The theory of using bonecoal to create steel during the scandinavian iron- and viking-age also came with theories of ancestor worship - through use of ancestor´s bones, fertility - by liking iron-work to childbirth, and the ritual role of iron-smiths - in making that happen. This text endeavors to compare these theories with others and conclude that ancestor worship was a possible motive for grave-robbing or chosing particular animal bones to create steel, but no conclusive evidence for it has been found, nor, indeed for ancestor worship itself. The childbirth metaphor for iron-work have no regard for the gender dynamics of the two situations, which were presumably very different, nor have it regard for the technicalities of childbirth, which, before modern medicine, can be assumed happened on the woman´s knees and utilized the power of gravity for help. The transformation and liminal role of smiths and smithing is on the other hand, almost universally agreed upon.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:UPSALLA1/oai:DiVA.org:uu-414788 |
| Date | January 2020 |
| Creators | Källgren, Saga |
| Publisher | Uppsala universitet, Arkeologi |
| Source Sets | DiVA Archive at Upsalla University |
| Language | Swedish |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Student thesis, info:eu-repo/semantics/bachelorThesis, text |
| Format | application/pdf |
| Rights | info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess |
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