This thesis compares the property rights and inheritance rights of women in the Germanic laws of the Visigoths, Lombards and Anglo-Saxons from the sixth to the ninth century AD.
This thesis studies the roles of supernatural beings in The Poetic Edda and The Saga of the Volsungs. In this thesis, I aim to find the differences and similarities between both texts, focussing on...Show moreThis thesis studies the roles of supernatural beings in The Poetic Edda and The Saga of the Volsungs. In this thesis, I aim to find the differences and similarities between both texts, focussing on gods and dragons specifically.Show less
The Open Deure, published in 1651 in Leiden, is well-known for its detailed account of the society and religious practices of the Brahmins in Pulicat, near modern Chennai. An important element has...Show moreThe Open Deure, published in 1651 in Leiden, is well-known for its detailed account of the society and religious practices of the Brahmins in Pulicat, near modern Chennai. An important element has however been ignored by scholarship: the extensive annotations written by an unknown antiquarian scholar, identified only as A.W. in the preface to the main text. In the annotations A.W. contextualises and ‘translates’ Rogerius’s account into something relevant for a European scholarly audience; this gave the contemporary reader a framework with which to judge Rogerius's descriptions, lacking from the latter's dry and factual observations. The annotations argue for a monistic Neoplatonic understanding of the Brahmins' religious practices which A.W. readily states to bear the same basic truths that can be found in Christianity. On the other hand, his comparative model elevates the Brahmins' religion to a modern understanding of the term. A.W.’s footnotes showcase the larger discourses in Europe and the seventeenth century’s transformation of the concept of ‘religion’ - as well as the birth of comparative religion which accompanied it. The annotations of the Open Deure thus turn out to be integral to the contemporary understanding of Rogerius’s text and should be considered next to the main narrative.Show less
A critical analysis of Lodovico Guicciardini his masterpiece titled 'Descrittione di tutti i Paesi Bassi'. The study tries to analyse the textual differences between the three italian editions of...Show moreA critical analysis of Lodovico Guicciardini his masterpiece titled 'Descrittione di tutti i Paesi Bassi'. The study tries to analyse the textual differences between the three italian editions of the work, how they effect the character of the text and how they reflect the changing motives of the author in the continuous process of editing.Show less
Bujangga Manik is a fifteenth-century story from Sundanese-speaking West Java about an ascetic who travels around Java and Bali before ascending to heaven. Its central narrative trope, of narrating...Show moreBujangga Manik is a fifteenth-century story from Sundanese-speaking West Java about an ascetic who travels around Java and Bali before ascending to heaven. Its central narrative trope, of narrating the ascetic's journey through a recitation of place names, has no clear parallels in South Asian literature, and I argue that it derives from an ancient Malayo-Polynesian tradition, similar to what the anthropologist J. J. Fox named the 'topogeny'. I attempt to show this through a dissection of Bujangga Manik and detailed comparison with ethnographic data from the Malayo-Polynesian-(Austronesian-)speaking world.Show less
In this thesis I will explore the meaning of the term "Himyaritic" as used by the early Islamic scholar Muhammad al-Hamdani in his description of the linguistic landscape in early Islamic Yemen. I...Show moreIn this thesis I will explore the meaning of the term "Himyaritic" as used by the early Islamic scholar Muhammad al-Hamdani in his description of the linguistic landscape in early Islamic Yemen. I will compare his description with both pre-Islamic inscriptions as well as modern-day dialectological data.Show less
This thesis argues against a recent claim which states that English is a Scandinavian language which came about during and after the Viking settlement and reign in England.
