Recounting a Myth: Relics of Norse Deities in Walter Scott’s "The Pirate".

In 1821, Sir Walter Scott published "The Pirate", a novel that deals with family issues, secrets, love, and a shipwrecked pirate. Since the text was written in the aftermath of a trip to the Shetland islands, where the story itself is set, the book plunges its roots in the culture of the territory, presenting a vivid description of its folklore, customs, and traditions to the reader. The Norse heritage of the isles, registered accurately by Scott, emerges as well in the novel, giving the author the opportunity to draw fully from his knowledge of Scandinavian literature. The aim of this text is to explore the extent of Scott’s references to the Old Norse narrative, especially in the construction of the characters that dwell in the novel, with the intention to point out any similarities between them and the gods of the ancient Scandinavian religion. Even though little research has already been done on this specific aspect of the novel, other studies seem to point to the expertise owned by Scott on such matters. Addressing this question might reveal valuable, leading to a new interpretation of the novel as well as a revaluation of Scott’s true interest in Old Norse literature. The analysis is conducted through an investigation of Scott’s true preparation on the subject and carries on with a comparison between the characters’ descriptions and passages of Old Norse texts, primarily the Elder and Prose Edda.