Watch Out for the Skin Deep: Medieval Icelandic Transformations

Icelandic prose narratives from the 13th and 14th centuries are replete with instances of metamorphosis, humans transforming into animals, or changing shape in an indeterminate way. Sources indicate that the transformation is not merely corporeal but is also spiritual. In this paper, the Old Norse lexicon of transformation, such as the words hamrammr, hamslauss, and hamstoli, will be closely examined.