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The hope of salvation and the fear of damnation were fundamental in the Middle Ages. Surprisingly, however, this topic has received limited attention in the study of Old Norse literature. This book addresses this lacuna in the scholarship, from two major perspectives. Firstly, it examines how the twin themes of damnation and salvation interact with other more familiar and better explored topoi, such as the life-cycle, the moment of death, and the material world. Secondly, it looks at how issues relating to damnation and salvation influence the structure of texts, with regard both to individual scenes and poems and sagas as a whole. The author argues that comparable features and patterns reoccur throughout the corpus, albeit with individual variations contingent on the relevant historical and literary context.

Old Norse literature --- Salvation in literature. --- History and criticism. --- Authority. --- Charismatic Movements. --- Community. --- Damnation. --- Death. --- Family. --- Fear. --- Hope. --- Last Things. --- Life-Cycle. --- Material World. --- Middle Ages. --- Old Norse Literature. --- Religious. --- Salvation. --- Spiritual. --- Structure.