Papers by Gry Wiker
Mellom himmel og jord. Foredrag fra et seminar om religionsarkeologi Isegran 31. januar - 2. februar 2002. OAS (Oslo Archaeological Series), vol 2, redigert av L. Melheim, L, Hedeager og K. Oma, IAKK, University of Oslo, 2004
Research on Scandinavian gold bracteates (gullbrakteater)
The conception of transcendent gods th... more Research on Scandinavian gold bracteates (gullbrakteater)
The conception of transcendent gods that create man and mans world, Midgard, as opposed to the world of giants, can be found in Old Norse Poetry. The idea has certain parallels to Christian thought, and can easily be dismissed as having no relevance for the Iron Age, as the sources are written down in the Middle Ages. In this article it is however suggested that the idea can be traced back in time. Gradual changes in the Scandinavians’ worldview might have taken place during the Iron Age, as the elites probably continually evaluated their status, reputation and ideals to their equals on the continent. Gold symbols, iconography, as well as continental and Norse texts, are used as sources to discuss supposedly altered beliefs in peoples’ view of their place in the world - in relation to gods, animals and immanent forces.
Facets of Archaeology. Essays in Honour of Lotte Hedeager on her 60th Birthday, OAS (Oslo arkeologiske serie) nr 10, redigert av K. Chilidis, J. Lund, C. Prescott, Universitetet i Oslo, Unipub., 2008
Gullbrakteater og ikonografi (Scandinavian gold bracteates and iconography)
I denne artikkelen d... more Gullbrakteater og ikonografi (Scandinavian gold bracteates and iconography)
I denne artikkelen diskuterer jeg billedspråk, ritualer og forestillinger omkring krigerinitiasjonen. Mitt primære anliggende er en ikonografisk tolkning av Drei-Götter-brakteatene (Hauck et al. 1985–1989), som er spekket med liminal symbolikk. De aktuelle gullbrakteatene fra folkevandringstid har beslektede motiver, og faller inn under Mogens B. Mackeprangs (1952:36–39, Pl.6,11–16, 20,20) danske gruppe og Herje Öbergs (1942:128–130, fi g. 75–76) gruppe BIII. Gruppen består av 12 b-brakteater fra ni forskjellige funnsteder.1 Motivet fi n nes i åtte varianter. To hovedideer har vært sentrale ved tolkningen av moti vet: For det første at det ligger romerske forbilder til grunn for fremstillingen (Axboe 1991, 2002; Bolin 1928; Stephens 1873; Öberg 1942), og for det andre at fremstillingen kan relateres til norrøn mytologi. Tolkningen av motivet som Balders død, ble først lansert av Karl Hauck (1970:181–188, 1974, 1983:553– 555, 1984:280–306, 1992a:476–495, 1992b:129–148, 2002), og har i løpet av de ti siste årene vunnet relativt bred aksept innenfor nordisk arkeologi.
Primitive tider, 2001
Research on Scandinavian gold bracteates (gullbrakteater): On the construction of a new human ide... more Research on Scandinavian gold bracteates (gullbrakteater): On the construction of a new human identity in the Iron Age.
In this article I argue that in Scandinavia during the 6th century new ideas influenced by a Christian world view shaped and changed people’s social identity and gender roles. The Scandinavian societies were probably not Christianized at this time, however, continental influences can have had an impact on aspects of ideology and on human values. Considerable changes can be seen in the material culture and also in the symbolic language around 550 AD. The iconography of the gold bracteates and other items of the Migration Period can be 67 Gry Wiker Konstruksjon av identitet i jernalderen interpreted as focusing on magical ritual, seid, and on the liminal phase in the rites de passages. The motifs on small arts, as well as in Old Norse poetry, indicate that the rituals could include a blurring of the borders between male and female and between human and animal. At the same time, the prominent place of the nid motif in literature, as well as in medieval law texts, might indicate that this type of behavior was considered inappropriate, and was definitely felt to be unacceptable in later times. From the end of the 6th century the metamorphosis of human to ani mal, which reoccurred in the iconography of the Migration Period, apparently no longer played an important role. Furthermore, depictions of nakedness and androgynies also seem to disappear from the symbolic language at this time. Man and woman stand side by side. Humans, as well as gods, are often depicted in richly detailed dress and with an aura of dignity. Movement and ecstasy is now replaced by static poses. The changes in the iconography might be seen in light of the Christian world’s ascetic ideal and the new sensitivity towards nakedness. Other elements related to Christian thought, which can be traced through the symbolic language, is the idea of humans being modeled in Gods image and, therefore, as essentially different from animals. The find context of the bracteates, contra to that of the later gold foil figures, also indicates that the official cult was transferred from liminal places in the landscape to the human houses, thereby creating an increased ideological distance to the asocial world.
Kaupang-undersøkelsen 2000. Undersøkelse av traseer for sykkel-/gangvei og avløp i bosetningsområdet på Kaupang, 1010/1029, Larvik kommune, Vestfold
Thesis Chapters by Gry Wiker
Hovedfagsoppgave i nordisk arkeologi, IAKK, Universitetet i Oslo, 2000
In this master thesis, I investigate the deposition of the Scandinavian gold bracteates (gullbrak... more In this master thesis, I investigate the deposition of the Scandinavian gold bracteates (gullbrakteater) in the landscape. The results are discussed results in light of the amulets’ iconography that I relate to the Norse myths and the liminal phase of rites de passages. The bracteates depositions are interpreted by analysing the poetic Edda’s description of different landscape types and features.
Conference Presentations by Gry Wiker
Body, Self and Identity. PhD workshop, 24.09-27.09 2007 in Athens, Greece. Dialogues with the Past. The Nordic Graduate School in Archaeology, 2007
This is an unpublished workshop presentation. My main concern in this paper is possible understan... more This is an unpublished workshop presentation. My main concern in this paper is possible understandings and meanings attached to adornment and bodily aesthetics in the Kaupang milieu, which may contribute to explain the prosperity of the adornment industry in the years around 800 AD, when the site was founded. The significance of bodily aesthetics is a complex and complicated issue that touches upon questions about body, mind, soul, selfhood, moral, the good, identity, gender, ethnicity, etc, connected to long theoretical debates. However, in this paper I have chosen to elucidate only a few aspects of body, adornment and identity through medieval texts and archaeological material.
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Papers by Gry Wiker
The conception of transcendent gods that create man and mans world, Midgard, as opposed to the world of giants, can be found in Old Norse Poetry. The idea has certain parallels to Christian thought, and can easily be dismissed as having no relevance for the Iron Age, as the sources are written down in the Middle Ages. In this article it is however suggested that the idea can be traced back in time. Gradual changes in the Scandinavians’ worldview might have taken place during the Iron Age, as the elites probably continually evaluated their status, reputation and ideals to their equals on the continent. Gold symbols, iconography, as well as continental and Norse texts, are used as sources to discuss supposedly altered beliefs in peoples’ view of their place in the world - in relation to gods, animals and immanent forces.
I denne artikkelen diskuterer jeg billedspråk, ritualer og forestillinger omkring krigerinitiasjonen. Mitt primære anliggende er en ikonografisk tolkning av Drei-Götter-brakteatene (Hauck et al. 1985–1989), som er spekket med liminal symbolikk. De aktuelle gullbrakteatene fra folkevandringstid har beslektede motiver, og faller inn under Mogens B. Mackeprangs (1952:36–39, Pl.6,11–16, 20,20) danske gruppe og Herje Öbergs (1942:128–130, fi g. 75–76) gruppe BIII. Gruppen består av 12 b-brakteater fra ni forskjellige funnsteder.1 Motivet fi n nes i åtte varianter. To hovedideer har vært sentrale ved tolkningen av moti vet: For det første at det ligger romerske forbilder til grunn for fremstillingen (Axboe 1991, 2002; Bolin 1928; Stephens 1873; Öberg 1942), og for det andre at fremstillingen kan relateres til norrøn mytologi. Tolkningen av motivet som Balders død, ble først lansert av Karl Hauck (1970:181–188, 1974, 1983:553– 555, 1984:280–306, 1992a:476–495, 1992b:129–148, 2002), og har i løpet av de ti siste årene vunnet relativt bred aksept innenfor nordisk arkeologi.
In this article I argue that in Scandinavia during the 6th century new ideas influenced by a Christian world view shaped and changed people’s social identity and gender roles. The Scandinavian societies were probably not Christianized at this time, however, continental influences can have had an impact on aspects of ideology and on human values. Considerable changes can be seen in the material culture and also in the symbolic language around 550 AD. The iconography of the gold bracteates and other items of the Migration Period can be 67 Gry Wiker Konstruksjon av identitet i jernalderen interpreted as focusing on magical ritual, seid, and on the liminal phase in the rites de passages. The motifs on small arts, as well as in Old Norse poetry, indicate that the rituals could include a blurring of the borders between male and female and between human and animal. At the same time, the prominent place of the nid motif in literature, as well as in medieval law texts, might indicate that this type of behavior was considered inappropriate, and was definitely felt to be unacceptable in later times. From the end of the 6th century the metamorphosis of human to ani mal, which reoccurred in the iconography of the Migration Period, apparently no longer played an important role. Furthermore, depictions of nakedness and androgynies also seem to disappear from the symbolic language at this time. Man and woman stand side by side. Humans, as well as gods, are often depicted in richly detailed dress and with an aura of dignity. Movement and ecstasy is now replaced by static poses. The changes in the iconography might be seen in light of the Christian world’s ascetic ideal and the new sensitivity towards nakedness. Other elements related to Christian thought, which can be traced through the symbolic language, is the idea of humans being modeled in Gods image and, therefore, as essentially different from animals. The find context of the bracteates, contra to that of the later gold foil figures, also indicates that the official cult was transferred from liminal places in the landscape to the human houses, thereby creating an increased ideological distance to the asocial world.
Thesis Chapters by Gry Wiker
Conference Presentations by Gry Wiker