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Volcanic eruption influenced Iceland's conversion to Christianity
Memories of the largest lava flood in the history of Iceland, recorded in an apocalyptic medieval poem, were used to drive the island's conversion to Christianity, new research suggests.
A team of scientists and medieval historians, led by the University of Cambridge, has used information contained within ice cores and tree rings to accurately date a massive volcanic eruption, which took place soon after the island was first settled. Having dated the eruption, the researchers found that Iceland's most celebrated medieval poem, which describes the end of the pagan gods and the coming of a new, singular god, describes the eruption and uses memories of it to stimulate the Christianisation of Iceland. The results are reported in the journal Climatic Change.
[...] The Cambridge-led team pinpointed the date of the eruption using ice core records from Greenland that preserve the volcanic fallout from Eldgjá. Using the clues contained within the ice cores, the researchers found that the eruption began around the spring of 939 and continued at least through the autumn of 940. [...] Iceland's most celebrated medieval poem, Vǫluspá ('The prophecy of the seeress') does appear to give an impression of what the eruption was like. The poem, which can be dated as far back as 961, foretells the end of Iceland's pagan gods and the coming of a new, singular god: in other words, the conversion of Iceland to Christianity, which was formalised around the turn of the eleventh century.
The Eldgjá eruption: timing, long-range impacts and influence on the Christianisation of Iceland (open, DOI: 10.1007/s10584-018-2171-9) (DX)
(Score: 3, Funny) by khallow on Wednesday March 21 2018, @11:24AM (3 children)
In this light, atheism is well known to be a principle component of mid-ocean ridge eruptions (well, aside from Iceland that is, which is close enough to Europe), which is why no major religions have started in the depths of the oceans.
(Score: 2) by coolgopher on Wednesday March 21 2018, @10:48PM
Phaugh! The Old One would dispute the "no major" part, surely.
Ph'nglui mglw'nafh Cthulhu R'lyeh wgah'nagl fhtagn.
(Score: 2) by driverless on Thursday March 22 2018, @04:34AM (1 child)
It also depends on the volcano. I mean look at that woosy name, "Eldgja", no wonder they all became Christians. It'd take an eruption from, at least, SkaftafellaÞingeyjarstrandahrafnarfjörðaneskaupstaðahúnavatnasnæfellsjokull to convert them to the worship of almighty Cthulhu. "Eldgja" is just some wannabe god's volcano.
(Score: 2) by driverless on Thursday March 22 2018, @04:37AM
Incidentally, the last part of that name is pronounced something close to "yokult", just in case it's causing any non-Icelandic speakers difficulty.