IMC 2017: Sessions
Session 713: Origo gentis: The Origin Legends of Medieval Europe, III
Tuesday 4 July 2017, 14.15-15.45
| 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: | Máire Ní Mhaonaigh, Department of Anglo-Saxon, Norse & Celtic, University of Cambridge |
| Paper 713-a | The Rhodri Mawr Legend: Genealogical Teleology in the 12th Century and Beyond (Language: English) Index terms: Genealogy and Prosopography, Historiography - Medieval, Language and Literature - Celtic, Language and Literature - Latin |
| Paper 713-b | Measure Once, Resegment Twice: The Munster Genealogies, the Éoganachta, and the Érainn (Language: English) Index terms: Genealogy and Prosopography, Historiography - Medieval, Language and Literature - Celtic, Language and Literature - Latin |
| Paper 713-c | Íslendingabók as Origin Myth and Icelandic Proto-Ecclesiastical History: An Appraisal Based on Chronological Structure (Language: English) Index terms: Ecclesiastical History, Geography and Settlement Studies, Historiography - Medieval, Language and Literature - Scandinavian |
| 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. |