The Emergence of Nordrlönd in Old Norse Medieval Texts, ca. 1100-1400

• Main Author: Jakobsson, Sverrir
• Other Authors: Isleifsson, Sumarlidi R., Chartier, Daniel
• Format: Book Part
• Language: English
• Published: Presses de l'Université du Québec 2011
• Subjects: North; Iceland; Worldview; Medieval identities; Ethnogenesis; Literacy; Medieval historiography; Medieval geography; Exoticism; Mental maps; Arctic; Images of the North; Nordrlönd; Scandinavia; History
• Online Access: http://archipel.uqam.ca/10281/1/222023426.pdf

The subject of this article is the emergence of the term Nor!rlönd in Old Norse textual culture, the different meaning and functions of this term, and its connection with the idea of a Northern people who shared certain features, such as a common language, history, and identity. This will be explained through analysis of the precise meaning of the term Nor!rlönd within medieval discourse, in particular with regard to how it was used in the Scandinavian lingua franca. A secondary aim is to explain its connection with related concepts in other languages, for example, Latin. In order to achieve this, an analysis will be made of how the term was used and in what context. In addition, the influence of power structures on the term and their uses will also be analysed. A third consideration will be how the inhabitants of Nor!rlönd were defined, in other words, who was included and who was not. This study of medieval discourse is qualitative rather than quantitative, as befits the nature of the documentary sources consulted. The primary sources themselves, and the information they provide, is the major focus of the study. Through careful analysis of the term Nor!rlönd and its use in contemporary texts, the dominant discourse concerning the North in Scandinavia during the Middle Ages will be elucidated, as will the creation of an image of the North and a specific Nordic identity.