Higher Seminar: Warriors, wizards, and seers: representations of Saami in 17th and 18th century Sweden

Abstract

Saami people and culture occupied a unique place in early modern Sweden. At the apex of the Swedish Empire in the 17^th century, the armies of Gustavus Adolphus were rumoured to be invincible because of Saami warriors who possessed extraordinary magical powers, leading to decisive tactical advantage on the battlefield. Neo-Latin poetry depicted the unique relationship of Saami with their polar environment under the hyperborean sun, while Saami shamans were rumoured to explore space through out-of-body travels or steal sensitive secrets. In the 18^th century, the exploratory travels of Linnaeus provided new accounts, yet did little to tone down such testimonies. Overall, those early modern depictions highlight the longer evolution of religious, environmental and cultural tensions linked to representations of the Saami in Scandinavian culture.

Biography

Vincent Roy-Di Piazza is a doctoral student at the University of Oxford, UK. An early modern historian with a background in Nordic studies, Vincent teaches history of science, medicine, religion and Scandinavia at Oxford. His thesis focuses on the soul-body theories of Emanuel Swedenborg (1688-1772), while his latest publications explore the plurality of worlds debate, the technoscientific development of Sweden, and discourses on the North / Borealism. 

•