The lecture provides a brief outline of the reception of Old Norse literature and culture in modern British literature. Furthermore, it focuses on three specific works of British literature from the 18th and 19th century (Thomas Grey: "The Descent of Odin: An Ode", Walter Scott: The Pirate, William Morris: "The Story of Sigurd the Volsung and the Fall of the Niblungs"), which are also adaptations of Old Norse literature, and examines relations between them and the manner in which each of the works views the concept of "Old Norse magic." The acquired information is then connected with significant artistic movements and schools of thought of the time periods in which the works were created, in order to find out whether there is congruity or discrepancy to be observed between them.
This is then followed by a discussion of the results of the analysis.