The Political Symbolism of Ants and Bees in Old Norse Sources
In this article I discuss the political themes attached to the eusocial creatures, specifically ants and bees, in Old Norse sources. I consider the situation of Old Norse as a transnational literature, encompassing one country that lacked ants and bees (Iceland) and one that did not (Norway). Althou...
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ftuniaarhuspubl:oai:pure.atira.dk:publications/c5af6286-1145-462c-a97b-33b24d23e870 2023-05-15T16:47:08+02:00 The Political Symbolism of Ants and Bees in Old Norse Sources Cole, Richard 2020 application/pdf https://pure.au.dk/portal/da/publications/the-political-symbolism-of-ants-and-bees-in-old-norse-sources(c5af6286-1145-462c-a97b-33b24d23e870).html https://pure.au.dk/ws/files/207888695/Ants_and_Bees_CM.pdf http://ojs.novus.no/index.php/CM/article/view/1863 eng eng info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess Cole , R 2020 , ' The Political Symbolism of Ants and Bees in Old Norse Sources ' , Collegium Medievale , vol. 33 , pp. 163-204 . < http://ojs.novus.no/index.php/CM/article/view/1863 > article 2020 ftuniaarhuspubl 2021-01-27T23:45:18Z In this article I discuss the political themes attached to the eusocial creatures, specifically ants and bees, in Old Norse sources. I consider the situation of Old Norse as a transnational literature, encompassing one country that lacked ants and bees (Iceland) and one that did not (Norway). Although the behavioural ecology of eusociality, or indeed the classification of ants and bees as taxonomically related, is a relatively recent development in human knowledge, I argue that the fundamental qualities of swarming and mutual aid were clearly recognisable long before modern science. The differing environments and differing political systems between Iceland and Norway are examined as factors shaping the depiction of eusocial insects. However, the Old Norse sources are also integrated into their European context in order to explore the abstract – even universal – ideological questions that are prompted when humans compare their own societies to those of ants and bees. Article in Journal/Newspaper Iceland Aarhus University: Research Norway |
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Open Polar |
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Aarhus University: Research |
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ftuniaarhuspubl |
language |
English |
description |
In this article I discuss the political themes attached to the eusocial creatures, specifically ants and bees, in Old Norse sources. I consider the situation of Old Norse as a transnational literature, encompassing one country that lacked ants and bees (Iceland) and one that did not (Norway). Although the behavioural ecology of eusociality, or indeed the classification of ants and bees as taxonomically related, is a relatively recent development in human knowledge, I argue that the fundamental qualities of swarming and mutual aid were clearly recognisable long before modern science. The differing environments and differing political systems between Iceland and Norway are examined as factors shaping the depiction of eusocial insects. However, the Old Norse sources are also integrated into their European context in order to explore the abstract – even universal – ideological questions that are prompted when humans compare their own societies to those of ants and bees. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Cole, Richard |
spellingShingle |
Cole, Richard The Political Symbolism of Ants and Bees in Old Norse Sources |
author_facet |
Cole, Richard |
author_sort |
Cole, Richard |
title |
The Political Symbolism of Ants and Bees in Old Norse Sources |
title_short |
The Political Symbolism of Ants and Bees in Old Norse Sources |
title_full |
The Political Symbolism of Ants and Bees in Old Norse Sources |
title_fullStr |
The Political Symbolism of Ants and Bees in Old Norse Sources |
title_full_unstemmed |
The Political Symbolism of Ants and Bees in Old Norse Sources |
title_sort |
political symbolism of ants and bees in old norse sources |
publishDate |
2020 |
url |
https://pure.au.dk/portal/da/publications/the-political-symbolism-of-ants-and-bees-in-old-norse-sources(c5af6286-1145-462c-a97b-33b24d23e870).html https://pure.au.dk/ws/files/207888695/Ants_and_Bees_CM.pdf http://ojs.novus.no/index.php/CM/article/view/1863 |
geographic |
Norway |
geographic_facet |
Norway |
genre |
Iceland |
genre_facet |
Iceland |
op_source |
Cole , R 2020 , ' The Political Symbolism of Ants and Bees in Old Norse Sources ' , Collegium Medievale , vol. 33 , pp. 163-204 . < http://ojs.novus.no/index.php/CM/article/view/1863 > |
op_rights |
info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess |
_version_ |
1766037216949174272 |