The Culture of the Teutons: Volumes 1 and 2

Vor folkeæt i oldtiden #1-4

by Vilhelm Grønbech

The Culture of the Teutons by Vilhelm Gronbech is out-of-print and in the public domain. It is widely available in various digital formats from a number of sources on the internet. The contents of this book are of great interest to Heathens, and yet it has been nearly impossible to obtain a printed copy of The Culture of the Teutons. Our goal was to make both volumes of Gronbech's book about our ancestors available in one printed book, at an affordable price. Any profits made from this book, will go directly to our fund to build a Hof and Hall in the Heartland of the United States.

Genres: History, Mythology, Paganism, Nonfiction, Religion

436 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1909

About the author

Vilhelm Grønbech, 1873-1948, dansk religionshistoriker. Han var cand. mag. og organist, skrev i 1902 disputats om tyrkisk lydhistorie, blev docent i engelsk 1908-11 og var 1915-43 professor i religionshistorie ved Københavns Universitet. Religionshistoriens position i og betydning for dansk kultur skyldes i væsentlig grad Grønbechs indsats.

Grønbech var kendt for sin faglige bredde og sine inspirerende og velbesøgte forelæsninger. Med sin filologisk-historiske tilgang til religion hævdede Grønbech, at man gennem læsning af de religiøse tekster er i stand til at trænge ind i fremmede kulturer og sprog. Denne forståelse af det fremmede blev grundlaget for hans kulturkritik.

Grønbech var modstander af evolutionisternes ofte nedladende holdning til såkaldt primitive fremmede kulturer, og han ironiserede lystigt over den europæiske selvtilstrækkelighed. For Grønbech er videnskab en personlig sag, hvis resultater aldrig er definitive. Videnskab anså han for en nærmest digterisk (selv)erkendelsesproces, som er livsskabende og livsbefordrende, men som samtidig fastholder kravet om integritet og redelighed. Videnskab har ligeledes et klart ansvar over for samfundet, kulturen og medmennesket. S.m. Hal Koch udgav han 1946-48 det kulturkritiske tidsskrift Frie Ord, hvis hovedleverandør han blev. Digterkredsen omkring tidsskriftet Heretica fandt umiddelbart derefter inspiration i hans bøger og forelæsninger.

Grønbechs forfatterskab består af tre kategorier: Bredtanlagte værker om religion og kultur, fx Vor Folkeæt i Oldtiden (1-4, 1909-12), biografiske værker om mystikere og fremtrædende europæiske kulturpersonligheder, fx Mystikere i Europa og Indien (1-4, 1925-35) og William Blake (1933), samt værker om antikken, hellenisme og kristendom: Hellas (1-4, 1942-45), Hellenismen (1-2, 1940), som var en protest imod den europæiske kulturkrise, og trilogien Jesus Menneskesønnen (1935), Paulus (1940) og Kristus. Den opstandne Frelser (1941).

Reviews

[Brady · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a great overview of Norse and Germanic culture up through the middle ages. It got a little wordy in places and at some points I found Gronbech's quantity of examples excessive in that he got the point across after the first few but it was nice to see all the cases from the sagas and myths he draws his conclusions from. The most interesting to me was the last quarter of the book focusing on religion and the Norse/Germanic/Saxon deities but the first 3/4 of the book can pretty much a long drawn out explanation of frith, luck, and hamingja/hugr/soul both of individuals and how it extends to the clan and kin. It was interesting but it got a bit overlong with all the examples as mentioned above. Overall though I learned a lot about the culture, belief and practices of the Teutons so I consider it's purpose well-served.

[Kecia · Rating 4 out of 5]

My e-version contained a considerable number of errors, and the translation may have contributed to that.

Nevertheless, Gronbech produced a foundational piece of work in these two volumes. He challenged pre- and misconceptions about the Northmen, but also provided profound and inspiring ideals with which to construct alternate, non-dualistic worldviews. No doubt much of the literature of the northern pagan movement has borrowed from this source.

My version was over 10,000 pages long, so I won't try to review the specific content, except to mention one aspect I felt was a failing. Toward the end of the second volume, he attempted to rationalize the myths by portraying them as images of real-world pagan rituals. Considering the scholarly depth of the bulk of the work, it was a little odd from my modern viewpoint, but easily forgiven. After all, he was publishing just as Carl Jung was first revealing his methods to the world and was probably not yet familiar with archetypes. Had Gronbech the benefit of a Joseph Campbell, no doubt the final chapters of "Culture of the Teutons" would have read very differently.

I will suggest that a first-time explorer into the northern mind wait before diving into this ocean. Read a lot of sagas and all the Eddas first.

[Ashley Lindsay · Rating 5 out of 5]

Out of the dozens of books I’ve read about the Northern culture, history and spirituality, this book stands head and shoulders above the rest. I truly feel like I’ve been able to step into the psychology and philosophy of my ancestors, and I feel transformed by the experience.

[Jack The Heathen Castellano · Rating 4 out of 5]

Though slog, but worth it

[Sebastian Oprea · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Since women occupied the very innermost place in their frith, the danger arising from a decay in her honor was the greater."

[Chris Harker]

A must read for anyone interested in the Germanic Heathen worldview

[Braxton Story · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pretty neat and in depth look into ancient Germanic / Northern Germanic culture.

[Kjǫlsigʀ · Rating 5 out of 5]

An unfortunately roughshod translation still cannot divest this masterwork of its tellingly exhaustive insights into the older understandings behind folkways.