Bridges between Worlds

Spirits and Spirit Work in Northern Iceland

Corinne G. Dempsey

The first comprehensive look at ancient Icelandic spirit traditions as they live on today
A study of trance and healing practices from a European perspective
An approach to the supernatural that is neither confessional nor dismissive, striking a balance that is ultimately humanizing

Bridges between Worlds

Spirits and Spirit Work in Northern Iceland

Corinne G. Dempsey

Description

This book explores Icelandic spirit work, known as andleg mal, which features trance and healing practices that span earth and spirit realms, historical eras, scientific and supernatural worldviews, and cross-Atlantic cultures. Based on years of fieldwork conducted in the northern Icelandic town of Akureyri, Bridges between Worlds excavates andleg mal's roots in layers of Icelandic history, and examines how this practice steeped in ancient folklore functions in the modern world.

Weaving personal stories and anecdotes with accessibly written accounts of Icelandic religious and cultural traditions, Corinne Dempsey humanizes spirit practices that are usually demonized or romanticized. While andleg mal may appear remote and exotic, those who practice it are not. Icelanders today are among the most highly educated people on the planet, well-connected to global technologies and economies. Andleg mal practitioners are no exception; many of them are members of mainstream society who work day jobs. They often keep their spirit involvement under wraps because, though their spirit encounters are celebrated, they can also be frightening and embarrassing. For those who claim the "gift" of openness to the spirit world, andleg mal offers a means of daily spiritual support, helping to diminish fear and self-doubt and providing benefits to those on both sides of the divide.

While recent years have seen an unprecedented boom in tourist travel to Iceland, Dempsey sheds light on a profoundly important, but thus far poorly understood element of the region's culture. Her aim is not to explain away andleg mál but to build a bridge of comprehensibility through empathy for the participants who are, after all, not so different from the reader.

Bridges between Worlds

Spirits and Spirit Work in Northern Iceland

Corinne G. Dempsey

Acknowledgments
Icelandic Language Notes
Keeping Track: A Glossary of Characters.

Introduction: Bridging Worlds with Andleg Mal
Chapter 1: Roots and Layers of Andleg Mal
Chapter 2: Science and Skepticism, Belief and Blasphemy
Chapter 3: Skyggnigafa: The Gift that Keeps on Giving
Chapter 4: Trance Work
Chapter 5: Healers and Healing
Chapter 6: Leaps of Geography and Faith

Glossary of Icelandic Terms
Notes
Work Cited
Index

Bridges between Worlds

Spirits and Spirit Work in Northern Iceland

Corinne G. Dempsey

Author Information

Corinne G. Dempsey is Associate Professor of Religious Studies, Director of International and Global Studies, and Rose Marie Beston Chair for International Studies at Nazareth College. She is author of Bringing the Sacred Down to Earth: Adventures in Comparative Religion (OUP 2011), The Goddess Lives in Upstate New York: Breaking Convention and Making Home at a North American Hindu Temple (OUP 2005), and Kerala Christian Sainthood: Collisions of Culture and Worldview in South India (OUP 2001).

Bridges between Worlds

Spirits and Spirit Work in Northern Iceland

Corinne G. Dempsey

Reviews and Awards

"As a reflection on participant experience, Bridges Between Worlds covers a segment of contemporary Icelandic Spiritualist practice, and a chapter on spiritual healing has some wider relevance." -- Rosemary Power, National University of Ireland, Galway, Folklore

"This is a well-written, engaging, and rewarding book."--Reading Religion

"The supernatural is surprisingly closer than we imagine, even in a modern, scientifically sophisticated world. Bridges Between Worlds offers a fascinating, experience-near account of spiritualism and supernaturalism in contemporary Iceland." --Tanya Marie Luhrmann, author of When God Talks Back

"In the land of Iceland, seemingly far-removed from the rest of the world, people of spiritual bent perform andleg mál to re-enchant a modernized world. Corinne Dempsey breaks new ground in this reflexive ethnography that places her within the narrative itself. Without being apologetic she empathetically demonstrates that her Icelandic friends are on a quest for something beyond the realm of the rational world we inhabit. This book will become an instant classic in contemporary spirituality studies." --Frank J. Korom, Professor of Religion and Anthropology, Boston University

"Bridges between Worlds, is a first-rate ethnography of spiritualism in Iceland. Most studies of trance and possession focus on non-European cultures, so it is refreshing to discover such a thoughtful study of such practices in Europe. The heart of the book is its rich and sympathetic descriptions of Icelandic Spiritualists, who truly come alive in these pages, as does the author herself. Bridges between Worlds will be a very useful book for those interested in religion in Iceland, trance, possession, healing, esotericism, and contemporary spiritual practices in Europe." --William S. Sax, Professor and Head of Department of Anthropology, South Asia Institute, Heidelberg University

Bridges between Worlds

Spirits and Spirit Work in Northern Iceland

Corinne G. Dempsey

From Our Blog

Iceland's unruly terrain and hidden inhabitants

When people first learn about my travels to Iceland, the response I most often hear goes something like: 'Iceland! That's on my bucket list.' I understand. It's hard to resist an arctic wonderland littered with flaming volcanoes and thundering waterfalls, where for months on end the sun barely sets on moss-crazed mountains and whale-infested waters. Maybe you've already been there.

Posted on February 15, 2017

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