This lecture will consider the influences that brought about differences between the folk beliefs and legends of the North Atlantic Islands, many of which clearly have a background in the legends and beliefs of Norway. Was this a matter of natural difference or cultural nurture?
Paper long abstract
It is evident from any survey of the folk beliefs and legends of the North Atlantic Islands that to a large extent they have a foundation in world views and narratives that Nordic settlers brought with them in the late ninth century, narratives and beliefs which naturally shaped the way they saw their environment. These stories naturally have since gone on to develop over the course of time, taking on new shapes and influences. Of particular interest, however, are the differences that one encounters when comparing the legends from each group of islands with those found in Norway. What exactly has caused these changes? Is it the difference in natural surroundings, different cultural influences, different social environments or something else? One such difference can be seen in the fact that while Iceland has no legends at all about the widespread protective household spirits that have come to be called nisser and tomter in Norway and Sweden, such beliefs (in the shape of the so-called hugboon) used to be very much alive in Orkney, and faintly existent in Shetland. Was this a matter of natural difference or cultural nurture? If time permits, considerations will also be made of why the Orcadians seem to have invented the mermaid and the hidden worlds of Hildaheim and Finfolkaheem.