Abstract
This editorial offers initial thoughts about how Scandinavian pilgrimage possibly is being re-invented after 500 years of intermission. Although the church has been involved in all three Scandinavian countries, it is argued that pilgrimage to some degree is developing and being practiced along different lines in the three countries. In Denmark, pilgrimage can be said to often fall under an entrepreneurial, tourism start-up category. In Sweden, the church in some ways has appropriated pilgrimage as leverage in connection with the separation of church from the Swedish state. In Norway, pilgrimage has mainly been used by public authorities as valorisation of Norwegian cultural and natural heritage with the revival of the ancient St. Olavsleden. Moreover, a common trait for Scandinavian pilgrimage, at least in comparison with (more known) catholic traditional pilgrimage, is that pilgrimage may be performed along newly invented trails with no roots in or connection to historically known medieval pilgrimage trails, and often without a shrine or predefined destination. Instead, the act of walking in nature itself is often at the centre of Scandinavian pilgrimage and thus much connected to a distinct Northern outdoor recreation tradition and culture characterised by a love for wild nature. As such, we also argue that pilgrimage in the Scandinavian countries is meshing with traditional nature ideals and that understanding and performing pilgrimage is becoming synonymous with seeking and connecting with nature. The paper introduces key reflections on these thoughts.
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Recommended Citation
Meged, Jane Widtfeldt Mrs and Hansen, Andreas Skriver Mr
(2026)
"Invited Editorial: Scandinavian Pilgrimage Reinvented,"
International Journal of Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage:
Vol. 14:
Iss.
3, Article 2.
Available at:
https://arrow.tudublin.ie/ijrtp/vol14/iss3/2