Ingrid PeterDie Wikinger bei den Völkern des Ostens

About this book deutschenglish

This book is dedicated to the exciting era of the common history of Scandinavia and Eastern Europe in the Viking Age. Throughout the book the author points out cultural interaction and the formation of hybrid cultures while highlighting in particular the fate of female slaves at this time. The focus is on two areas: Firstly that female slaves were used as prostitutes for the army and were even on one occasion allowed to fight together with soldiers and to die on the battle field and secondly, that they were used in funerals of highly decorated members of the retainers’ culture where they were allowed themselves to be sacrificed during a glamorous feast in front of a great audience in order to glorify the elite.

Ingrid Peter is a scandinavist and therefore views her topic from this perspective. She writes about mythological Valkyries and shield maidens and finds parallels to the female warriors of the 10th century, who were led by prince Svjatoslav of the Rurikides dynasty of the Kievian Rus into his last battle. Out of necessity the army prostitutes were made to fight.

It seems that the custom of ‘following to the Other World’ (Totenfolge) was already practised in Scandinavia, though only to a small extent. It is assumed that Germanic tribes returning from the area North of the Black Sea in the fourth century brought it into the North. In the retainers’ culture of Rus’, into which all resident ethnicities were accepted, it was practised in a far greater extent and was to transport the political statement of strength and eternal victory.

The explanation of the slaves’ readiness to accept their early death on the battle field or in a funeral drama will probably be found in the ‘conceptions of the Other World’ (Jenseitsvorstellungen) prevailing at the time. The women wanted to regain their freedom, if only in the World of Death.

The text, written in an authentic and extensive way, illustrates the happenings with their cultural and social phenomena from a scientific and objective perspective. The author knows how to unite complexity with lucidity. Non-German/non-English passages are translated in the foot notes. The book offers not only profound science but also captivating reading.

Ihr Werk im Verlag Dr. Kovač

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