I start by summarising the queer theory I use in my work. This has three parts: challenging cisheteronormativity; this difference between sex and gender; and criticisms of 'third sex/gender' discussions and criticism of Clover.
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I then look at Óðinn as a queer deity, using exerpts from Lokasenna, Harbarðsljóð, Ynglinga saga, and Óðinn's name of 'Jálkr/Jálg' - 'Gelding'. This often draws on ergi and seiðr, and I discuss how we can explore this in a queer theoretical framework.
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I then have a great little discussion of Óðinn from Lejre, bc that strange little figure only adds to the mix!
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Then a fun little speculative argument that supports ideas about religious diversity: all the references of Óðinn being queer link him to the Danish region, putting him on Samsø, Læsø, and Lejre! It could be an accident of preservation, but it could be local beliefs!
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Then the newest, most improved bit: people often say that Óðinn being queer contradicts his role as god of warriors, as this is a solely masculine space. Instead, I argue that this is an idea argued by Nazi scholars for their own ends.
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I explore the work of Lily Weiser and Otto Höfler primarily, and criticise the ways their arguments, particularly those of Höfler, were designed to reinforce the Nazi ideologies of Germanic continuity, racial supremacy, and in turn justify the existence & design of the SS.
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I then note that this argument hasn't been thoroughly criticised since, and scholars still cite & recommend the work of Höfler, a Nazi. John Lindow's 2001 'Norse Mythology...' is just one example of Höfler's work being uncritically recommended.
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I then turn my attention back to the primary sources, and demonstrate that the valkyrjur and einherjar held equally important roles on the battlefields and in the warrior halls, and that this also played out in the human world.
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Valhǫll was not a solely masculine space. It was a space that combined the masculine of the einherjar with the feminine of the valkyrjur to create a dynamic & ungendered space. This fits with Óðinn's queerness, where he combines elements of the masculine and feminine in his being
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In conclusion: Óðinn was queer, the warrior halls were not solely masculine, and, most importantly, please stop citing and uncritically using Nazi scholarship.
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End of conversation
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