Religionsskiftet i sen vikingetid – Belyst ud fra Harvey Whitehouses teori om religiøse modaliteter

This study reveals that the transition from paganism to Christianity at Jelling Mounds, Denmark, during the Late Viking Age was not conflict-free but involved distinct religious modalities. Using Harvey Whitehouse’s theory of divergent modes of religiosity (DMR), it shows that pre-Christian rituals were primarily imagistic—characterized by low-frequency, high-arousal events with spontaneous meaning-making—while Christian adoption among nobility reflected doctrinal traits, such as narrative-driven, high-frequency rituals with centralized leadership. Archaeological evidence, including burials, cult sites, and monumental ship graves, supports this duality: hierarchical grave goods suggest doctrinal influence, while exclusive burial practices and violent rituals align with imagistic modality. The study concludes that the peaceful shift to Christianity was facilitated by the nobility’s familiarity with controlled religious narratives, bridging the gap between pagan and Christian structures.

Geertz, N. J. (2011). Religionsskiftet i sen vikingetid – Belyst ud fra Harvey Whitehouses teori om religiøse modaliteter. Kuml, 60(60), 115–141. https://doi.org/10.7146/kuml.v60i60.24512