Please comment below. if you have any suggestions or attend our business meeting next Saturday at this year's conference.
Michael Torregrossa
Founder, Association for the Advancement of Scholarship and Teaching of the Medieval in Popular Culture
More than Marvel: Representations
of Norse Mythology in Contemporary Popular Culture
Sponsored by The Association for
the Advancement of Scholarship and Teaching of the Medieval in Popular Culture
Myths and legends from the Middle
Ages remain important links to the past, and there has been much interest in recasting
this material into post-medieval contexts, forging a bridge between our
forebears and our modern selves. Creators of our own time have been especially
prolific in reviving these stories for new audiences. The tales told of the
gods of the Norsemen are one such medieval legacy to find currency today, and
they have appeared in a variety of media, including the comics. For example, Marvel
Comics’ representation of the Norse god Thor has been an important element of
its shared world since his debut in 1962, and, in its incorporation of the
character into the Marvel Universe, the publisher has done much in the service
of Medieval Studies through its widespread dissemination across the globe of a relatable
depiction of the Norse Gods and the intricate mythology associated with them. Marvel’s
account of Thor and his compatriots has also featured in an array of media
beyond the pages of its long-running comic book series, and the recent release
of three feature films centered around the Asgardian as part of the Marvel
Cinematic Universe, one of the world’s most popular and prosperous movie and
television franchises, has provided additional texts to further knowledge of
the Nine Worlds and its inhabitants. While Marvel remains the most prominent
creator of modern tales of the Norse gods, the company does not hold the
exclusive rights to this material. Other writers, comics creators, filmmakers,
television producers, and game designers have also appropriated the stories and
legends of the gods of Asgard and other individuals within the cosmology of the
Nine Worlds for their own purposes, yet their work remain relatively unknown
when compared to the phenomenal success and reach of Marvel Comics and Marvel Studios.
It is the intent of this session to
shed the spotlight on these other examples of Nordic-inspired medievalisms and
to bring them into ongoing conversations and debates about the reception of the
medieval in the post-medieval world. We are especially interested in the reach
of Marvel’s versions beyond the United States and how other approaches to the
material engage with, react to, or ignore Marvel’s work. In addition, we hope
to include coverage of texts from non-Western media (like anime and manga) that
have embraced the traditions of the Norse gods in innovative ways.
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