NORDIC SPIRITUALITY IN THE 21ST CENTURY

The special programme accompanying KATARSIS explores the themes and universe for the play through a series of conversations. In this conversation, author Anne-Marie Vedsø Olesen and researcher Annette Lassen discuss myths as a tool for exploring existence, why we return to ancient stories, and Nordic spirituality in the 21st century. They explore who Völva was and how we can read and understand Völuspá (The Völva’s Prophecy) today. The conversation is moderated by cultural journalist Gustav Hagild.

Anne-Marie Vedsø Olesen (b. 1962) is an author. She made her debut with the award-winning medieval novel Salernos Sol in 2000. Her body of work includes several critically acclaimed historical and mythological novels. Vedsø Olesen has received numerous awards for her writing, including the Danish Horror Society’s Award for Danish Horror Publication of the Year (2019) for the novel Lucie, the Niels Klim Award (2021) for the novel Månen over Øen, and most recently the DR Novel Award (2022) for Vølvens vej, Snehild.

Annette Lassen (b. 1971) is a professor at the Department of Nordic Studies and Linguistics at the University of Copenhagen. Her research focuses on Norse mythology and sagas, and she has written books on, among other subjects, the sagas, Norse mythology, and Iceland. In 2020, Lassen received the Danish Authors’ Association’s Non-fiction Award for her extensive work on the Icelandic sagas and their universe.

Gustav Hagild (b. 1995) is a radio host and culture journalist at DR P1. Hagild graduated from DR’s Talent Programme (2021–2023) and holds an MSc in Comparative Politics from the London School of Economics and a BA in Religion and Politics from King’s College London.