Page:History of the Literature of the Scandinavian North.djvu/113



HE conditions under which literature began in Denmark—and every general remark on this subject, applies essentially to Sweden also — and by which its character and quality were for some time determined, differed widely from the conditions under which the Norwegian-Icelandic scaldic poetry and saga writings had been developed. Both in Norway and in Iceland, and indeed especially in the latter country, there existed, as we have seen, many circumstances which of necessity made the literature, when once it had attained the stage of self-consciousness, assume a marked national stamp, and remain intimately connected with the heathendom of the past, in which it was so deeply rooted; while in both the other northern countries it acquired a far more cosmopolitan character, and became more closely identified with Christian culture. Christianity had been introduced from Germany. During a long time it had been preached by foreign, partly German and partly Anglo-Saxon clergymen, and even after the inhabitants had accepted the new doctrine, and begun to choose its future apostles from among themselves—a fact which did not, however, prevent a number of foreign monks from immigrating throughout the middle age, nor even whole monastic colonies from being introduced from abroad—even after the establishment of the new faith, the clergy, as the