ScholarWorks@숙명여자대학교

초록

The main purpose of this study is to find political implications embedded in motives and in changed contents of the ancient myths by examining the process and the contents of embellishment of the Norse myths as sample cases. It also explores the relationship between the expansion of the Christianity and the embellishment of the myths. The results of the study also reveals that transformation of the myths and the patriarchal tradition of the modern political thoughts in Europe are vety closely connected. The myths, religions, and political thoughts are intertwined one another throughout the history of knowledge. And often times the dominating power revealed by its own religious faith twisted the local legends or myths. While the Christianity expanded in allover medieval Europe, it also affected and changed the contents and the way of understanding local myths. It seems that the embellishment of the myths was not occurred naturally in the process of shifting the power relationships but was intended toward certain direction meant by the dominant political power. This study shows that there were lots of conflicts, such as dominations, resistances, assimilations, and transformations between the ancient myths and invading values, the Christianity in the development of European history. Therefore changes in the myths is not only the results of religious challenges and domination but also the results of political struggle and domination. This is the case study of the Norse myths. The image of their goddesses tell us that men and women were equal at the time, and sometimes women were more determined in their important roles. Their heros and gods were peaceful unless they were attacked. However, it appears that the Christianity supplied the patriarchal perception, developed by its monotheist faith, to the original forms. One result of it was the paradigm shift in understanding social relations: from maternal power relationship to paternal power relationship. Another is changing the image of the Viking heros: from the ever most exciting and influential figures in Europe to those whom without their authority, and often described as mere barbarians and sometimes evil figures, and eventually been faded away into the Bible and the fairy tales in Northern European countries. In addition, a rather sensitive and emotional nature of the reason in the ancient myths has been replaced by Christian reason, and then individualist scientific reason. The patriarchy has become representing the mainstream of modernity and modern political thoughts, particularly liberalism, as many feminists have argued.