Scandinavian 40: Heroic Journey in Northern Myth, Legend, and Epic

Instructor: Kimberly Ball

This course explores representations of heroes and heroic journeys in Nordic narrative traditions.  We will consider stories from myth, epic, folktale, and legend within their historic, geographic, and cultural contexts.  Questions we may ponder include: What makes a hero heroic?  In what ways is a heroine like a hero, and in what ways different?  What is the hero’s relationship to the community?  To the divine?  To death?  What differentiates a hero from a leader?  A trickster?  A monster?  Satisfies GE requirement for “Literary and Cultural Analysis” under the foundation of “Arts and Humanities.” Taught in English.