Andreas Nordberg: Fornnordisk religionsforskning mellan teori och empiri: kulten av anfäder, solen och vegetationsandar i idéhistorisk belysning

Sammendrag

The book in question is, as the exhaustive title suggests, a survey of a rather limited field, namely animistic, manistic and solar theories, within the study of the history of ancient Scandinavian religion. However, these theoretical insights have been rather significant for Swedish research, as becomes obvious in the discussion. The book also offers a thorough survey of the European discussion of these theories during the 19th century, which thus serves as a basis for the treatment of the Scandinavian research from the perspective of the history of ideas and as a mirror for inspecting scholarly discussions within it. The author treats the topic in a thoughtfully comprehensive and detailed manner, but nevertheless succeeds in creating a narrative out of it. This narrative begins in pre-19th century theories and culminates in the present situation and the current outlook for Swedish studies in the history of religion.