The numinous as a category for cultural studies. An interpretation of Norwegian legends from a science of religion point of view.

Rudolf Otto’s category the ‘numinous’ had long been excluded from the cultural scientific study of religion. This book argues that the potential of the category, however, is not exhausted, as it has been in constant use in disciplines concerned with narrative analysis. Starting with the conviction that the scientificity of a category is not something intrinsic to a term, but depends on its application, the second chapter introduces the category as it was laid out by Rudolf Otto and outlines the following debate in the study of religion up to the present day. As an example for an alternative way of dealing with the category, the chapter traces the adoption of Otto’s terminology in the field of folkloristic narrative theory and literary studies, as well as recent psychological approaches. The result is that even though the theological aspects of Otto’s system cannot be isolated in his approach, the systematic depiction of emotional states (Gefühlsgestimmtheiten) can be (and have been) read as a catalogue of the basic elements in religious speech and narratives. Chapters three to five consist of an extensive study of the Norwegian oral tradition from the Øvre Telemark region, applying Otto’s terminological instruments for conducting a narrative analysis of dominant stylistic traits. The question posed is what impact these traits may have had on the interpretation and the social function of the legends within their cultural context. Chapter three presents the region and the sources. Outlining the national romanticist background leading to the textualization of the legends, this chapter on source criticism argues for a broad comparative reading of the legends collected in a sharply defined area. Furthermore, it reveals the background of the collectors of the legends. Chapter four is concerned with legends about the Hidden People (tussar, huldrefolk), which serve as the substrate of the local folk religious tradition. By comparing variants on structural traits, checking their historicity, and discussing the function of basic motifs, the analysis integrates the narrative approach into a cultural historiographical reading. By avoiding interpreting the legends from a given frame of reference, by classifying conventional style elements according to Rudolf Otto’s “complex category of the numinous,” it becomes possible to see the narrative construction of ambivalence and the possible range of interpretations of these legends as well as their possible social functions. With interpretations ranging from religious debate to the negotiation of social norms, integration, and exclusion, the fifth chapter provides two case studies, allowing the reader to see the mechanisms in the processes of exclusion and integration. The first case example is concerned with Ingerid Eiriksdatter, who was accused of witchcraft and burnt at the stake in 1662 and subsequently became the protagonist of dozens of local legends. After an introduction to the cultural history of the witch trials in this part of Norway, the case is reconstructed on the basis of the available records. The historical events are compared to their later narrativization in the oral tradition. While in the seventeenth century Ingerid became a victim of the local upper class and had, especially in the inner regions of Telemark, quite a few supporters, the legends depict her as a mysterium horrendum. Conventional style elements connect to a systematic re-evaluation of her character, which is no longer seen as a witch in the demonological sense, but as an incarnated evil. By excluding Ingerid Eiriksdatter posthumously from the community, the community distances itself from the theological and economic aspects of the events and integrates them into the folk religious frame of thought. The second case example addresses the diviner Spå-Eilev (Eilev Olsen Hagen, 1814–1891), who became the protagonist of the last Norwegian witch trial in 1838. While the records document Eilev’s systematic exclusion from the community in the course of these events, the legends integrate him as a witty, cunning, and powerful diviner, frequently consulted, and reliable. The narrative description of his magical acts follows the same stylistic rules as in the case of Ingerid Eiriksdatter, and he, too, was seen as an intimidating person. His actions, however, targeted thieves and the authorities—outsiders to the community. His numinous character, therefore, could be shaped as a trickster-figure and a local identity marker. A detailed analysis of legends and memorates shows how the numinous style develops social efficacy by shaping the perception of historical persons and events. Thus, Rudolf Otto’s terminological instruments enable a focus in greater detail on aspects in folk religious narratives that are crucial in explaining their dynamic social function.