IMC 2017: Sessions
Session 613: Origo gentis: The Origin Legends of Medieval Europe, II
Tuesday 4 July 2017, 11.15-12.45
| Organisers: | Ben Guy, Department of Anglo-Saxon, Norse & Celtic, University of Cambridge Rebecca Thomas, Department of Anglo-Saxon, Norse & Celtic, University of Cambridge |
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| Moderator/Chair: | Charles Insley, School of Arts, Languages & Cultures, University of Manchester |
| Paper 613-a | Brython and Saesson: The Development of Origin Legends in 10th-Century Wales (Language: English) Index terms: Historiography - Medieval, Language and Literature - Celtic, Language and Literature - Comparative, Language and Literature - Latin |
| Paper 613-b | Out of Scandza: The Enduring Myth of the Gothic Saxons (Language: English) Index terms: Historiography - Medieval, Language and Literature - Old English, Language and Literature - Latin, Medievalism and Antiquarianism |
| Paper 613-c | Globalising Ireland: Universal History and the Irish World Chronicle (Language: English) Index terms: Biblical Studies, Historiography - Medieval, Language and Literature - Celtic, Language and Literature - Latin |
| Abstract | It was a universal practice to record stories about the origins of peoples, kingdoms, and dynasties in the middle ages. These stories enabled individuals to locate themselves and their societies within a larger historical and mythological context. There are certain features common to the origin legends of different peoples and regions, such as genealogy and migration, which served an aetiological function in helping people understand the present as an outcome of the past. Origin legends were not always consistent with each other however, as they were often used to press conflicting claims. These three sessions explore aspects of origin legends from across medieval western Europe. |