Oral Tradition in Norway: Folktales, Myths and Medieval Ballads

Vytautas Magnus University, K. Donelaicio 52-514

15:00, Wednesday, 23 October 2013,

The lecture focuses on Norwegian trolls, the witch of the Black Death, and medieval ballads of black metal. To put it in more academic language, the lecture presents beliefs in beings of nature, myths of origin and myths predicting coming events, and on the development of medieval ballads first sung at court in Bergen to their present use at the concert scenes of black metal bands like Tyr.

Sigrid Aksnes Stykket, born 1950, University Lecturer in Norwegian Literature, Folklore and Traditional Culture, and Fantasy Literature at Telemark University College, Faculty of Arts and Sciences, Bø in Telemark, Norway.

Special fields: Scandinavian medieval ballads, folklore and oral tradition, fantasy literature, Norse literature and language, Faroese language and history.

The last three years I have been leading a pilot project developing an online course based on the Norwegian literature and language course of TUC (Telemark University College), which has become a success to the extent that we now are unable to accept all applicants, and have put a limit at 100 students a year”.

Writings: (2007) Dei sigler med fløy (MA thesis), Oslo, University of Oslo (https://www.duo.uio.no/handle/10852/26572)

Conference contributions:

May 1993: A Woman’s Place: “A Woman’s Place in the Scandinavian Medieval Ballad”

May 2012: Tales of Death: “Death in the Ballad