The Schism that never was: Old Norse views on Byzantium and Russia
The Schism that never was: Old Norse views on Byzantium and Russia

Summary/Abstract: This argue discusses the concept of the great schism and how it was viewedin the Norse-Icelandic cultural zone in medieval times. It is argued that the Icelandic clerical elite, and to some degree its Norwegian counterpart, had little awareness of a great schism and did not look upon christianity as a house divided. On the contrary, Byzantium was generally depicted as one of the great Christian capitals, and there were persistent myths about the roots of Christianity in Scandinavia and Russia being the same.

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