The 'Accurate' Deeds of Our Fathers: The 'Authentic' Narrative of Early Norway

Abstract

Since the end of the Second World War, Norwegian medievalism has changed in both expression and content from a narrative of heroic fathers of the nation to the experiences of history of the common man. This chapter will explore how the unification narrative of Norway has evolved in Norwegian medievalism (books, theatre, film and TV) since 1945 and question if these changes are reflections of the changing attitudes to the ‘accuracy’ of past in this period, or if they are closer aligned with the social and cultural changes in post-war Norway. Through these sources, this chapter will explore the perceived historical ‘accuracy’ manifested in the post-war period, and its relationship to identity and the ‘official narrative’ in this period, through which it will assess the fluidity of the ‘accurate’ deeds of our fathers.