Research Interests

My main area of research is the study of Old Norse literature as well as modern Icelandic literature. My main focus in these past years has been the study of monsters (teratology) from classical antiquity to medieval and modern times, the culturally transient meaning and uses of monsters as a social construction, monstrous identities, as well as medieval trollology and Old Norse literature and religion.

Another research project for which I am currently seeking funding is the study of Classical Greek and Latin influence on Old Norse literature, not least on the medieval construction of a Nordic mythology. I have also been working on a survey of familial relations in Icelandic sagas for some time now.

My approach is a mixture of literary criticism, cultural history and history of ideas.

My dissertation was on monsters in the world view and learned tradition of Icelanders 1100–1550. Other research projects I am working on in varying degrees include the reasons for medieval saga writing, the supernatural and the occult in early modern folklore and literature, and blámenn in Old Norse literature. Currently I am writing a book on Grettis saga for public and expert readers alike.

I have also been interested in cryptozoology as modern folklore, and in 2014 I was appointed by the township of Fljótsdalshérað in eastern Iceland as a specialist to a committee concerning the veracity of photographic evidence for the existence of the monstrous worm of the river Lagarfljót, which has been reported to inhabit the river at least since the 14th century.

My master's thesis was a theoretical approach to the supernatural in the medieval family sagas, in which I argued against a common misconception that medieval audiences would have found supernatural occurrences in the sagas implausible at best, when the supernatural on the contrary was very much an alive part of the medieval world view.

A selected bibliography can be found here. Information about some of my conference papers is to be found here.

I also hold an undergraduate degree (B.A.) in Icelandic grammar and literature from the University of Iceland, and a postgraduate degree (Cand.mag.) in Scandinavian languages and literature from Aarhus University.

I am professionally affiliated with The Retrospective Methods Network, The Old Norse Folklorist Network, and MEARCSTAPA (Monsters: the experimental association for the research of cryptozoology through scholarly theory and practical application).

For any or all errands, my contact information can be found via the drop-down menu in the top-left corner of the site.