The Sword, the Tree and the King. Ritual and Germanic Mythology in Spain

Abstract

This essay is a comparative exercise between various traditions about the tree, as a symbol of sovereignty, and especially the parallelism between myths and rituals of taking power by the Germans and some inhabitants of the Iberian Peninsula. For this analysis, we will start from the episode of Sigmundr and the sword, which is described in the Saga of the Volsungos, where the hero is clothed in glory by being able to draw a sword from a sacred tree touched by the god Odin, a ritual that is represents in this literary passage and that is inspired by a religious practice from various areas of Europe. This work will be carried out from a methodological proposal inspired by the history of religions and the theory of popular literature, to show a parallel between a tradition of Germanic mythology and another of the Iberian culture.