Fragments of ancient belief have been incorporated into folklore and Christiandogma with the result that its original tenets have merged with the myths andpsych... » 

Fragments of ancient belief have been incorporated into folklore and Christiandogma with the result that its original tenets have merged with the myths andpsychologies of the intervening years. Hilda Ellis Davidson sifts throughcenturies of cultural and religious influences to locate evidence of theselost pagan beliefs.Davidson illustrates how northern pagan religions have been represented andmisinterpreted by the Christian tradition and throws light on the nature ofsuch beliefs and how they have been preserved. The Lost Beliefs of NorthernEurope stresses both the possibilities and the difficulties of investigatingpreChristian faiths and emphasizes the need to separate speculation fromscientific proof.This book will be a useful tool for students with a serious interest inarchaeology as it illustrates with examples how objectivity is not necessarilythe driving force in forming our supposedly scientific view of the past. Itwill also appeal to the general reader who wants to understand the true natureof Northern European pagan belief as opposed to the oversimplified viewpopularized by the media.The Lost Beliefs of Northern Europe argues for intellectual rigorousnessrather than romanticization of the past and challenges the reader to rethinkaccepted interpretations. «