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CE1538: LOST GODS AND HIDDEN MONSTERS IN THE CELTIC AND GERMANIC MIDDLE AGES (2021-2022)

Last modified: 31 May 2022 13:05


Course Overview

Primordial giants, godlike ‘immortals’, elves, leprechauns, trolls, water-monsters and the walking dead: uncanny Otherworldly beings feature widely in the literature of the Celtic and Germanic Middle Ages, as its Christian authors reimagined their cultures’ pagan pasts. Drawing primarily on Gaelic and Norse-Icelandic literature, this course will explore how these beings were conceptualized, how (if at all) they related to pre-Christian myth and religion, and why they continued to be significant to these cultures many centuries after Christianization.

Course Details

Study Type Undergraduate Level 1
Term Second Term Credit Points 15 credits (7.5 ECTS credits)
Campus Aberdeen Sustained Study No
Co-ordinators
  • Professor Ralph J. O'connor

What courses & programmes must have been taken before this course?

What other courses must be taken with this course?

None.

What courses cannot be taken with this course?

  • CE1038 Lost Gods and Hidden Monsters in the Celtic and Germanic Middle Ages (Studied)

Are there a limited number of places available?

No

Course Description

The literature composed by Christian authors in the Celtic and Germanic Middle Ages is bursting with references to, and descriptions of, a wide range of uncanny or supernatural beings, many of which are thought to originate in pagan myth and religion: giants, gods, goddesses, elves, fairies, dwarves, leprechauns, valkyries, dragons, water-monsters, trolls, and spirits of the battlefield or wilderness. This course explores how these beings were conceptualized, how (if at all) they related to pre-Christian myth and religion, and why they continued to be significant to these cultures many centuries after Christianization. Its main source-material is drawn from Gaelic and Norse-Icelandic sagas, poetry and mythography, which provide by far the most detail on these matters; but it will include comparisons with Welsh, Anglo-Saxon, Middle English and Scots parallels where appropriate.


Contact Teaching Time

Information on contact teaching time is available from the course guide.

Teaching Breakdown

More Information about Week Numbers


Details, including assessments, may be subject to change until 30 August 2024 for 1st term courses and 20 December 2024 for 2nd term courses.

Summative Assessments

Essay

Assessment Type Summative Weighting 30
Assessment Weeks 31 Feedback Weeks 34

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Feedback

Written feedback and one-to-one discussion on feedback with the marker will be provided on essay 1 in time to inform work on essay 2.

Word Count 1500
Learning Outcomes
Knowledge LevelThinking SkillOutcome
ConceptualAnalyseAbility to analyse how mediaeval texts make use of mythological figures and narratives.
ConceptualEvaluateAbility to compare mythological representations in diverse Celtic and Germanic literary traditions.
ConceptualUnderstandUnderstanding manifestations of mythology in mediaeval literature, within the context of changes in religious belief.
ProceduralApplyAbility to plan and execute critical essays displaying the above skills.

Tutorial/Seminar Participation

Assessment Type Summative Weighting 20
Assessment Weeks Feedback Weeks

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Feedback

Students will be assessed partly in terms of their ability to participate in tutorial discussion in a way which shows that they have read the set texts and thought about the questions set for tutorial preparation. Part of their participation (as has worked well in CE1037) will comprise presenting several short informal presentations during the semester, working in small groups within the tutorial to produce some illustrative Powerpoint slides or a handout, along with a 5-minute talk. 

Learning Outcomes
Knowledge LevelThinking SkillOutcome
ConceptualAnalyseAbility to analyse how mediaeval texts make use of mythological figures and narratives.
ConceptualEvaluateAbility to compare mythological representations in diverse Celtic and Germanic literary traditions.
ConceptualUnderstandUnderstanding manifestations of mythology in mediaeval literature, within the context of changes in religious belief.

Essay

Assessment Type Summative Weighting 50
Assessment Weeks 35 Feedback Weeks 38

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Feedback

Written feedback provided on Turnitin. One-to-one discussion with marker provided after that.

Word Count 2000
Learning Outcomes
Knowledge LevelThinking SkillOutcome
ConceptualAnalyseAbility to analyse how mediaeval texts make use of mythological figures and narratives.
ConceptualEvaluateAbility to compare mythological representations in diverse Celtic and Germanic literary traditions.
ConceptualUnderstandUnderstanding manifestations of mythology in mediaeval literature, within the context of changes in religious belief.
ProceduralApplyAbility to plan and execute critical essays displaying the above skills.

Formative Assessment

There are no assessments for this course.

Resit Assessments

Essay

Assessment Type Summative Weighting 100
Assessment Weeks Feedback Weeks

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Feedback Word Count 2000
Learning Outcomes
Knowledge LevelThinking SkillOutcome
Sorry, we don't have this information available just now. Please check the course guide on MyAberdeen or with the Course Coordinator

Course Learning Outcomes

Knowledge LevelThinking SkillOutcome
ConceptualUnderstandUnderstanding manifestations of mythology in mediaeval literature, within the context of changes in religious belief.
ConceptualEvaluateAbility to compare mythological representations in diverse Celtic and Germanic literary traditions.
ConceptualAnalyseAbility to analyse how mediaeval texts make use of mythological figures and narratives.
ProceduralApplyAbility to plan and execute critical essays displaying the above skills.

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