Look who is starting Viking and Medieval Norse Studies and Medieval Icelandic Studies at the University of Iceland

<div id="fb-root"></div> <script>(function(d, s, id) { var js, fjs = d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0]; if (d.getElementById(id)) return; js = d.createElement(s); js.id = id; js.src = "//connect.facebook.net/en_US/all.js#xfbml=1"; fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js, fjs); }(document, 'script', 'facebook-jssdk'));</script><div class="fb-post" data-href="https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=492993597463688&set=a.363000650462984.82013.132399990189719&type=1" data-width="550"><div class="fb-xfbml-parse-ignore"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=492993597463688&set=a.363000650462984.82013.132399990189719&type=1">Post</a> by <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Viking-and-Medieval-Norse-Studies-Programme/132399990189719">Viking and Medieval Norse Studies Programme</a>.</div></div>

Look who is starting Viking and Medieval Norse Studies and Medieval Icelandic Studies at the University of Iceland

Post by Viking and Medieval Norse Studies Programme .

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Found in China, what to find in Iceland, and why we may never find the secret of the Voynich Manuscript

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi21TvbtorMZOoI0adZDK2IYLul6Nn9TXTh-343EO4lKw7nPERsv5FqQ_IyaDcW8muQi5OCTwVvkbLnxh7h8dPwVd2Z-4jTsDtFsXuUPNZYeeC5dK3NfALqXNluXL3AqU8NnzNiUVioZCI/s1600/voynich_041113_300px_vertical.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi21TvbtorMZOoI0adZDK2IYLul6Nn9TXTh-343EO4lKw7nPERsv5FqQ_IyaDcW8muQi5OCTwVvkbLnxh7h8dPwVd2Z-4jTsDtFsXuUPNZYeeC5dK3NfALqXNluXL3AqU8NnzNiUVioZCI/s400/voynich_041113_300px_vertical.jpg" width="257" /></a></div>The Voynich Manuscript has confounded scholars ever since it was revealed by a book dealer named Wilfrid Voynich in the early part of the 20th century. There have been several theories of when this odd manuscript, which contains bizarre images and indecipherable writing, was created, with some believing it dates back to the Middle Ages.<br /><br />In his article Cracking the Voynich Code, Batya Ungar-Sargon takes a look at the history of the manuscript. Radiocarbon dating finds that the manuscript was made between 1404 and 1438, although we do not know when the ink was written on it. Still, some believe the manuscript is really just a hoax, perhaps created in the 17th or even the 20th century.  <b><a href="http://www.tabletmag.com/jewish-arts-and-culture/books/129131/cracking-the-voynich-code?all=1" target="_blank">You can read the article on Tablet Magazine</a></b>.<br /><br />Icelanders are seeing the potential value of its medieval archaeological sites as tourist attractions, according to an article in the Iceland Review Online. Ólöf Ýrr Atladóttir, director general of the Icelandic Tourist Board, explains that “Nature still has the most attraction but culture, in a broad sense, is gaining popularity. Tourists are constantly seeking new experiences and not least the interplay between daily life and nature through centuries. Strategic development of tourism related to cultural values like archaeological remains plays a big part in that context.”<br /><br />However, she also warns that the her country needs to do a better job protecting archaeological sites from environmental degradation. <b><a href="http://www.icelandreview.com/icelandreview/daily_news/Archaeology_Unused_Resource_for_Tourism_in_Iceland_0_399434.news.aspx" target="_blank">Click here to read this article from Iceland Review Online</a></b>. <br /><br />Meanwhile, Chinese archaeologists report that they might have discovered the tomb of Emperor Yang Guang, who was the last ruler of the Sui Dynasty. The small tomb contains a gravestone that identifies the emperor and relates events about the year he died, 618. However, Shu Jiaping, head of Yangzhou's Institute of Archaeology, warns "we're still not sure whether it was the emperor's final resting place, as historical records said his tomb had been relocated several times." <br /><br />Emperor Yang Shang had a very active rule, ordering major building projects including a Grand Canal and rebuilding large parts of the Great Wall. But his construction work and military campaigns bankrupted the state, eventually leading to a coup in which he was murdered. <b><a href="http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/china/2013-04/16/content_16412383.htm" target="_blank">Click here to read the full article from the China Daily</a></b>.

Found in China, what to find in Iceland, and why we may never find the secret of the Voynich Manuscript

The Voynich Manuscript has confounded scholars ever since it was revealed by a book dealer named Wilfrid Voynich in the early part of the 20...

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Vikings were “first to begin criminal profiling”, historian says

The Saga of Egil Skallagrimsson tells the story of a tenth-century Viking warrior who took part in raids in Europe and often fought with his own neighbours in Iceland. When his life’s story was written in the thirteenth-century, was the author using him as an example of the type of man that society had to worry about?<br /><br /> Tarrin Wills, a researcher from the University of Aberdeen, believes that Viking societies themselves were deeply concerned about these violent and unpredictable individuals – so much so that they took on the role of early criminal profilers – drafting descriptions of the most likely trouble-makers.<br /><br /> Wills presented his research yesterday to the British Science Festival, one of Europe’s largest science festivals. It is being held this year in Aberdeen and is expecting to attract over 50,000 people for its talks, discussions and workshops.<br /><br /><b><a href="http://www.medievalists.net/2012/09/08/vikings-were-first-to-begin-criminal-profiling-historian-says/" target="_blank">Click here to read this article from Medievalists.net</a></b>

Vikings were “first to begin criminal profiling”, historian says

The Saga of Egil Skallagrimsson tells the story of a tenth-century Viking warrior who took part in raids in Europe and often fought with his...

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Oar walking, underwater wrestling and horse fighting – historian examines the sports and games of the Vikings

<br />Playing ball games is an activity played by children around the world. While today’s parents might worry that their sons and daughters might get scrapes and bruises, in the Viking world such a game could end with an axe being driven into an opponent’s head.<br /><br />This detail comes from a new article, ‘What the Vikings did for fun? Sports and pastimes in medieval northern Europe’, which was published last month in the journal World Archaeology. In it Leszek Gardeła of the University of Aberdeen uses saga accounts and archaeological evidence to see what men, women and children from Scandinavia and Iceland amused themselves with during the Viking-era, and found that their were several popular pastimes.<br /><br /><b><a href="http://www.medievalists.net/2012/07/02/oar-walking-underwater-wrestling-and-horse-fighting-historian-examines-the-sports-and-games-of-the-vikings/" target="_blank">Click here to read this article from Medievalists.net</a></b><br />

Oar walking, underwater wrestling and horse fighting – historian examines the sports and games of the Vikings

Playing ball games is an activity played by children around the world. While today’s parents might worry that their sons and daughters might...

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Archaeologists to excavate Alþingi site in Iceland this summer

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuw6HxtUP-ga_0l23iXu7cMYhVZ3ADYjDjpoCFNGlPAfvhKCRbiFVcEfwEeL_s2WYOj2rftIAVAt-bmBxn3W3TZ7tXJ1ZC-HoMOJQT2XmnlAC1g4NNT86qoeZhyphenhyphen3xUrK1h7mAVUTwxETs/s1600/HistAlthing.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuw6HxtUP-ga_0l23iXu7cMYhVZ3ADYjDjpoCFNGlPAfvhKCRbiFVcEfwEeL_s2WYOj2rftIAVAt-bmBxn3W3TZ7tXJ1ZC-HoMOJQT2XmnlAC1g4NNT86qoeZhyphenhyphen3xUrK1h7mAVUTwxETs/s320/HistAlthing.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div>While the site of the parliament in Reykjavík is being excavated, archeologists will continue to search for remains at the site where Alþingi, the Icelandic parliament, was founded in 930 AD, Þingvellir National Park, this summer.<br /><br /> This time around, archeological remains will be searched for and registered at the periphery of the ancient site, as well as in the area between Hrafnabjargir and Ármannsfell, <i>ruv.is</i> reports. Þingvellir National Park extends over 230 square kilometers.<br /><br />The influx of tourists has increased significantly in recent few years, putting strain on cultural remains. Therefore it is considered a priority to register the park’s archeological discoveries.<br /><br /><b><a href="http://www.icelandreview.com/icelandreview/daily_news/Archeologists_Excavate_Remains_at_Ancient_Parliament_0_391271.news.aspx" target="_blank">Click here to read this article from Iceland Review Online </a></b><br /><h3>Viking Remains Excavated in Center of Reykjavík</h3><span style="background-color: white;">“We can see at least one smithy, if not two, but also coal pits and iron melt ovens,” said Vala Garðarsdóttir, who leads the excavation project in the Alþingi construction site on the corner of Tjarnargata and Kirkjustræti in central Reykjavík. </span><br /><br /> The site has been earmarked for enlargement of the parliamentary building but first archeologists were given time to excavate remains that might be found there. Excavation has taken place there in summers since 2008. This year the project kicked off on June 1 and will continue through mid-September, Fréttablaðið reports.<br /><br /><b><a href="http://www.icelandreview.com/icelandreview/daily_news/Viking_Remains_Excavated_in_Center_of_Reykjav%C3%ADk_0_391247.news.aspx" target="_blank">Click here to read this article from Iceland Review Online</a></b>

Archaeologists to excavate Alþingi site in Iceland this summer

While the site of the parliament in Reykjavík is being excavated, archeologists will continue to search for remains at the site where Alþing...

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Icelandic MP Moves Elves’ Boulder to His Home

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNa7R0QThpnwaA-1HYl7k3Eqta4ew_mVfs3c_VOsa_RogrbQMyCFNgjZGTEdGPjjtr86lYOQHGVxvuVgYK6-IA_NaZfWS-wk-EOua4CmGE7GEYIN24spSbYhgUGlme90qHBnn0D66_OEs/s1600/imageVNL.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear:right; float:right; margin-left:1em; margin-bottom:1em"><img border="0" height="229" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNa7R0QThpnwaA-1HYl7k3Eqta4ew_mVfs3c_VOsa_RogrbQMyCFNgjZGTEdGPjjtr86lYOQHGVxvuVgYK6-IA_NaZfWS-wk-EOua4CmGE7GEYIN24spSbYhgUGlme90qHBnn0D66_OEs/s320/imageVNL.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div> MP for the Independence Party Árni Johnsen arranged for the relocation of a 30-ton boulder, which he believes is home to three generations of elves, from Sandskeið on Hellisheiði in southwest Iceland to his home Höfðaból in the Westman Islands today.<br /><br /> Árni first encountered the elves’ dwelling when he was in a serious car accident in January 2010. His car overturned and landed beside the boulder 40 meters away from the highway, Morgunblaðið reports. His SUV was damaged beyond repair but Árni escaped the accident unharmed.<br /><br />He considered whether the boulder might be a dwelling for hidden people and had it saved from landing underneath the south Iceland Ring Road when the highway was widened.<br /><br /><b><a href="http://www.icelandreview.com/icelandreview/daily_news/?cat_id=29314&ew_0_a_id=390052" target="_blank">Click here to read this article from Iceland Review Online</a></b><br /><h3><b>ELF KERFUFFLE IN ICELAND </b></h3> The Icelandic belief in elves goes back well over 1,000 years. Elves (álfar) are referenced many times in the Poetic Edda, but there is a tantalizing lack of descriptive information about these mysterious beings. Medieval sources record the practice known as álfablót ("sacrifice to the elves"), but again there is little detail to be found.<br /><br /> <b><a href="http://www.norsemyth.org/2012/05/elf-kerfuffle-in-iceland.html" target="_blank">Click here to read this article from The Norse Mythology Blog</a></b> <object height="450" width="600"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/avq9ABxMOys?version=3&hl=en_US"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/avq9ABxMOys?version=3&hl=en_US" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="600" height="450" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true"></embed></object> Click here to read <b><a href="http://www.medievalists.net/2010/12/09/the-meanings-of-elf-and-elves-in-medieval-england/">The meanings of elf and elves in medieval England</a></b>

Icelandic MP Moves Elves’ Boulder to His Home

MP for the Independence Party Árni Johnsen arranged for the relocation of a 30-ton boulder, which he believes is home to three generations ...

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