Ancient Skies of Northern Europe: Stars, Constellations, and the Moon in Nordic Mythology
Nordic mythology from 13th century Iceland contains descriptions that provide traditional depictions of the night sky, constellations, and the Moon. These were not only incorporated within the mythology but also formed the basis for their gods
Feuding in Viking Age Iceland’s Great Village
My premise is that we come closest to understanding early Icelanders through a two-pronged approach: on the one hand, by focusing on their well-documented perception of themselves as a community and, on theother hand, through anthropological and historical analyses of the forces that shaped this perception.
The Sagas of Icelanders as a Historical Source
In the main, the stories are set in Iceland in the 9th through 11th century. This is the period in which Iceland was settled, primarily by Norwegians, and the time in which the Icelanders set up their commonwealth form of government.
The Value of the Icelandic Sagas
When I speak of the value of the Icelandic sagas, it is only natural that I should be asked: From whose point of view?
The Axed Man of Mosfell: Skeletal Evidence of a Viking Age Homicide and the Icelandic Sagas
The discovery of the skeletal remains of the person described in this chapter is one of many scientific results of the Mosfell Archaeological Project, an ongoing international research effort we began in 1995.
Njáls saga as a novel: four aspects of rewriting
Inspired by Njáls saga and Laxdæla saga, the novel Fire in the Ice by American novelist Dorothy James Roberts is one of numerous modern rewritings of classical and medieval literature.
History or fiction? Truth-claims and defensive narrators in Icelandic romance-sagas
Straining the bounds of credibility was an activity in which many mediaeval Icelandic saga-authors indulged.
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
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.
Remnants of Revenants: The Role of the Dreaded Draugr in Medieval Iceland
The term ‘revenant’ is a French term for ghost, derived from the verb revenir, ‘to return.’ The Icelandic term is more specific to the returning and violently unhappy dead: the feared draugr.
Learning Magic in the Sagas
The image of magic spells being taught by more seasoned practitioners to others eager to learn them comports well with what can be deduced about the actual practice of witchcraft and magic in medieval Scandinavia
Saga-Accounts of Norse Far-Travellers
What did medieval saga-writers think about the Viking travellers who sailed west across the ocean without knowing the way to the lands they sought, or even whether or not these lands existed?
‘í litklæðum’ – Coloured Clothes in Medieval Scandinavian Literature and Archaeology
What do we mean by coloured clothes? Or rather, what did the saga writers mean by their term litklæði?
Horses as Status Symbols: Medieval Icelandic horses as symbols of masculine honor in a one-sexed world
Horses, the unsung heroes of the Viking age, have been overlooked all too often in the study of medieval Iceland and its culture.
The Saga of the Confederates: Historical Truth in an Icelandic Saga
The Saga of the Confederates, written anonymously in the thirteenth century, tells a story that takes place in eleventh century Iceland. The saga presents an opportunity to examine Iceland’s unique political and social systems during the Middle Ages, both during the time of the story and also during the author’s lifetime.
Evidence and Intuition: Making Medieval Instruments
Evidence and Intuition: Making Medieval Instruments Adelman, Beth Early Music America (Fall 2005) Abstract The Atlakvida (The Lay of Attila), an 8th-or early 9th-century…
Scholar finds evidence of links between Vikings and North American natives
Old Norse sagas such as Saga of Erik the Red and the Saga of the Greenlanders have been long been considered among the…
Beauty and brutality: Iceland’s literary landscapes
Dr Emily Lethbridge is breathing new life and understanding into the centuries-old Sagas of Icelanders (Íslendingasögur) during a unique year-long research trip – conducted in 2011 from the back of a decommissioned Land Rover ambulance.
A Chieftain in an Old Norse Text: Sveinn Ásleifarson and the Message behind Orkneyinga Saga
A Chieftain in an Old Norse Text: Sveinn Ásleifarson and the Message behind Orkneyinga Saga By Ian Beuermann Confluence. Interdisciplinary Communications 2007/2008, edited…
Characters and Narrators as Interpreters of Fidelity Tests in Medieval Arthurian Fiction
Characters and Narrators as Interpreters of Fidelity Tests in Medieval Arthurian Fiction Besamusca, Bart Neophilologus (2010) Abstract This article discusses a number of fidelity-testing…
“Ek Skal Hér Ráða”: Themes of Female Honor in the Icelandic Sagas
“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…
Viking Travellers of the Sagas
In accordance with the Icelandic sagas’ tendency to show rather than tell, it is rare for saga characters to say explicitly what motivates them to travel from their homes in Scandinavia and Iceland to distant lands
Judging Vikings: Ethics and morality in two Icelandic family sagas, Laxdaela saga and Vatnsdaela saga
To discern these ethics it seemed to be the right way not to look at the religious aspects of the saga, but just by looking at how the people behaved and how they are judged. For this purpose, one needs sagas that have interesting conflicts.
Selective female infanticide as partial explanation for the dearth of women in Viking Age Scandinavia
‘So you are with child. If you should bear a girl, it shall be exposed, but if a boy, then it shall be raised.’ –
Disfigurement, Disability, and Dis-integration in Sturlunga saga
Disfigurement, Disability, and Dis-integration in Sturlunga saga By Lois Bragg Alvíssmál, Vol. 4 (1994 [1995]) Introduction: Near the end of Sturlunga saga, an…
The Age of the Sturlungs
The thirteenth century occupies a special place in Icelandic history.