The influence of this interest in ancient Scandinavia on Scott’s own work has also been traced and examined in great detail…
The Riddle of Gollum: Was Tolkien Inspired by Old Norse Gold, the Jewish Golem, and the Christian Gospel?
August 23, 2012 By
I would like to speculate on Tolkien’s sources for Gollum. As a start, it is likely that Tolkien’s conscious sources for Gollum were the same as his sources for ents.
Changing views on Vikings
June 25, 2012 By
In this article changing views, not only of Viking activities, but also of the etymology and meaning of the word viking will be discussed.
“Ek Skal Hér Ráða”: Themes of Female Honor in the Icelandic Sagas
May 25, 2012 By
A major goal of this thesis is to not only interpret the representations of women from these sagas, but also to place these representations in the context of the time and the writers. Icelanders wrote these sagas a couple centuries after the Viking age ended and are based nearly entirely on oral tradition.
Mythic Transformations: Tree Symbolism in the Norse Plantation
May 17, 2012 By
This thesis explores tree symbolism as interpreted from a selection of Old Norse poetic and prose mythological sources.
The Mythology of Magic in The Hobbit: Tolkien and Andrew Lang’s Red Fairy Book “Story of Sigurd”
May 16, 2012 By
This paper was part of the Tolkien at Kalamazoo sessions.
Recreating Beowulf’s “Pregnant Moment of Poise”: Pagan Doom and Christian Eucatastrophe Made Incarnate in the Dark Age Setting of The Lord of the Rings
May 4, 2012 By
The following chapters will explore how Tolkien fuses themes and imagery from the pagan Norse apocalyptic myth of Ragnarök with Christian apocalyptic imagery and themes in a recreated Dark Age historical setting to create The Lord of the Rings.
On bilingualism in the Danelaw
April 26, 2012 By
Little can be known about those bilingual speakers of the language varieties related to Old English and Old Norse, who wandered in the Danelaw during the Viking Age, as no direct evidence has come down to us to support this argumentation.
The Runic System as a Reinterpretation of Classical Influences and as an Expression of Scandinavian Cultural Affiliation
April 22, 2012 By
Accompanying discussions of the runic system’s graphical origins are arguments concerning its geographical origins. Von Friesen’s theory that runes derived from Greek characters looked east to the Gothic territories, while scholars arguing for North Italic origins have pointed towards the Alps. Moltke, who looked to a largely Latin source for the runic characters, suggested a runic origin in Denmark.
If She Says Yes or Is Silent: A New Interpretation of Female Marital Consent in the Settlement Period in Iceland as Revealed Through the Family Sagas
December 20, 2011 By
Icelandic Sagas have captivated the minds of casual readers and historians alike due to their complex depiction of character and deeply resonant storylines. All of the characters are highly nuanced and developed, but many times it is the female characters that catch a reader’s attention because of their exceptional level of activity and variety.
Völuspá and the Feast of Easter
September 28, 2011 By
It is generally agreed that Völuspá has been influenced by Christian ideas to some extent, but the nature of that influence has been debated.
Woman or Warrior? The Construction of Gender in Old Norse Myth
September 4, 2011 By
Woman or Warrior? The Construction of Gender in Old Norse Myth Norrman, Lena (Harvard University) Paper given at the 11th International Saga Conference (2000) Abstract This example from Saga Hei›reks konungs ins vitra gives us an excellent opportunity to examine and understand the gender roles in what is traditionally called the patriarchal society of the Middle Ages. […]
“Ek Skal Hér Ráða”: Themes of Female Honor in the Icelandic Sagas
August 28, 2011 By
“Ek Skal Hér Ráða”: Themes of Female Honor in the Icelandic Sagas Rivenbark, Susan Elizabeth (University of North Carolina at Wilmington) M.A. Thesis, Appalachian State University, May (2011) Abstract There was a separate and unique code of honor and ethics for women living in Iceland during the Viking Age. What was female honor? Were Icelandic women […]
Textual evidence for spilling lines in the rigging of medieval Scandinavian keels
August 21, 2011 By
Textual evidence for spilling lines in the rigging of medieval Scandinavian keels Sayers, William (Cornell University Library, Ithaca, New York) The International Journal of Nautical Archaeology (1999) Abstract Sail trimming and standing and running rigging on Viking-era craft are elucidated by references in 12th- and early 13th- century Anglo-Norman historical sources and an Icelandic lexical catalogue. […]
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