Narratives of encountering religions: On the Christianization of the Norse around AD 900–1000

Abstract

The article presents two contradictive narratives of the Viking Age and the process of conversion from heathendom to Christendom in western Norway. The narratives are based on different applications of -and attitudes towards -the written records from the above mentioned periods and theories of cultural conflicts and change. One narrative interprets the material record in close accordance with the written records which describe the Viking Age and the early Middle Ages. This is called the established narrative. The other narrative focuses more on the material record per se, and general theories on ethnicity, religion and cultural processes. This narrative is called the disturbing narrative. The theoretical considerations are exemplified with a case study from the western coast of Norway.

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Archaeology and Pre-Christian Religion in Scandinavia

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