Medieval Iceland, Greenland, and the New Human Condition: A case study in integrated environmental humanities
By interlinking analyses of historically grounded literature with archaeological studies and environmental science, valuable new perspectives can emerge on how these past societies may have understood and coped with environmental impacts.
The World’s Saga: An English Translation of the Old Norse Veraldar saga, a History of the World in Six Ages
Veraldar saga is a medieval Icelandic prose universal history written in the Old Norse vernacular. It describes the history of the world divided into six “ages” from the Biblical creation narrative until the reign of Holy Roman Emperor Frederick I Barbarossa.
Power and Political Communication. Feasting and Gift Giving in Medieval Iceland
Unlike modern friendship, its medieval namesake was anything but a free and spontaneous practice, and neither were its primary modes and media of expression.
Combat in Saga Literature: Traces of martial arts in medieval Iceland
On a first glance, the Íslendingasögur can seem like a never-ending chain of feud killings, and many of the best known and most noteworthy saga scenes are scenes of combat.
A Case of an Odd Saga: Structure in Bjarnar saga Hítdælakappa
The discussion of ‘Bjarnar saga Hítdælakappa’ structure has resulted in it being described either as a clumsily made saga or as an odd, non-mainstream saga. However, a scholastic attempt to find the narrative strategy behind the veil of clumsiness has shown that the seemingly loosely constructed narrative of the “Icelandic” part appears to be planned in a rather sophisticated and artistic way.
Communities of Death in Medieval Iceland
In Iceland, the introduction of Christianity around 1000 AD was associated with fundamental chnges in burial customs.
Old Norse White Walkers?
Fear of the undead is by no means a new sensation to humankind; the Icelanders, for instance, knew it centuries ago.
The character of commercial fishing in Icelandic waters in the fifteenth century
The character of commercial fishing in Icelandic waters in the fifteenth century By Mark Gardiner Cod and Herring: The Archaeology and History of Medieval…
New Medieval Books: Iceland
Five new books for those interested in the sagas and society of Iceland during the Middle Ages.
Shapeshifting in Old Norse-Icelandic Literature
This article aims to cast a light upon the colorful yet largely unknown shapechanging motifs found in Old Norse-Icelandic literature as well as in related literary works conceived from Classical times until the middle of the 16th century
Popular Culture and Royal Propaganda in Norway and Iceland in the 13th century
Do the kings presented in Strengleikar appear as the European Christian rex justus kings, which was the dominant medieval royal model, or do they convey another image – an image that may be interpreted to explain both the intended function and the popularity of the translations in Norway and Iceland
The use and the abuse of history, national heritage and nationalism
‘Icelanders or Norwegians? Leifur, Snorri and national identity then and now’ followed by a panel discussion
Book Review: A Medieval Woman’s Companion by Susan Signe Morrison
Susan Signe Morrison’s book, “A Medieval Woman’s Companion” brings the contributions of medieval women, famous and obscure, to the forefront in this fantastic introductory text.
Environmental Scarcity and Abundance in Medieval Icelandic Literature
Can medieval literary texts tell us anything about the environmental conditions and the availability of natural resources in premodern times?
The geography of a cemetery – the early Christian cemeteries of Skagafjördur, North Iceland
In the last decade early Christian churches and cemeteries in the region of Skagafjördur, North Iceland, have been the object of extensive archaeological research.
From Heroic Legend to ‘Medieval Screwball Comedy’? The Origins, Development and Interpretation of the Maiden-King Narrative
New types of popular texts emerged, bringing with them new images of women, especially the maiden-king or meykongr, a figure that features prominently in many of the late-medieval indigenous romances or (frumsamdar) riddarasögur.
Historical Oddity: The Birth of a Commonwealth in Medieval Iceland
Iceland is an odd place with an odd history. Despite being ranked among the wealthiest nations today, for much of its history it was left out of the growth and development of culture and technology throughout the Medieval period. It has never been a particularly hospitable environment for human habitation. Wind-blasted, cold, and rocky, it was an island left unsettled by humans long after it was discovered.
Was it for walrus? Viking Age settlement and medieval walrus ivory trade in Iceland and Greenland
The Norse expansion into the North Atlantic is remarkable testimony to the maritime transformation of the early medieval world.
Norse North Atlantic Textiles and Textile Production: A Reflection of Adaptive Strategies in Unique Island Environments
Textile production was a key industry for the Norse colonies of the North Atlantic during the late Viking and Medieval period.
Landscape, Maternal Space, And Child Exposure In The Sagas Of Icelanders
A survey of these episodes, then, suggests that maternal space in the sagas reasserts itself generally—and particularly reasserts itself onto the northern landscape—during instances of child exposure, where this mode of attempted infanticide takes on a variant meaning in Northern societies than it would from more Southern ones.
Kings, Wars, and Duck Eggs: Interpretations of Poetry in Egil’s Saga
Although Egil’s Saga is memorable enough for its bloodshed, feuds, and comically disgusting mead-hall scenes, the one characteristic which most distinctly sets it apart from the other Icelandic sagas is its extensive use of poetry.
Horse-fights: the Brutal Entertainment of the Icelanders in the Middle Ages
For medieval Icelanders, horses were among the most important animals. It should come as no surprise, as they were used for transport, in pagan rites, eating, and also for sports.
Pulling the Strings: The Influential Power of Women in Viking Age Iceland
Icelandic women during the Viking Age managed households, raised their children, tended to the animals, and wove the cloth, along with a host of other duties overlooked by their male counterparts.
Snorri Sturluson: Viking Mythographer and Historian
I shall first tell you briefly about Snorri’s background and his education and discuss his Edda, where he appears as mythographer, among other things, and then tell you about his career as a politician and discuss his Sagas of the Norwegian Kings.