Getting

Medieval: Viking Narratives in Modern Media

ENGL 400
MWF 10:30-11:20 in GRIS 126

Instructor: Aidan Holtan (gaunta@purdue.edu)
Office: HEAV 207A
Office Hours: Wednesday 1:00-2:00 and by appointment


Long flowing hair, heavy hammer, divine strength and
witty comebacks: thanks to Marvel, we’re all familiar with
Thor. But how much of our knowledge is built on myth,
and how much is movie magic? In this class, we will read the Poetic Edda and The
Saga of the Volsungs in translation, and then examine how these Old Norse
narratives grow and change as they are adapted to new languages, genres and
mediums. By the end of the semester, students will not only be able to identify the
medieval in the modern, they will also be able to recognize and argue against
misleading uses of the source material.

Students who complete this class will:
• Demonstrate knowledge of Old Norse literature through identifying
recurring elements in modern media
• Analyze the effects of translation and the choices that modern authors make
when translating a medieval text
• Perform critical analyses of a wide range of texts that engage with medieval
material
• Create well-supported arguments about the use and misuse of medievalism
• Be able to respond to texts, classmates, and other people with emotional
intelligence and self-awareness.

Required Texts:
Snorri Sturluson, The Prose Edda, trans. Jesse L. Byock (ISBN: 9780140447552)
Neil Gaiman, Norse Mythology (ISBN: 9781408886809)
Erik Evensen, Gods of Asgard (ISBN: 9780976902522)
Diana Wynne Jones, Eight Days of Luke (ISBN: 9780064473576)
A.S. Byatt, Ragnaök: The End of the Gods (ISBN: 9781847670649)
The Saga of the Volsungs, trans. Jesse L. Byock (ISBN: 9780140447385)

Grading:
Concise Comparisons: 20%
Discussion: 20%
Midterm Paper: 30%
Final Paper: 30%

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Assignments:

Concise Comparisons: Students will compose four short (1 page) arguments
addressing the main course themes: Translating the Edda, Responses to the Edda,
Vikings in film, and Vikings in Media. These papers are worth 5% each, for a total of
20% of the final grade.

Discussion: Each student will lead class discussion for one class session this
semester. Students leading the discussion will be asked to prepare 4-6 discussion
questions, as well as a 1 page handout for the class. I will print the latter, if given to
me at least 24 hours beforehand.

We will decide the discussion dates in class on Friday of Week 1, so come prepared
with your calendars!

Midterm and Final Paper: For the midterm and the final, students will be asked to
write a 5-7 page essay worth 35% each. The midterm is due in class on Friday of
Week 7, and the final is due by 5:00 pm on Wednesday of Week 15 (finals week). See
the course Blackboard for the prompts and the rubrics.


Schedule
This schedule is subject to change. If a change is made to the policies or syllabus, you
will be notified on the course website and by email. All readings listed are due that
day in class. Please come prepared to discuss.

Who are the Vikings? Historical and Literary Context
Week 1
M Introduction: Medievalism and the influence of Norse Mythology
W Who are the Vikings? Historical overview
F Introduction to the Edda
Read: Prose Edda “Introduction” (pp. ix-xxx)

Week 2
M Read “Prologue”(pp. 3-8) and Gylfaginning (pp. 9-48)
W Gylfaginning (pp. 49-79)
F Read Skaldskaparmal (80-118)

Translating the Edda
Week 3: Translations of the Edda
M Carolyne Larrington “Translating the Poetic Edda into English” (BB)
“An Introduction” and “The Players” in Neil Gaiman’s Norse Mythology
W Neil Gaiman, Norse Mythology “Before the Beginning, and After”, “The
Treasures of the Gods,” “Freya’s Unusual Wedding” and “The Mead of Poets”
F Norse Mythology “The Death of Balder,” “The Last Days of Loki,” and
“Ragnarok: The Final Destiny of the Gods”

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Week 4: Gods of Asgard
M Reading Graphic Novels; Erik Evensen’s Gods of Asgard “Preface”
W Gods of Asgard pp. 9-82
F Gods of Asgard pp. 83-end

Responses to the Edda

Week 5: Ragnarok: The End of the Gods
M Meeting the right book at the right time—relating to literature | A.S. Byatt’s
Ragarök: The End of the Gods pp. 3-12
Due: Concise Comparison 1
W Ragnarök pp. 13-82
F Ragnarök pp. 83-end

Week 6: Eight Days of Luke
M David Clark’s “Old Norse Made New: Past and Present in Modern Children’s
Literature” (BB); Diana Wynne Jones’ Eight Days of Luke pp. 9-43
W Eight Days of Luke pp. 44-118
F Eight Days of Luke pp. 119-end

Week 7: American Gods
M Excerpt American Gods (BB)
W Excerpt American Gods (BB)
F Why use the Edda in contemporary literature?
Due: Midterm Paper


Vikings in Film
Week 8: Old Gods Made New
M Marvel’s adaptations of Thor and Loki
Read: Introduction to Kevin Harty’s The Vikings on Film: Essays on Depictions
of the Nordic Middle Ages (BB)
Due: Concise Comparison 2
W Supernatural “Hammer of the Gods” Season 5 Ep. 19
F Why old Gods in new movies? Adaptations and revisions to the source
material

Week 9: Influence of the Sagas
M Read: The Saga of the Volsungs “Introduction” and “Note on the Translation”
(pp. 1-32)
W Read: The Saga of the Volsungs (pp. 35-66)
F Read: The Saga of the Volsungs (pp. 67-109)

Week 10: The Vikings
M Medievalism

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 Read: Introduction to David Matthews’ Medievalism: A Critical History (BB)
W [[Watch Episode of The Vikings, TBA]]
Read: Alan Lupack “Valiant and Villainous Vikings” (BB)
F Responses to The Vikings
Read: Lars Walker, “History Channel Gets Vikings Precisely Wrong”; Keya
Balar “Historical Inaccuracies in Vikings”; and Monty Dobson “Obsessed with
the Good and Bad of Vikings” (BB)

Vikings in Media
Week 11: Advertising with Vikings
M For class: Bring examples of advertising that uses Vikings
Due: Concise Comparison 3
W Horned Helmets No More: Accuracy in Advertising
F Why Use Vikings to Sell Products?

Week 12: Medieval Spaces: Reenactments and Re-visiting the Past
M Emphasizing historical spaces
Read: David Matthews’ “This Way to the Middle Ages: The Spaces of
Medievalism” and Megan Arnott “Sculpting Medieval Landscapes for Viking
Tourism” (BB)
W Jorvik Viking Center and Jorvik Viking Festival
Read: Look through the websites for the Jorvik Viking Center
(https://www.jorvikvikingcentre.co.uk/) and the Jorvik Viking Festival
(https://www.jorvikvikingfestival.co.uk/)
F Hidden Treasures: Treasure Hoards and Runestones

Week 13: The Political Viking
M The Rise of the Viking in Nationalism
Read: Andrew B.R. Elliott, “A Vile Love Affair: Right Wing Nationalism and
the Middle Ages” (BB)
W The Global Viking
Read: Judith Jesch, “Geography and Travel” (BB)
F Gender and the Vikings
Read: Carol J. Clover, “Regardless of Sex: Men, Women, and Power in Early
Northern Europe” (BB)

Week 14
M Vikings in Boardgames
Due: Concise Comparison 4
W The Nords and Viking-lore of Skyrim
F Semester wrap-up: Why Vikings? Why now?

Week 15: Final Essay Due Wednesday by 5:00 pm