Papers by Carl-Albin Smedberg
Uppsala university, 2024
This master's thesis aims to situate kóryos, a hypothesized Indo-European (IE) warband of elite m... more This master's thesis aims to situate kóryos, a hypothesized Indo-European (IE) warband of elite male youths, in the Nordic Bronze Age (NBA). This is achieved by constructing a kóryos ideal type using several varied sources, such as historical accounts, comparative linguistic studies, and the mythology of IE-speaking groups, and comparing it with common NBA rock art motifs. Using a theoretical framework of ideology and magic, the results of the comparative analysis are used to hypothesize the praxis, rituals, and ideology of NBA-specific kóryos groups. Based on stylistic and structural similarities, it is argued that kóryos groups and members were part of the elite in NBA society. NBA-specific kóryos members may have engaged in weapon dancing, nudity, and states of ecstatic fury in ritual settings prior to maritime-based voyages and raids. Kóryos may have functioned as a school for the elite where members engaged in raiding and the promulgation of kóryos ideology through rituals and rock art.
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Papers by Carl-Albin Smedberg