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Research Summary
Current Status
PhD (full-time) - currently registered
Research Topic
Confronting Evil in Old Norse Literature
Research Summary
My research examines confrontations with evil in Old Norse literature. Feeding into the recent resurgence of interest in medieval Icelandic hagiography, I am exploring the unique understandings of evil expressed by writers after the Christianisation of Iceland. This involves contextualising Old Norse texts within wider theological discussions alongside close analysis of vernacular works to build a picture of the moral and theological landscape of medieval Iceland. Taking vernacular hagiography as a starting point, I am examining the influence of Christian conceptions of evil on Old Norse literature and noting the key points where Icelandic texts vary from their Latin counterparts. I am particularly interested in the merging of theological ideas with Norse mythological tradition and literary style.
My research explores saints and the demonic in vernacular hagiography, nature and wilderness in sagas, and representations of illness in medical texts. By examining these genres in combination, I aim to give a comprehensive picture of the understanding of evil within medieval Icelandic literature.
Research Interests
I am primarily interested in medieval Germanic literature and particularly religious works. I have previously studied the psychology of sin and the Devil in Old English and Old Saxon texts, examining the unique perspective on religious literature within the vernacular and the understanding of the human mind. Now, I am studying how evil was understood in medieval Iceland under the influence of Christianity.
Research Supervisors
Dr Christina Lee
Dr Kate Olley
Primary Funding Source
Midlands4Cities AHRC Doctoral Student Award 2025
Research Institutes, Centres and/or Research Clusters Memberships
Member of the Viking Society for Northern Research
Conference Papers & Presentations
'Textile Creation in Viking Age Scandinavia', The 13th Háskóli Íslands Student Conference on the Medieval North, April 2024