historiska Institutionen, Lunds Universitet
Index terms: Art History - Painting, Language and Literature - Scandinavian, Politics and Diplomacy
Abstract

Paper -a:
This paper examines the iconographic feature known as the throne of King Solomon in six 14th-century Icelandic manuscripts, considering development in its meaning and appearance in light of the overall textual and visual concepts of the works it accompanies.

Paper -b:
In this paper I argue that female characters in Old Norse-Icelandic literature gain power by remaining sober through the opportunities to either advise or outsmart men who had become drunk. I engage directly with what Jenny Jochens describes as a 'sober queen topos', a model wherein queens and women remain sober and aid and advise their kings and husbands after stupid, rude, or dangerous actions caused by their husbands' intoxication or where they outwit or even harm men by taking advantage of their drunkenness. This paper examines this 'sober queen topos', the few women in the corpus who do imbibe alcohol, the ways in which sober female behavior manifests in Old Norse-Icelandic literature, and its connection to female power.

Paper -c:
This paper will examine how the death of Eric IV was utilized by his youngest brother Christopher I to legitimize his and his descendants' claim to the throne. In order to do so he and his descendants used the past as a weapon against King Abel - who was posthumously held accountable for committing fraternal regicide and usurping the throne from Eric in 1250. This paper explores how the narrative surrounding these events was disseminated into various levels of society through chronicles, annals, minnelieds and church murals.