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Gothicism orGothism (Swedish:GöticismSwedish pronunciation:[ˈjøːtɪsˌɪsm];Latin:Gothicismus) was an ethno-cultural ideology andcultural movement inSweden, which took honor in being a Swede, for being purportedly related to theGoths. This was a result of a resolute decades long effort from Swedish writers, scholars and historical revisionists alike dedicated towards proving that theGoths had originated fromGötaland and wherefrom their name was etymologically derived. This premise, however, has been heavily contested and met with scepticism by a number of eminent historians such asCarlo Troya who is esteemed as a leading figure on Italian history during the early middle ages. The founders of the movement wereNicolaus Ragvaldi and the brothersJohannes andOlaus Magnus. The belief continued to hold power in the 17th century, when Sweden was a great power following theThirty Years' War, but lost most of its sway in the 18th. It was renewed by theViking revival andRomantic nationalism in the early 19th century, this time with theVikings as heroic figures.
The name is derived from the Gothicists' belief that the Goths had originated from Sweden, based onJordanes' account of aGothicurheimat inScandinavia (Scandza). The Gothicists took pride in the Gothic tradition that theOstrogoths and their kingTheodoric the Great, who assumed power in theRoman Empire, had Scandinavian ancestry. This pride was expressed as early as themedievalchronicles, where chroniclers wrote about the Goths as the ancestors of the Scandinavians, and the idea was used byNicolaus Ragvaldi at theCouncil of Basel to argue that the Swedish monarchy was the foremost in Europe. It also permeated the writings of the Swedish writerJohannes Magnus (Historia de omnibus Gothorum Sueonumque regibus) as well as those of his brotherOlaus Magnus (Historia de gentibus septentrionalibus). Both had a strong influence on contemporary scholarship in Sweden.
Some scholars in Denmark attempted to identify the Goths with theJutes; however, these ideas did not lead to the same widespread cultural movement in Danish society as it did in the Swedish. In contrast with the Swedes, the Danes of this era did not forward claims to political legitimacy based on assertions that their country was the original homeland of the Goths or that the conquest of the Roman Empire was proof of their own country's military valour and power through history.[2]
During the 17th century, Danes and Swedes competed for the collection and publication ofIcelandicmanuscripts,Norse sagas, and the twoEddas. In Sweden, the Icelandic manuscripts became part of an origin myth and were seen as proof that the greatness and heroism of the ancientGeats had been passed down through the generations to the current population. This pride culminated in the publication ofOlaus Rudbeck's treatiseAtland eller Manheim (1679–1702), in which he claimed thatSweden was identical toAtlantis.
During the 18th century, Swedish Gothicism had sobered somewhat, but it revived during the period ofRomantic nationalism fromc. 1800 onwards, withErik Gustaf Geijer andEsaias Tegnér in theGeatish Society.
InDenmark, Romantic nationalism led writers such asJohannes Ewald,N. F. S. Grundtvig (whose translation ofBeowulf into Danish was the first into a modern language) andAdam Gottlob Oehlenschläger to take a renewed interest in Old Norse subjects. In other parts of Europe, interest in Norse mythology, history and language was represented by the EnglishmenThomas Gray,John Keats andWilliam Wordsworth, and the GermansJohann Gottfried Herder andFriedrich Gottlieb Klopstock.
InScandinavianarchitecture, Gothicism had its prime in the 1860s and 1870s, but it continued untilc. 1900. The interest in Old Norse subjects led to the creation of a special architecture in wood inspired bystave churches, and it was inNorway that the style had its largest impact. The details that are often found in this style are dragon heads, from which it is often calleddragon style, falsearcades, lathedcolonnades, protruding lofts and a ridged roof.
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