Folklore Archeology

"Her haver det i Fortiden været et mærkelig Sted" - om bygdeborger og folketro

by Hanne Lovise Aannestad

Published in "Primitive tider", vol.6, 2004.

Hillforts and Folklore. Ancient monuments are considered to have cultural value, consisting of a multitude of meanings... more Hillforts and Folklore. Ancient monuments are considered to have cultural value, consisting of a multitude of meanings that both past and present generations have ascribed to them. The folklore surrounding archaeological monuments is an essential part of their cultural value. Even though there was some earlier interest in the relationship between folklore and archaeology, this became more important within the post-prosessual theories of the 1990s. One theoretical implication of these newer approaches is that cultural meaning does not lie within objects; it is rather created in a specific object-subject situation.
By collecting and interpreting folklore connected to hillforts, I show that these places have been significant in the physical as well as in the cognitive landscapes of Norway. Finally, I argue that an archaeology more open to different kinds of meaning, thus reconsidering its interpretative supremacy, will form a good basis for dialogue with the general public.

Le motif de la femme-bison - Essai d'interprétation d'un mythe préhistorique (première partie, 1/2). - Mythologie française, 242, 2011: 44-55.

by Julien d'Huy

First part of the paper
http://www.mythofrancaise.asso.fr/

The Material Culture of Household Apotropaia in the Eastern United States

by M. Chris Manning

Paper and accompanying PowerPoint presented at the Society for Historical Archaeology Annual Meeting, Baltimore, Maryland, January 5, 2012. Part of the symposium, "Manifestations of Magic: The Archaeology and Material Culture of Magic and Folk Belief."

Paper Abstract:
Significant research on apotropaic concealments has been conducted by scholars in Europe and... more Paper Abstract:
Significant research on apotropaic concealments has been conducted by scholars in Europe and Great Britain, as well as in Australia. Similar research in colonial and post-colonial contexts in the United States, however, is still in its infancy. This paper examines the material culture of magic and folk belief in the eastern United States focusing on magical apotropaia associated with domestic and public structures. In particular, it explores the European origins of these practices, their transformation and reinterpretation in the United States and their continuation into the twentieth century.

Symposium Abstract:
Although it has been twenty-five years since British archaeologist Ralph Merrifield published his seminal work, The Archaeology of Ritual and Magic, the archaeological study of magic in European contexts is still a relatively new field. Bringing together scholars from diverse backgrounds and disciplines, this session will explore the material culture of magic and folk belief, both above and below ground. Emphasis is on the manifestation of magical traditions in Europe as well in various colonial and post-colonial contexts in Australia and North America, interaction with non-Western magico-religious traditions, and the ways in which archaeologists and scholars in related disciplines engage and interpret material evidence of magical belief and practice.

Arqueología, Folklore y comunidades locales: los castros en el medio rural asturiano

by David González Álvarez

GONZÁLEZ ÁLVAREZ, D. (2011): Arqueología, Folklore y comunidades locales: los castros en el medio rural asturiano, Complutum, 22(1): 133-153.

Resumen: En este trabajo se reflexiona sobre la relación entre los arqueólogos y las comunidades locales del medio... more Resumen: En este trabajo se reflexiona sobre la relación entre los arqueólogos y las comunidades locales del medio rural europeo, repasando la trayectoria y las posibilidades que ofrece la atención a los relatos orales del folklore de temática arqueológica. Para ello, se analiza al caso concreto de la investigación de la Edad del Hierro en Asturias, repasando los antecedentes de este tipo de aproximaciones y exponiendo las aplicaciones prácticas que la atención a las narraciones orales puede aportar a la Arqueología. A la vez, se exploran algunas posibles vías por las que este diálogo abierto pudiese revertir en las comunidades locales.

Abstract: In this paper we reflect on the relationship between archaeologists and local communities in rural Europe, seeking to review the history and possibilities of attention to oral stories of the folklore with archaeological themes. We analyze the specific case of the investigation on the Asturian Iron Age. We review the background of such approaches and we show the practical applications that focussing on oral history can contribute to archaeological research. At the same time, we explore some possible ways in which this dialogue could revert to local communities.

Intorno a Salvàns e Pagàns in Friuli: buone vecchie cose o nuove cose buone

by Davide Ermacora

Published in «Atti dell'Accademia San Marco» 11 (2009), 477-502

Due libri recenti sulle Agane

by Davide Ermacora

Published in «Ce Fastu?» 1 (2011), 71-82

This short review discusses, and raises some observations about, two new monographs on the folk belief in Alpine... more This short review discusses, and raises some observations about, two new monographs on the folk belief in Alpine fairies known as the Agane. Attention is focused, in particular, on the question of the pre-Christian origins of this belief throught archaeological sources and comparative mythology

The divine appearance of Härn: Determining the identity of a Bronze Age metal hoard

by Magdalena Forsgren

Current Swedish Archaeology. Vol. 18 (2010). Pp. 105-125. [Peer review.]

This article aims to investigate the mysterious divinity Härn on the basis of a Bronze Age metal hoard from Härnevi in... more This article aims to investigate the mysterious divinity Härn on the basis of a Bronze Age metal hoard from Härnevi in Uppland. The premise is that this hoard represents a cultural category that reflects a divine concept that must be investigated in order to understand the meaning behind the deposition. Through mythological parallels, Härn’s characteristics will be explored as well as the relation between the sun and fertility across time and space. It is suggested that Härn originally was a sun goddess emanating from the Bronze Age and related to the Norse goddesses Njärd and Freyja.

Key words: Härnevi, metal hoard, Bronze Age, comparative mythology, folklore, sun, fertility

Om kirkesagn og ødekirker: Muntlig tradisjon og stedsnavn som kilder for kirkeforskningen (Of Migratory Legends and Deserted Churches)

by Frans-Arne Stylegar

Co-authored with J. Brendalsmo. In: Hikuin 30 (2003), pp 69-94.

The main purpose of the paper is to argue for observance of oral tradition as a source to deserted medieval churches.... more The main purpose of the paper is to argue for observance of oral tradition as a source to deserted medieval churches. Such churches are referred to in place-names, where church- (kirke, kapell) or priest (prest) are part of the name (eg. Kirkeby, Presterud, Kirkegården, Kapelløys). Often there are folk tales connected to these places. Some tales just tell that there once stood a church on a specific site, the site often having one of the above-mentioned type of name. In other cases there is no name to support the folk tale. Then there are the so-called migratory legends, which tell that the local farmers started to build a church on a specific spot, but what was built during daytime was removed to another place at night by supra-natural powers. And there the church was eventually built. A few examples are presented, from the county of Vest-Agder in the south of Norway, where the authors have excavated some of these legendary churches. The various types of tradition in Vest-Agder are then discussed and grouped, with emphasis put on three geographical areas where tradition is especially plentiful. Finally, it is argued that by treating folk traditions as any other source for scientific research, it is possible to develop a much broader understanding of the erection of religious buildings in the medieval period. A theoretical reason is given for this kind of approach, and an attempt at decoding the migratory legends is presented.

Iter ad Indiam in den rumänischen Märchen (Synthesis, XXVI, 1999)

by Liviu Bordas

Hunting the European Sky Bears: German ‘Straw-bears’" and their Relatives as Transformers

by Roslyn Frank

Pre-publication draft of the following article:

Frank, Roslyn M. (2010). Hunting the European Sky Bears: German ‘Straw-bears’ and their Relatives as Transformers / Die Jagd auf die europäischen Himmelsbären Deutsche ‘Strohbären’ und ihre Verwandten als Verwandler. In Michael and Barbara Rappenglück (eds.), Symbole der Wandlung - Wandel der Symbole. Proceedings of the Gesellschaft für wissenschaftliche Symbolforschung / Society for the Scientific Study of Symbols. May 21-23, 2004, Kassel, Germany, pp. 141-166. Munich.

The origins of the Germanic “Straw-bears” have been subject to speculation for years. In this study the Straw-bears... more The origins of the Germanic “Straw-bears” have been subject to speculation for years. In this study the Straw-bears will be contextualized along with their European relatives so that their meaning can be better appreciated within a larger framework of European ritual belief and social practice. The cosmogony in question is grounded in the belief that humans descended from bears, a belief that continued into the 20th century among Basque-speakers. The transformative aspects of the Straw-bear performances will be examined in relation to “Good-Luck Visits”, a type of performance aimed at bringing good health and prosperity to the houses visited and in which Straw-bears and their relatives have played a major role.

Etnoarqueología del paisanaje tradicional como fuente de información en Arqueología

by David González Álvarez

GONZÁLEZ ÁLVAREZ, David (2008): "Etnoarqueología del paisanaje tradicional como fuente de información en Arqueología", en OrJIA (Coord.): Actas de las I Jornadas de Jóvenes en Investigación Arqueológica: Dialogando con la cultura material (JIA 2008), Tomo I. Madrid: Ediciones CERSA, 237-244.

Abstract: Traditional communities from rural Asturian landscape construct (or constructed) their identity based on a... more Abstract: Traditional communities from rural Asturian landscape construct (or constructed) their identity based on a mythical thought, which allows them to handle oral stories which they are able to understand and explain different real observations. Inside this oral tradition, there are many different stories relating to archaeological realities like sites or material objects of hillforts communities in the Western Cantabrian area (Asturias). These speeches can be relevant for the archaeological discipline, for which we raise superficially a way of work, through a few cases of study, in that after contextual ethnoarchaeological interpretation, we can take advantage of informative contributions proceeding from the traditional system of knowledge, elaborated in mythical key.

Jews, jurats and the Jewry Wall: a name in context

by Oliver D. Harris

Transactions of the Leicestershire Archaeological and Historical Society, vol. 82 (2008), pp. 113-33

The name of the Jewry Wall, Leicester, has never been satisfactorily explained. This paper reviews the several... more The name of the Jewry Wall, Leicester, has never been satisfactorily explained. This paper reviews the several hypotheses which have been proposed for its origin, and argues, drawing on comparative evidence from elsewhere in England, for an interpretation based on the site's history as a quarry for building materials, and on late medieval and early modern folk attributions of enigmatic antiquities to Jews. An appendix outlines the history of the Jewish community in medieval Leicester.

Antiquarian Attitudes: crossed legs, crusaders and the evolution of an idea

by Oliver D. Harris

Antiquaries Journal, vol. 90 (2010), pp. 401-40

Since the sixteenth century, both scholarly and popular readings of tomb monuments have assigned a series of... more Since the sixteenth century, both scholarly and popular readings of tomb monuments have assigned a series of interpretations to medieval effigies with crossed legs. These have included the beliefs that the effigies dated from before the Norman Conquest; that they commemorated crusaders, or those who had taken crusading vows; and that they commemorated Knights Templar. The ‘crusader’ theory has proved particularly tenacious, and, although largely discredited by scholars, continues to flourish in folk wisdom. This paper charts the emergence and dissemination of these several ideas and the debates they engendered. It argues that the early modern identification of the cross-legged attitude as a noteworthy feature was, despite its mistaken associations, a landmark in the story of the formulation of techniques for the typological diagnosis of antiquities.