
Bridges between Worlds
Spirits and Spirit Work in Northern Iceland
Corinne G. Dempsey(Author)
Oxford University Press Inc
Published on 26. April 2018
Book
Paperback/Softback
252 pages
978-0-19-088339-3 (ISBN)
Description
Bridges between Worlds explores Icelandic spirit work, known as andleg mal, which features trance and healing practices that span earth and spirit realms, historical eras, scientific and supernatural worldviews, and cross-Atlantic cultures. Based on years of fieldwork conducted in the northern Icelandic town of Akureyri, Corinne G. Dempsey excavates andleg mal's roots within Icelandic history, and examines how this practice steeped in ancient folklore functions in the modern world.
Weaving personal stories and anecdotes with engaging accounts of Icelandic religious and cultural traditions, Dempsey humanizes spirit practices that are so often demonized or romanticized. While recent years have seen an unprecedented boom in tourist travel to Iceland, Dempsey sheds light on a profoundly important, but thus far poorly understood element of the country's culture. Her aim is not to explain away andleg mal but to build bridges of comprehensibility through empathy for the participants who are, after all, not so different from the reader.
Weaving personal stories and anecdotes with engaging accounts of Icelandic religious and cultural traditions, Dempsey humanizes spirit practices that are so often demonized or romanticized. While recent years have seen an unprecedented boom in tourist travel to Iceland, Dempsey sheds light on a profoundly important, but thus far poorly understood element of the country's culture. Her aim is not to explain away andleg mal but to build bridges of comprehensibility through empathy for the participants who are, after all, not so different from the reader.
Reviews / Votes
As a reflection on participant experience, Bridges Between Worlds covers a segment of contemporary Icelandic Spiritualist practice, and a chapter on spiritual healing has some wider relevance. * Rosemary Power, National University of Ireland, Galway, Folklore *More details
Language
English
Place of publication
New York
United States
Illustrations
12 illus.
Dimensions
Height: 234 mm
Width: 156 mm
Thickness: 15 mm
Weight
435 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-19-088339-3 (9780190883393)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
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Book
10/2016
Oxford University Press Inc
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E-Book
09/2016
1st Edition
OUP eBook
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E-Book
09/2016
1st Edition
OUP eBook
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Available for download
Person
Corinne G. Dempsey is Professor of Religious Studies, Director of International and Global Studies, and Rose Marie Beston Chair for International Studies at Nazareth College. She is author of Bringing the Sacred Down to Earth: Adventures in Comparative Religion (OUP 2011), The Goddess Lives in Upstate New York: Breaking Convention and Making Home at a North American Hindu Temple (OUP 2005), and Kerala Christian Sainthood: Collisions of Culture and Worldview in South India (OUP 2001).
Author
Associate Professor of Religious StudiesAssociate Professor of Religious Studies, Nazareth College
Content
Acknowledgments
Icelandic Language Notes
Keeping Track: A Glossary of Characters.
Introduction: Bridging Worlds with Andleg Mal
Chapter 1: Roots and Layers of Andleg Mal
Chapter 2: Science and Skepticism, Belief and Blasphemy
Chapter 3: Skyggnigafa: The Gift that Keeps on Giving
Chapter 4: Trance Work
Chapter 5: Healers and Healing
Chapter 6: Leaps of Geography and Faith
Glossary of Icelandic Terms
Notes
Work Cited
Index
Icelandic Language Notes
Keeping Track: A Glossary of Characters.
Introduction: Bridging Worlds with Andleg Mal
Chapter 1: Roots and Layers of Andleg Mal
Chapter 2: Science and Skepticism, Belief and Blasphemy
Chapter 3: Skyggnigafa: The Gift that Keeps on Giving
Chapter 4: Trance Work
Chapter 5: Healers and Healing
Chapter 6: Leaps of Geography and Faith
Glossary of Icelandic Terms
Notes
Work Cited
Index