Publications
Here you will find information on my publications, and links to some of them.
„Skrifað með öðru heilahveli, bobblandi í spíritus: Aðfinnslur við aðfinnslur Bergsveins Birgissonar.“ Skírnir haust 2019, pp. 481-493
My response to Bergsveinn Birgisson’s article from the previous volume of Skírnir. Click here to read it.
“Review: Bad Boys and Wicked Women: Antagonists and Troublemakers in Old Norse Literature. Edited by Daniela Hahn and Andreas Schmidt. München: Herbert Utz Verlag. 2016.” In Kyngervi, vol. 1, summer 2019, pp 95-101.
A review on an impressive volume of articles by the most recent generation of Old Norse scholars. Click here to read it.
“Demons, Muslims, Wrestling-Champions: The Semantic History of Blámenn from the 12th to the 20th Century.” In Paranormal Encounters in Iceland 1150-1400, ed. by Ármann Jakobsson and Miriam Mayburd (forthcoming).
As the title indicates, this article aims to illustrate the semantic history of the Old Norse word blámaðr from its oldest known usage to modern times. The word, frequently thought to denote a black African, turns out to be immensely more complicated than was first thought.
“Móðurleg ímyndun: Frá Jakobi og Laban, um forvitnilega sögu um Hippókrates í Stjórn I, að lækningabókum endurreisnartímans.” In Studia Theologica Islandica - Ritröð Guðfræðistofnunar 46 no. 2, 2018, pp. 3-13.
An article in Icelandic about the idea of maternal imagination. I trace the concept back to ca. 500 B.C. and illustrate how ideas of maternal imagination evolved through the ages and in which form they arrived to medieval Iceland, where they obtained a life of their own. Click here to read the article.
The Saga of Thidrek of Bern. Translated by Edward Haymes and Arngrímur Vídalín. London: The Viking Society for Northern Research (forthcoming).
A new translation of this immense saga, from the Old Norse into English. More information to be announced.
“The Cardinal Virtues of Christian Kingship: The Teratological Implications of Elucidarius, Konungs skuggsiá and Eiríks saga víðfǫrla.” Published in Aspects of Royal Power in the Medieval North. Edited by Jakub Morawiec and Rafał Borysławski. Katowice: University of Silesia Press 2018.
In this article I compare two didactic texts in Old Norse: Elucidarius, which deals with Christian knowledge and virtues, and Konungs skuggsiá or The King’s Mirror, which deals with royal knowledge and virtues. I then compare the two to an exchange in Eiríks saga víðfǫrla between the noble hero Eiríkr the far-travelled and the Byzantine emperor and reach the conclusion that not only is the saga-text indebted to both these texts, but that knowledge of monsters and other strange creatures was among those topics considered important for a king to be well-versed in. Click here to read the article.
“From the Inside Out: Chronicles, Genealogies, Monsters, and the Makings of an Icelandic Worldview.” Published in Supernatural Encounters in Old Norse Literature and Tradition. Edited by Daniel Sävborg and Karen Bek-Pedersen. Turnhout: Brepols 2018.
In this article I examine the evidence for a great knowledge of Continental learning among medieval Icelandic writers and clerics, and argue that not only had they access to or knowledge of a wide variety of sources on the so-called Plinian monsters, but that their purported existence was very important to their Christian worldview. Click here for more information about this publication.
“Óláfr Ormsson’s Leiðarvísir: The Fourteenth Century Manuscript of a Supposed Twelfth Century Itinerary.” Published in Journal of English and Germanic Philology, vol 117 no. 2, April 2018.
In this article I explore the arguments for the attribution of the text known as Leiðarvísir to the 12th century Icelandic Benedictine abbot Nikulás Bergsson. I find the arguments lacking, available information confirming the identity of Abbot Nikulás virtually non-existent, and question the overall dating of the text. Instead I argue that Leiðarvísir should be read in its 14th century context, within the codex AM 194 8vo which was written in 1387 by the priest Óláfr Ormsson. Click here to read the article.
Skuggsjá sjálfsins: Skrímsl. jöðrun og afmennskun í heimsmynd íslenskra sagnaritara 1100-1550. Reykjavík: Hugvísindasvið Háskóla Íslands 2017.
My dissertation for the attainment of the degree Doctor of Philosophy focused on how Continental ideas about monstrosity were adopted in Icelandic literature with the acceptance of Christianity around the year 999/1000. The monograph deals with learned Icelandic texts and saga literature alike and seeks to both answer and ask questions about the function of dehumanization in medieval Iceland. An English summary can be read here.
“Þórbergur um þverveginn.” Published in Tímarit Máls og menningar 1: 2017.
This is a review of Soffía Auður Birgisdóttir’s monograph Ég skapa - þess vegna er ég. Um skrif Þórbergs Þórðarsonar (Reykjavík: Opna 2015), an analysis of the literary works of the Icelandic 20th century author Þórbergur Þórðarson. Click here to read.
“Hvað voru réttarhöldin í Salem árið 1692 og höfðu þau áhrif á galdramál á Íslandi?” Published in Vísindavefurinn (The Icelandic Science Web), May 24 2017.
In this brief article I discuss the Salem witch trials of 1692 and explain how they could not possibly have affected Icelandic witch trials, as they happened earlier. Available online here.
“Af hverju voru nornir brenndar á miðöldum?” Published in Vísindavefurinn (The Icelandic Science Web), May 18 2017.
In this brief article I discuss the misunderstanding that witches were burnt during the Middle Ages, when accusations of witchcraft and trials of witches in fact happened mainly during the 17th century. Available online here.
“Some Thoughts on the Supernatural, the Fantastic and the Paranormal in Medieval and Modern Literature.” Published in Folk Beliefs and Traditions of the Supernatural. Copenhagen: Beewolf Press 2015.
In this English reiteration of an older article I provide examples of how the term 'the fantastic' has been used in Old Norse studies to illustrate that a clear definition is lacking. Some scholars use Todorov's definition, yet most seem to use it to underline elements in the texts that they find 'fantastic' in the sense 'unrealistic'. I argue that this use of the term is unhelpful and does not further our understanding of medieval literature. A discussion of the 'supernatural' and 'paranormal' terms is also given. Click here to read the article.
“Ný bókfestukenning? Spjall um aðferðir.” Saga LIII: 2 2015.
In this article I respond to the allegation that scholars who focus on the state of extant texts and the period in which the preserved ‘versions’ were written might as well be called proponents of a ‘neo-bookprose theory’. My main argument is that one method of research and analysis does not exclude another, and that this wrongfully dubbed neo-bookprose theory in fact harmonizes quite well with both theories of oral transmission and more philological methods. Click here to read the article.
“Gullöldin var aldrei til.” Published in Skíma 2015.
It is often toted that in the good old days, schoolchildren learned Icelandic history and literature with glee and devout patriotism, that their linguistic faculties were at the same time so finely attuned that modern youngsters are but horrific shadows of their parents and grandparents. This article vehemently rejects this anecdotal and misplaced nostalgia and argues that this Golden Age of learning never took place. Click here to read.
“Þekkingarfræðilegt afstöðuleysi og dauði vísinda.” Published in Hugrás: Vefrit Hugvísindasviðs Háskóla Íslands, December 16 2015.
In this article I discuss the perceived reluctance among some prominent public intellectuals to rely on scientific definitions, their apparent dismissal of the epistemological foundations of their own research and their frequent attempts to lambast the humanities. The article is a response to this discourse as well as an argument for the importance of the humanities. Click here to read.
“Um réttinn til skoðana.” Published in Hugrás: Vefrit Hugvísindasviðs Háskóla Íslands, March 16 2015.
In this article I question the necessity of having opinions about everything and argue that often it is better not to have them, as opinions can quite often be worthless. Click here to read.
“Er Loch Ness skrímslið til?” Published in Vísindavefurinn (The Icelandic Science Web), June 20 2014.
In this brief article I answer the question whether the Loch Ness monster exists, and reach the conclusion that its existence now or at any other time in history is biologically impossible. Available online here.
“Eru sjávarskrímsli til?” Published in Vísindavefurinn (The Icelandic Science Web), June 11 2014.
In this brief article I answer the question whether sea monsters actually exist. Available online here.
“Einu sinni heyrði ég í morgunfréttunum að chupacabra hefði fundist. Er það rétt?” Published in Vísindavefurinn (The Icelandic Science Web), March 21 2014.
In this brief article I explain the origins of the cryptid chupacabra and how it was eventually debunked. Available online here.
“Að bera harm sinn í hljóði: Andvaka Soffíu Stefánsdóttur.” Published in Són 2014.
An article on a more personal note than usual. My great grandmother on my father’s side was a regular working class woman at the beginning of the 20th century, originally a farmer and later a nurse, until her death in 1958. She was also quite an accomplished poet, though she never wrote down her own verse and never thought much of her gift. When she lost her firstborn child she was overtaken with grief and wrote a poem about her. She once recited the poem to her friend, who remembered it and wrote it down secretly. This poem was later passed on to my grandmother, who then passed it on to me. This article serves as an introduction to and a publication of that very poem. Click here to read.
“„Er þat illt, at þú vilt elska tröll þat.“ Hið sögulega samhengi jöðrunar í Hrafnistumannasögum.” Published in Gripla XXIV 2013.
In this article I examine monsters in the worldview of medieval Icelanders and argue that the manner of dehumanizing the trollish people of the so-called Hrafnistumannasögur is in part indebted to Continental learning about monsters on the Earth’s peripheries. Click here to read the article.
“Samkynhneigð og nauðgun karla í norrænum lögum og bókmenntum miðalda.” By Kari Ellen Gade. Published in Ritið 3/2013: Vald.
This is an introduction to and Icelandic translation of Kari Ellen Gade’s Article “Homosexuality and Rape of Males in Old Norse Law and Literature,” originally published in Scandinavian Studies vol. 58, no. 2, Early Law and Society (SPRING 1986), pp. 124-141.
“Eru skrímsli til?” Published in Vísindavefurinn (The Icelandic Science Web), September 19 2013.
In this brief article I answer the question whether monsters exist. Available online here.
“Að mæla róteindir með gráðuboga: Um fantasíuhugtakið í miðaldabókmenntum.” Published in Skírnir (haust) 2013.
In this article I provide examples of how the term 'the fantastic' has been used in Old Norse studies to illustrate that a clear definition is lacking. Some scholars use Todorov's definition, yet most seem to use it to underline elements in the texts that they find 'fantastic' in the sense 'unrealistic'. I argue that this use of the term is unhelpful and does not further our understanding of medieval literature. Click here to read the article.
While I stand with the overall conclusion, I did get second thoughts about the modern approach to the supernatural undertaken in the article. A revised English version thus came into being, which can be found here.
The Supernatural in Íslendingasögur: A Theoretical Approach to Definition and Analysis. Reykjavík: Tower Press 2012.
This short monograph is based on my master’s thesis. It is an overview of selected supernatural elements in the Íslendingasögur: mainly revenants, trolls and paranormal creatures such as dragons and finngálkn. My thesis proposes a certain method for the analysis of supernatural creatures within the saga literature. The book can be accessed for free here.
Meistarar og lærisveinar: eftir stóra ævisögulega handritinu. By Þórbergur Þórðarson. Edited from the author’s manuscript by Arngrímur Vídalín. Foreword by Soffía Auður Birgisdóttir. Reykjavík: Forlagið 2010.
My edition of author Þórbergur Þórðarson’s unpublished and untitled autobiographical novel, written in the 1930’s.
„Að elska er að yrkja fegursta ljóð í víðri veröld:“ Um viðhorf Þórbergs Þórðarsonar til rómantíkur í íslenskum bókmenntum. Reykjavík: Háskóli Íslands 2009.
My first academic work, with which I still agree. It is a detailed survey of Icelandic author Þórbergur Þórðarson’s negative views on romanticism in literature and his autobiographical parody of romantics, while privately he indeed also idealized his romantic feelings toward his ‘Beloved’ and other women, and wrote dramatic and heartfelt poems about them which he publicly claimed were either parodies or wilfully vomit-inducing. The conclusion is that his parody of romanticism was a way to distance himself from his own pain, both publicly and in private. Click here to read.
“Rómantík hins daglega lífs.” Published in Hugsandi, April 20 2006.
A review of Jón Kalman Stefánsson’s novel Sumarljós og svo kemur nóttin. This was my first book review so I am fond of it, even though it is without question marked by the author’s naivety. Click here to read it.