The diploma work Nordic mythology in Icelandic epics and Beowulf explores the Nordic myth on the basis of two Icelandic epics, Poetic Edda and Prose Edda. The mythological part depicts the beginning, ending and rebirth of the world, as perceived by the pagan peoples of northern Europe, more precisely Scandinavia. Throughout the work, individual myths will be presented in certain places, such as the Balder myth and the myth of the gifts of the dwarves, because of the connection of these myths with the other part of the diploma work which discusses the epic about Beowulf and the exploration of its Nordic mythic elements. Since Beowulf is strongly linked to Christianity, a chapter between the first and the second part of the diploma work will summarize the historical framework of the collision between the two worlds, the pagan and Christian one. Beowulf will then explore the mythological elements, especially motifs and themes from the Nordic mythology, but as they are also infused with the tradition coming from the Genesis, they will also be explained in the places where the Christian and pagan elements merge.
|
