HomeUnder the Sign of Saxo. History, Identity and Nation in the History of the Danes
Under the Sign of Saxo. History, Identity and Nation in the History of the Danes
Sous le signe de Saxo. Histoire, identité et nation dans la Geste des Danois
Published on Wednesday, October 19, 2022
Abstract
In most European countries, the formation of national identity is a phenomenon whose birth is traditionally situated between the 18th and 19th centuries. This is also the case for Denmark where the loss of Norway in 1814 and the 1864 defeat to Prussia and its Austrian ally are of particular importance. The premises of this phenomenon are however already perceptible in the Middle Ages, the Gesta Danorum (The History of the Danes), occupying a primordial place in this respect. The symposium intends to study the constitution of a Danish national identity by focusing on Saxo and his work, albeit not exclusively.
Announcement
23-24 June 2023, Auditorium of the Castle (Caen)
Argument
In most European countries, the formation of national identity is a phenomenon whose birth is traditionally situated between the 18th and 19th centuries. This is also the case for Denmark where the loss of Norway in 1814 and the 1864 defeat to Prussia and its Austrian ally are of particular importance. The premises of this phenomenon are however already perceptible in the Middle Ages, the Gesta Danorum (The History of the Danes), occupying a primordial place in this respect. Begun around 1180 at the instigation of Archbishop Absalon and completed around 1210, its author, Saxo Grammaticus, offers in his work a monumental history of Danish sovereigns over more than 2000 years. After a preface including a geographical description of the North, Saxo devotes the first part of his work to the mythical kings of Denmark, starting his story with the ascension to the throne of Dan, the eponymous founder of the Danish nation. Then, in a second section, he approaches the successive reigns of historical sovereigns, from Harald Bluetooth (c. 958-c. 985), considered by traditional historiography as the unifier and evangelizer of Denmark, to Valdemar the Great (1157-1182).
This immense Latin fresco, which attained only a limited circulation in the Middle Ages, benefits from a major revival of interest from the beginning of the modern era. Denmark thus acquires a glorious past and, in certain respects, the Gesta Danorum appears as a founding text like the Iliad in Greece, the Aeneid in Italy, Roland’s Song in France and the Song of the Nibelungs in Germany. With the first edition of 1514, the Gesta Danorum became an essential reference for Danish historiography until the Age of Enlightenment, while it provoked a more hostile reading on the Swedish side. If current historians are more cautious about the veracity of this account, the Gesta Danorum remains today a central source for studying medieval Denmark and is therefore perceived as the great classic of the Danish Middle Ages. However, it is still a relatively unknown work abroad, even if it served as a source of inspiration for several famous rewritings, such as the legends of William Tell in Switzerland and Hamlet in England.
The symposium intends to study the constitution of a Danish national identity by focusing on Saxo and his work, albeit not exclusively. Contributions may relate to archeology and texts prior to the Gesta Danorum – for example to compare Saxo’s account with historical reality –, to the medieval reception of the Gesta Danorum before the 1514 edition, or to the period during which this work is considered as a national “Bible”, especially during the conflicts with Sweden. Contributions may also give thought to the birth of modern Danish historiography and the change of paradigm, in particular for the benefit of prehistory, archeology and the Viking story, or examine the contemporary reception of Saxo, for instance through the many translations.
Submission guidelines
The papers will be in French or in English. Paper proposals (approximately 300 words) must be sent with a short biographical note. They will be sent to the following e-mail addresses: christian-bank.pedersen@unicaen.fr et simon.lebouteiller@unicaen.fr
by the 31st of December 2022.
Organizing committee
- Christian Bank Pedersen (Caen),
- Simon Lebouteiller (Caen),
- Ingvil Brügger Budal (Bergen),
- Caroline Olsson (Lyon),
- François Émion (Paris),
- Frédérique Harry (Paris),
- Jules Piet (Strasbourg),
- Peter Andersen (Strasbourg)
Research centers: EA 4254 (ERLIS, Caen), EA 1853 (LCE, Lyon 2), UR 3556 (REIGENN, Paris), UR 3400 (ARCHE, Strasbourg), HVL (Høgskulen, Bergen)
Subjects
- Language (Main category)
- Mind and language > Language > Literature
- Periods > Middle Ages
- Periods > Early modern
- Periods > Modern
- Zones and regions > Europe
- Society > History
- Zones and regions > Europe > Baltic and Scandinavian countries
Places
- Auditorium du Château de Caen
Caen, France (14)
Event attendance modalities
Full on-site event
Date(s)
- Saturday, December 31, 2022
Keywords
- Danemark, histoire, identité, nation, littérature, histoire, Scandinavie, historiographie, médiévalisme
Contact(s)
- Simon Lebouteiller
courriel : simon [dot] lebouteiller [at] unicaen [dot] fr
Information source
- Simon Lebouteiller
courriel : simon [dot] lebouteiller [at] unicaen [dot] fr
License
This announcement is licensed under the terms of Creative Commons CC0 1.0 Universal.
To cite this announcement
« Under the Sign of Saxo. History, Identity and Nation in the History of the Danes », Call for papers, Calenda, Published on Wednesday, October 19, 2022, https://doi.org/10.58079/19qu
