Múlttörténet

Múlttörténet is a term found in Icelandic-language scholarship used to describe the study and narration of past ages and how they are remembered in present discourse. The word can be understood as “the history of the old,” and in practice it covers how ancient events are reconstructed from scarce sources, how oral tradition interacts with written records, and how later periods frame earlier times for contemporary purposes. The concept sits at the intersection of historiography, folklore studies, and literary criticism and is not a strictly defined academic field with a single method.

Scholars using múlttörténet examine questions such as the reliability of saga material as historical evidence, the processes by which memory and myth are fused, and how place-names, archaeology, and material culture contribute to reconstructions of older landscapes. The approach emphasizes source criticism, contextual interpretation, and awareness of biases in transmission across centuries.

In Nordic studies, múlttörténet appears in discussions about medieval narratives, national identity formation, and local histories. It is used as a descriptive label rather than a formal discipline, aiding analyses of how communities conceptualize their own past. Related topics include historiography, folklore studies, and memory studies.