The Power(s) of Music and Musicians in Norse-oriented Religious Interfaces

Citation:

Skjoldli, Jane. 2023.“The Power(s) of Music and Musicians in Norse-oriented Religious Interfaces”. in Uses and Abuses of Power in Alternative Spiritualities. Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA.

Abstract:

Abstract: Einar Selvik of Wardruna, Heilung, and others associated with the Dark Nordic Folk genre, have come to define Viking-themed soundscapes in movies, TV series, and video games. What does their music say about them, how do Heathens use and speak of their music? Based on a digital survey and follow-up interviews, I argue that the songs religious Norse-inspired musicians create, sell, and provide constitute central elements for contemporary Heathen interfaces in their interaction with the Norse-inspired worlds they imagine, live, and enact. I also argue that their music has afforded them tremendous religious power in an alternative spirituality growing globally.

Presenter bio: Dr. Jane Skjoldli is Associate Professor in the study of religion at the University of Stavanger, Norway. Her research interests are contemporary Norse-oriented Paganism, contemporary Catholicism, charismatic Christianity. Her theoretical interests include but are not exclusive to perspectives prominent in discourses on material religion, religion and popular culture, and religion, emotion, and cognition. She is particularly interested in processes of constructing and deconstructing power that take place in social groups and settings often deemed religious.

Presenter affiliation: University of Stavanger, Norway

Last updated on 04/11/2023