Last modified: 05 Oct 2023 08:46
Godlike ‘immortals’, elves, fairies, the walking dead, the Loch Ness Monster: uncanny Otherworldly beings feature widely in the literature and folklore of medieval Scotland. This course will explore the nature and significance of Gaelic Otherworld-traditions in their wider North Atlantic context. We investigate how Germanic and Celtic beliefs merged in Gaelic Otherworld-lore, how these related to pre-Christian myth and religion, and why they continued to be significant in Scotland many centuries after Christianization. All texts will be studied in translation.
| Study Type | Undergraduate | Level | 2 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Session | First Sub Session | Credit Points | 15 credits (7.5 ECTS credits) |
| Campus | Aberdeen | Sustained Study | No |
| Co-ordinators |
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Godlike ‘immortals’, elves, fairies, the walking dead, the Loch Ness monster: uncanny Otherworldly beings feature widely in the literature and folklore of medieval Scotland. The writers of the surviving texts fused oral tradition with literate learning to reimagine the pagan past and situate themselves within a richly storied landscape that was at once familiar and strange. This course will explore the nature, function and significance of Gaelic Otherworld-traditions in the wider North Atlantic context of folklore and literary production. We will investigate the extent to which Germanic and Celtic beliefs merged in Gaelic Otherworld-lore, how these traditions related to pre-Christian myth and religion, and why they continued to be significant in Scotland many centuries after Christianization, including in modern times. All texts will be studied in English translation.
Information on contact teaching time is available from the course guide.
| Assessment Type | Summative | Weighting | 40 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Assessment Weeks | 11 | Feedback Weeks | 14 | |
| Feedback |
50 minute on-campus class test |
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| Knowledge Level | Thinking Skill | Outcome |
|---|---|---|
| Conceptual | Analyse | Ability to analyse how medieval texts deploy mythological figures and narratives. |
| Conceptual | Evaluate | Ability to compare mythological representations in Gaelic texts with those from neighbouring Germanic cultures in Scotland and the Nordic world. |
| Conceptual | Understand | Understanding manifestations of mythology in medieval literature, within the context of changes in religious belief. |
| Procedural | Apply | Ability to plan and execute critical essays displaying the above skills. |
| Assessment Type | Summative | Weighting | 40 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Assessment Weeks | 7 | Feedback Weeks | 10 | |
| Feedback |
Written feedback will be provided via Turnitin on essay 1 in time to inform work on essay 2. We will also offer one-to-one discussion on feedback with the marker . |
Word Count | 1600 | |
| Knowledge Level | Thinking Skill | Outcome |
|---|---|---|
| Conceptual | Analyse | Ability to analyse how medieval texts deploy mythological figures and narratives. |
| Conceptual | Evaluate | Ability to compare mythological representations in Gaelic texts with those from neighbouring Germanic cultures in Scotland and the Nordic world. |
| Conceptual | Understand | Understanding manifestations of mythology in medieval literature, within the context of changes in religious belief. |
| Procedural | Apply | Ability to plan and execute critical essays displaying the above skills. |
| Assessment Type | Summative | Weighting | 20 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Assessment Weeks | Feedback Weeks | |||
| 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 the participation will comprise presenting several short informal presentations during the semester, working in small groups within the tutorial (between 2 and 5 students per group, depending on overall class size). Informal feedback will be given verbally to the presenters after each informal presentation. |
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| Knowledge Level | Thinking Skill | Outcome |
|---|---|---|
| Conceptual | Analyse | Ability to analyse how medieval texts deploy mythological figures and narratives. |
| Conceptual | Evaluate | Ability to compare mythological representations in Gaelic texts with those from neighbouring Germanic cultures in Scotland and the Nordic world. |
| Conceptual | Understand | Understanding manifestations of mythology in medieval literature, within the context of changes in religious belief. |
There are no assessments for this course.
| Assessment Type | Summative | Weighting | 100 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Assessment Weeks | Feedback Weeks | |||
| Feedback | Word Count | 2000 | ||
| Knowledge Level | Thinking Skill | Outcome |
|---|---|---|
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| Knowledge Level | Thinking Skill | Outcome |
|---|---|---|
| Procedural | Apply | Ability to plan and execute critical essays displaying the above skills. |
| Conceptual | Evaluate | Ability to compare mythological representations in Gaelic texts with those from neighbouring Germanic cultures in Scotland and the Nordic world. |
| Conceptual | Understand | Understanding manifestations of mythology in medieval literature, within the context of changes in religious belief. |
| Conceptual | Analyse | Ability to analyse how medieval texts deploy mythological figures and narratives. |
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