Votive offerings in buildings from rural settlements: Folk beliefs with deeper roots

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    Abstract

    The deposition of votive objects in buildings as an expression of folk belief is a well-known phenomenon in Danish ethnological research. A growing body of archaeological data has provided the opportunity to research these practices. This article presents the different types of votive offerings that have been identified in the archaeological record from Jutland and compares them with those documented by ethnographers in the 19th and early 20th century. It is argued that most ethnographically documented practices have their roots in the past, with some originating in the Iron Age or earlier, while others emerged during the Christian period.
    Original languageEnglish
    Title of host publicationReligion, Cults & Rituals in the Medieval Rural Environment. RURALIA XI
    EditorsChristiane Bis-Worch, Claudia Theune
    Number of pages9
    Place of PublicationLeiden
    PublisherSidestone Press
    Publication date2017
    Pages337-345
    Chapter345
    ISBN (Print)9789088904868
    ISBN (Electronic)978-90-8890-488-2
    Publication statusPublished - 2017

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