Stephan Grundy | |
|---|---|
| Born | Stephan Scott Grundy (1967-06-28)June 28, 1967 New York City, U.S. |
| Died | September 29, 2021(2021-09-29) (aged 54) |
| Nationality | American |
| Other names | Kveldulf Gundarsson |
| Education | Southern Methodist University University of Cambridge (PhD) |
| Occupation | Writer |
| Known for | Germanic Neopaganism Science fiction novels |
| Spouse | Melodi Grundy |
Stephan Scott Grundy (June 28, 1967 – September 29, 2021),[1][2] also known by the pen-nameKveldulf Gundarsson, was anAmerican author, scholar,goði and proponent ofAsatru. He published more than two dozen books and several papers. He is best known for his modern adaptations of legendarysagas and was also a non-fiction writer onGermanic mythology,Germanic paganism, andGermanic neopaganism.
Grundy was born inNew York and grew up inDallas,[2] where he studied English and Germanphilology atSouthern Methodist University. In 1995, he received his PhD from theDepartment of Anglo-Saxon, Norse and Celtic at theUniversity of Cambridge with a dissertation on the Norse godOdin: "The Cult of Óðinn: God of Death?".[3]
His entire catalog of works was given to The Three Little Sisters, who has spent the last few years, redoing all of his previously published and unpublished work with consent of his widow Melodi Grundy.
Before publishing his first novel, Grundy published, as Kveldulf Gundarsson, two books onGermanic neopaganism and Germanicmagic. He served as Lore Warden and Master of the Elder Training Program for the Ring of Troth (nowThe Troth) and carried on the organization's tradition of being based in scholarship, started byEdred Thorsson.[4] Mattias Gardell also regards him as important in the organization's move to the left and development of a "strict antiracist and antisexist ideology."[5] He edited and co-wrote both editions of The Troth's handbook,Our Troth, and has written other works on ancient and modern Germanic paganism and Germanic culture.
He is cited by other writers on Germanic paganism inside and outside academia, for example as Grundy by Jenny Blain in her discussion of the social role ofseiðr in Iceland,[6] also as Grundy by Julia Bolton Holloway on pagan priestesses,[7] and by Charlotte Hardman and Graham Harvey in their survey of neo-paganism for editingOur Troth as well as having "clarified the group's objection to fascism and racism".[8]
He died inShinrone,County Offaly,Ireland, where he was studying medicine.[2]
Grundy began working on his first complete novel during his freshman year at Southern Methodist University. Originally, the novel was intended to be based on theAnglo-Saxonepic poemBeowulf, but Grundy was convinced by his professor that theNibelung legend would be a more appropriate basis for a first novel.
Grundy wrote most of the novel in adormitory at theUniversity of St Andrews, Scotland, where he spent one year as anexchange student. He also spent a year as an exchange student inBonn, Germany – virtually at the foot of theDrachenfels - spending some of his time on research for his novel (which also led him all acrossScandinavia).Rhinegold – a retelling of the entireSigurð cycle[9]dedicated to, among others,Richard Wagner andJ. R. R. Tolkien – came out in 1994, and quickly developed into an internationalbest-seller.[10]
Terri Windling identifiedRhinegold as one of the best fantasy debuts of 1994, describing it as "both scholarly and entertaining".[11]
Two years later, 1996, Grundy completedAttila's Treasure, focused less onAttila the Hun than on Grundy's favorite legendary figure,Hagen. This novel, too, was an international success, but to a lesser degree than the forerunner novelRhinegold.
This was followed in 1999 byGilgamesh, a modern adaptation of theSumerianEpic of Gilgamesh that attempts to address directly the homosexual nature of the original text largely ignored by modern scholars. This was less well received than the two earlier novels.[citation needed]
With Melodi Lammond-Grundy, Grundy has since published the Falcon Dreams series, a trilogy first published in German and available in English in e-book format:Falcon's Flight (2000),Eagle and Falcon (2002), andFalcon's Night (2002).
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