Järnålderns gudomliga tvillingar? : Mytologiskt tvillingskap i Skandinaviens materiella kultur

Sammanfattning

This essay examines the Proto-Indo-European motif of the Divine Twins, as it has been interpreted in Scandinavia during the Bronze and Iron Ages. Because of the difference in opinion between archaeological researchers regarding when the Divine Twins disappeared, an examination of the material culture that has been connected to this motif is undertaken. Duality as a concept is used to discuss the relationship of mythological twins to, on one hand, likeness and closeness, and, on the other, opposing personalities, contrasting aspects and animosity. Based on the analysis of the Scandinavian material culture, it is concluded that the Divine Twins as a motif survived the debated Bronze Age collapse. Furthermore, the inclusion of Nordic ethnographic accounts from the 19th and 20th century may imply that the Divine Twins survived, at least in popular beliefs, well into the 1900s.