Pages: 155-168 | DOI: https://doi.org/10.55086/sp232155168

The article attempts the interpretation of one of the image types of the Scandinavian rock carvings of the Bronze Age, namely, a Φ-like anthropomorphic figure on a ship. Based on the consideration of the images themselves, as well as their comparison with the ritual aspects of traditional European, in particular Swedish, seasonal festivals, on the one hand, and with Greek materials close in time, on the other hand, one can reliably conclude that the Φ-like figures of the Scandinavian rock carvings refer to a deity that ensures the arrival of the best half of the year.

Keywords: Bronze Age Scandinavia, rock carvings, seasonal festivals, Maypole, Dionysus, Apollo, ancient astronomy, history of religion and mythology

Information about author:

Dmitri Panchenko (Saint Petersburg, Russian Federation). Candidate of Historical Sciences. Saint Petersburg State University; Universitetskaya Emb., 7/9, Saint Petersburg, 199034, Russian Federation; St. Petersburg Branch of the National Research University Higher School of Economics. Soyuz Pechatnikov St., 16, Saint Petersburg, 190121, Russian Federation
E-mail: [email protected]
Scopus Author ID: 56017568900