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VILMOS VOIGT functioning in Sweden, most probably with complex rites. It was as it were a cathedral without Christianity. In every third year a great sacrifice was offered by all the Svea (Swedish) people. The feast lasted for nine days, thus giving time to elaborate rites. In a sacrificial grove, dogs, horses and even human remains were visible. The rite served to continue and restore “traditions and peace” (ar ok fridr, pax et prosperitas). So just at the dawn of the Christian era in Scandinavia, the traditional religion was finally able to reach a higher level of complexity and organization, where we can reckon with mysteries as well. But it was too late: the Scandinavian kings forced the population to be good Christians. And soon the kings of Scandinavia became themselves Holy Kings.’* However, in spite of Ernst Uehli’s endless generalizations,”* we really do not know much about mysteries in Old Icelandic. The situation is different both in the earlier and the later centuries. CONCLUSION For people in (old) Iceland, the mysteries arrived with Christianity, carrying with them deep meaning, non-indigenous rites, the Latin language, etc. It is well known that in medieval Scandinavia (especially in Sweden) mysticism was highly elaborate. But all this took place after the conversion. For the intellectual background, consider the rapid worldwide success of Holy Birgitta’s prayers. In Iceland, Christian mysticism was not well known. When we read the sagas about Icelandic bishops (see the biskupasdégur of the 12'*14" centuries) we find stories about miracles carried out by the first bishops but there are no reports about mysteries. Coming back to the motto of my paper (fulget crucis mysterium), the significance of the Cross was not theoretical for the devoted Scandinavians but rather implied an attempt to understand and interpret the actual world. A vexillum regis with a cross was in reality a Danish invention (of 1219, Lindanisse, today Estonia) when, as legend has it, the victorious Danish flag, the Dannebrog, fell down directly from the heavens to help soldiers of King Valdemar II. However, the very first reference to this miracle is from 1529— and a miracle does not necessarily imply the existence of initiation rites or a mystery cult.*° 4 On this topic there is a rich literature. See for instance a recent collection of comparative papers: Nora Berend (ed.), Christianization and the Rise of Christian Monarchy: Scandinavia, Central Europe and Rus’ c. 900-1200, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, 2007. Ernst Uehli, Nordisch-germanische Mythologie als Mysteriengeschichte. Mellinger, Göttingen, 1984. Since the Dannebrog is the state symbol of Denmark, there exists a vast popularizing literature on the topic. See for example Inge Adriansen: Nationale symboler, Kobenhavn, Museum Tusculanum Press, 2003. 25 26 + 114 + Daréczi-Sepsi-Vassänyi_Initiation_155x240.indb 114 6 2020.06.15. 11:04:16
