Abstract

Along with industrialization sport became the dominating style of body culture. In Scandinavia the word idraet was used to describe specific Nordic qualities of body culture. In the work of the Swede Pehr Henrik Ling and the Dane N.F.S. Grundtvig one also finds visions of body culture based on other concepts than sport. Lings way of thinking is holistic; and to Grundtvig a living fight was a spiritual fight. It seems naive to believe that Western sport, with its Olympic Myth, faster - higher - stronger, is not an aspect of the enormous problems which lie before mankind as regards the future of both Nature and cultural identity. A rediscovery and reformulation of the Nordic views of body culture might be fruitful. In this process the North might find help from both the South and the East. The writings of Ling and Grundtvig indicate that such an intercultural inspiration has foundations in our own history. Verf.-Referat