The final conference of the Languages, Myths and Finds Project will take place on 28-29 June 2014 at the University of Nottingham.
Unlocking the Vikings: Norse and Viking Cultures in the Twenty-first Century
The conference will mark the conclusion of the cross-institution AHRC Collaborative Skills Development Programme known as Languages, Myths and Finds. This programme brings together graduate students and full-time researchers from across the UK and Ireland to explore the translation of Norse and Viking cultures into the modern day. Participants are working with local partners in five communities with Norse heritage: the Isle of Lewis, Cleveland, the Isle of Man, Dublin and Munster (Cork and Waterford). By collaborating with local schools, museums, historical societies and tourist organisations, the scheme aims to inspire greater public engagement with the Viking heritage of various localities. Participants will also draw on the work of the British Museum and its ‘Vikings: Life and Legend’ exhibition as part of their engagement with local communities. Do follow the project on Twitter, @LanguagesMyths, or watch this video on YouTube.
The closing conference in Nottingham seeks to foster a similar sense of communal interaction and will be open to all. The conference itself will be free of charge, however you will need to register for it so we have an idea of numbers. Delegates who wish to attend both days will have the option of paying £25 for dinner and/or £45 for bed and breakfast on Saturday the 28th June.
Confirmed speakers include:
Keynote speaker: Edmund Southworth (Manx National Heritage): Norse, Celt or English? The view from the Isle of Man
Papers and workshops:
Tom Birkett: Coming to a harbour near you! The Sea Stallion from Glendalough and heritage in motion
James Crawford: The evolution of the Outer Hebridean blackhouse
Ruarigh Dale: ‘A frothing madman with a blade’: Depictions of berserkir in modern fiction
Thor Ewing: Riddle Gestumblindi: Viking myths and music
Leszek Gardeła: Vikings reborn: Facets of early medieval reenactment in contemporary Poland
Jane Harrison: Where are the Vikings in Cleveland?
Genevieve Hopkins: The position of the valkyrie in the Young Adult literary genre
Mark Kirwan: Who cares about the Vikings? Perception of the Viking Age and the people who have studied it
Christina Lee: Wikingertage, Wicky the Viking and Wotan’s Fluch: Vikings in German popular culture
Victoria Whitworth: First catch your Viking: Creating norse narratives for a twenty-first century audience
Languages, Myths and Finds Presentations:
There will also be presentations from the five teams (Cleveland, Cork, Dublin, Isle of Lewis, Isle of Man) about their work on the project.
Download the final programme (pdf file) here.
Download the abstracts for the presentations (pdf file) here.
Download the conference poster (pdf file) here.
Download the public lecture poster (pdf file) here.