Norse Mythology and the Nine Herbs Charm.
This article examines the Old English magico-medical poem known as the Nine Herbs Charm, proposing that its obscure narrative is best understood as a variant of the myth of Ragnarǫk, the apocalyptic battle between gods and giants in Old Norse tradition. The charm envisions an epic conflict between n...
| Publicado en: | ANQ: A Quarterly Journal of Short Articles, Notes & Reviews Vol. 39; no. 3; pp. 322 - 327 |
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| Formato: | Poetry Review |
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Taylor & Francis Ltd
Jul-Sep2026
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| Acceso en línea: | Ver este registro en EBSCOhost |
| fields | @attributes: recordID: 1 pdfLink: plink: https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=hlh&AN=195622511&site=ehost-live header: @attributes: shortDbName: hlh uiTerm: 195622511 longDbName: Humanities International Complete uiTag: AN controlInfo: bkinfo: jinfo: jid: 0895769X QNA jtl: ANQ: A Quarterly Journal of Short Articles, Notes & Reviews issn: 0895769X maglogo: N pubinfo: dt: Jul-Sep2026 vid: 39 iid: 3 pid: 377 pub: Taylor & Francis Ltd artinfo: ui: 195622511 10.1080/0895769X.2025.2491461 ppf: 322 ppct: 5 formats: tig: atl: Norse Mythology and the Nine Herbs Charm. aug: au: Neidorf, Leonard affil: English Department, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, Guangdong, China su: Norse mythology Old English poetry Gods Ancient literature War Mythology 10th century (Literary period) sug: subj: Norse mythology Old English poetry Gods Ancient literature War Mythology 10th century (Literary period) ab: This article examines the Old English magico-medical poem known as the Nine Herbs Charm, proposing that its obscure narrative is best understood as a variant of the myth of Ragnarǫk, the apocalyptic battle between gods and giants in Old Norse tradition. The charm envisions an epic conflict between nine animated herbs and nine poisons or illnesses, paralleling the cosmic struggle and subsequent regeneration depicted in Ragnarǫk myths. Key elements, such as the invocation of Woden (Odin) combating a serpent and the enigmatic term Regenmeld, are interpreted as references to divine assemblies and battles akin to those in Ragnarǫk, suggesting a lost herbal mythology underlying the charm. This interpretation sheds light on the charm’s structure and symbolism, highlighting its role as a ritualistic medical text that frames healing as a cosmic battle between forces of health and disease. pubtype: Review doctype: Poetry Review src: R language: English refInfo: copyright: @attributes: flag: Y dt: @attributes: year: 2026 holdings: @attributes: islocal: N |
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