Description
Book SynopsisThis volume contains work by scholars actively publishing on origin legends across early medieval western Europe, from the fall of Rome to the high Middle Ages. Its thematic structure creates a dialogue between texts and regions traditionally studied in isolation. Part I (Regions) introduces the corpus of origin texts from the areas under this volume’s purview. Part II (Themes) identifies key themes that appear in origin legends and introduces new arguments on a wide range of early medieval material. The chapters in Part III (Approaches) conclude the volume by highlighting a range of disciplinary, methodological, and theoretical approaches to origin legends. Contributors are Lindy Brady, Erica Buchberger, Thomas Charles-Edwards, Michael Clarke, Marios Costambeys, Katherine Cross, Helen Fulton, Shami Ghosh, Ben Guy, Judith Jesch, Catherine E. Karkov, Robert Kasperski, John D. Niles, Conor O’Brien, Alheydis Plassmann, Andrew Rabin, Helmut Reimitz, Robert W. Rix, and Patrick Wadden.
Table of ContentsList of Figures Notes on Contributors 1 Introduction Lindy Brady and Patrick Wadden PART 1: Regions 2 Origin Legends of Visigothic Spain in Isidore of Seville’s Writings Erica Buchberger 3 Origin Legends in Ireland and Celtic Britain T.M. Charles-Edwards 4 Origin Legends in Italy in the Early Middle Ages Marios Costambeys 5 Origin Stories in the Viking Diaspora—Norway, Iceland, Orkney Judith Jesch 6 The Origin Legend of the Goths in the Getica by Jordanes Robert Kasperski 7 The Early History of Frankish Origin Legends, c.500–800 C.E. Helmut Reimitz PART 2: Themes 8 The Legend of Trojan Origins in the Later Middle Ages: Texts and Tapestries Michael Clarke 9 Fallen Angels and the Island Paradise Catherine E. Karkov 10 The New Israel Motif in Early Medieval Origin Legends Conor O’Brien 11 Out-of-Scandinavia: New Perspectives on Barbarian Identity Robert W. Rix 12 Oral Tradition and Origin Legends Shami Ghosh PART 3: Approaches 13 Origin Legends and Objects Katherine Cross 14 Historiography and the Invention of British Identity: Troy as an Origin Legend in Medieval Britain and Ireland Helen Fulton 15 Origin Legends and Genealogy Ben Guy 16 Myths of the Eastern Origins of the Franks: Fictions or a Kind of Truth? John D. Niles 17 Origines gentium and the Long Shadow of Rome Alheydis Plassmann 18 Myth, Memory, and the Early History of the Diocese of Tours in Gregory’s Decem libri historiarum Andrew Rabin 19 Conclusion Lindy Brady and Patrick Wadden Index
