[Magdalen] A 13th century prayer

[Jay Weigel]

Icelanders, at least the few I've known, are still pretty much pagan at
heart :-) Or at least the pagan coexists right along with the Christian.

On Sat, Aug 15, 2015 at 5:15 PM, Cantor03--- via Magdalen <
magdalen at herberthouse.org> wrote:

>
>
> In a message dated 8/15/2015 4:43:42 P.M. Eastern Daylight Time,
> jay.weigel at gmail.com writes:
>
> This  hymn/prayer was composed by an Icelandic chieftain around the year
> 1208,  asking for guidance and peace in the face of looming warfare.
> >>>>>>
>
> Impressive prayer.
>
> The conversion to Christianity in the Scandinavian countries was
> relatively
> late.  Though there was a Christian presence as early as the 800's,  the
> real body of the population held to pagan beliefs much longer.
>
> This chieftain was probably the exception rather than the rule at that
> time,
> in that he was a practicing Christian.
>
> At the time of the Protestant Reformation,  the Swedes were, as  was
> typical, the last to accept the Reformation which came in stages 1544 -
> 1565.
> Ditto for Finland, which was part of the Swedish Empire.  Sweden  remains
> high church, with High Mass at the archepiscopal Cathedral of Uppsala
> resembling the Tridentine Rite equivalent.
>
> Such carrying's on would be stupefying to my Scandinavian relatives  in
> the Upper Midwest.
>
> Norway and Denmark (and therefore Iceland) accepted the Reformation
> earlier secondary to royal shenanigans.
>
>
> David Strang.
>
> https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christianization_of_Scandinavia.
>
>