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Judith Jesch

@judithjesch.bsky.social
2.3K followers 737 following 1.7K posts

Emeritus Professor of Viking Studies @uoncsva.bsky.social. Visiting Professor @insuhi.bsky.social, FBA. The Saga of the Earls of Orkney: birlinn.co.uk/product/the-saga-of-t… uonenglish.substack.com/s/ragnas-is…

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Judith Jesch @judithjesch.bsky.social · 8h
If you're interested in #OrkneyingaSaga #SagaoftheEarlsofOrkney, you might want to check out this article in the latest @historyextra.bsky.social www.magzter.com/stories/educ... and this podcast podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/h...
magzter.com
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Judith Jesch @judithjesch.bsky.social · 22h
As is every day!
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Judith Jesch @judithjesch.bsky.social · 22h
This is indeed one of the most interesting and barely ever mentioned anecdotes in Orkneyinga saga. Rognvaldr was in fact a bit useless at most things except poetry. But he could also laugh at himself.
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Dorothy Bishop @deevybee.bsky.social · 10/10/2026
Yet more today from Philip Moriarty and the mismatch between the University of Nottingham's "values" and what they actually do. 🔥🔥🔥 muircheartblog.wpcomstaging.com/2026/10/10/i...
muircheartblog.wpcomstaging.com
I asked the Vice-Chancellor how £8.7M was being spent. Here’s what happened.
Visit the post for more.
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Judith Jesch @judithjesch.bsky.social · 09/10/2026
Fun 🧵
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Judith Jesch @judithjesch.bsky.social · 09/10/2026
Ooh, hope you enjoy, even though it's quite old now! Let me know what the gýgr says, if anything. 🙂
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Margot Finn @eicathomefinn.bsky.social · 09/10/2026
Planning to apply for an ERC grant in Arts, Humanities or Social Sciences? Don't miss out on the free expert support available at British Academy reading days. Especially handy if your university is shrinking its research office or making scads of academics with grant expertise redundant. Ahem.
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Judith Jesch @judithjesch.bsky.social · 09/10/2026
Didn't work well at Nottingham
The central heating chimney at the University of Nottingham. Image from Wikimedia Commons
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National Trust @nationaltrust.org.uk · 09/10/2026
👋 Say hello to the stars of your new bank notes! After a public vote which saw over 2.5 million responses, the Bank of England have revealed the Atlantic puffin, barn owl, European hedgehog and buff-tailed bumblebee will appear on redesigned notes over the coming years.
A close-up of a puffin. A small bird with a black back, white front and brightly-coloured beak.A close-up of a bee on flowersA hedgehog walks through a woodland floor at nightTwo brown and white barn owls on a wooden perch
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Judith Jesch @judithjesch.bsky.social · 09/10/2026
Her er et tydelig eksempel med ONLAF (ikke samme konge, naturligvis) emc.fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk/full-record/...
emc.fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk
Contact :
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Judith Jesch @judithjesch.bsky.social · 09/10/2026
Det var engelske myntmestere i Skandinavia, men også myntemestere med skandinaviske navn i England og begge deler kunne ha brukt skrivemåten ONLAF (eller ANLAF, som jeg tror er litt tidligere).
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Judith Jesch @judithjesch.bsky.social · 09/10/2026
Jeg stusset også over dette. Vi må spørre numismatikerne, med det er sannsynlig at myntmesteren var en engelskmann og vant til den stavingen, eller en som var kjent med den engelske skrivemåten. Jeg tror ikke en norsk/skandinavisk myntmester ville ha skrevet navnet med 'n', latin eller ikke latin.
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Jo Wolff @jowolff.bsky.social · 09/10/2026
Just drawing this scheme to people's attention. Deadline Nov 4th. www.thebritishacademy.ac.uk/funding/sche...
thebritishacademy.ac.uk
British Academy/Leverhulme Small Research Grants
The British Academy/Leverhulme Small Research Grants are available to support primary research in the humanities and social sciences. These awards, up to £10,000 in value and tenable for up to 24 mont...
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Kristel Zilmer @kristelzilmer.bsky.social · 09/10/2026
A new exhibition opens in November at the Historical Museum in Oslo, featuring multiple coins of the Mørstad hoard, including a coin struck for Olaf Haraldsson (St Olaf).
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Judith Jesch @judithjesch.bsky.social · 08/10/2026
This is horrendous, as the many other books by this 'author' claiming to be 'plain English' explanations of various aspects of the Viking Age (AI appealing to the lowest common denominator?). The samples suggest they are boring as f**k as well as plagiarised in AI's own peculiar way. #CaveatEmptor
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C.J. Adrien @cjadrien.bsky.social · 06/10/2026
If you want to make fantasy films, then make fantasy films. Bastardizing a historical topic will not do 😡 #medievalsky #vikingsky #history #tv #bloodaxe #cinema
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Judith Jesch @judithjesch.bsky.social · 07/10/2026
Easier to climb the gate. Or is that heresy?
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Judith Jesch @judithjesch.bsky.social · 07/10/2026
#Danish #Hygge #Cats #Wood
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Wilson McLeod @wilsonmcleod.bsky.social · 07/10/2026
"One of the great Scottish universities is sticking a knife through . . . Celtic, Scottish Ethnology, and Scottish literature & Scottish history.These are studies which allow Scotland to understand itself.A nation which doesn’t understand itself isn’t a nation" www.heraldscotland.com/news/educati...
heraldscotland.com
The Scottish Endarkenment has dawned in this dumbed-down nation
The mass closure of university courses is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the unravelling of Scottish culture today, says Neil Mackay
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Alexander Kasprzyk @amkasprzyk.bsky.social · 06/10/2026
"Students will be able to undertake a modern language module ...[and] that it 'remains committed to a vibrant music culture on campus' through choirs, orchestras, performances and creative opportunities." #Nottingham Such respect for the subjects. A hobby. www.nottinghampost.com/news/notting...
nottinghampost.com
Uni to axe hundreds of jobs and scrap courses to cut costs
The university said the changes are 'among the most significant' in its 145-year history
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Judah Grunstein @judah-grunstein.bsky.social · 06/10/2026
Simply put, across the US and UK, university administrators, their management consultants and their funders no longer consider the arts and humanities worthy of being studied, taught and transmitted. Their vision of human society is anti-humanist. No wonder the kids are at the barricades.
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Margot Finn @eicathomefinn.bsky.social · 06/10/2026
'The Future Nottingham programme, approved by the university’s council on 5 October, will cut 560 jobs, close departments including modern languages and music, and increase staff-student ratios.' The future is bleak.
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Judith Jesch @judithjesch.bsky.social · 06/10/2026
'music-related research will continue within its School of Computer science' 🤔
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Onni Gust @onnigust.bsky.social · 05/10/2026
41% staffing cuts in the Faculty of Arts at UoN. We're entering a wilderness of creativity and critical thinking.
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Judith Jesch @judithjesch.bsky.social · 05/10/2026
You've probably seen this bsky.app/profile/seis...
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Judith Jesch @judithjesch.bsky.social · 05/10/2026
Hurra!
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Judith Jesch @judithjesch.bsky.social · 05/10/2026
I barndommen var jeg mer interessert i Nancy Drew og barnedetektiver med jenter (Happy Hollisters [Lykkebarna], Bobbsey Twins). Men jeg leste litt Hardy Boys og voksen meg lurer nå på om The Viking Symbol Mystery (1963 en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Vik...) noen gang ble oversatt til norsk - vet du?
en.wikipedia.org
The Viking Symbol Mystery - Wikipedia
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Judith Jesch @judithjesch.bsky.social · 04/10/2026
That sounds exciting - congratulations!
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ToonHive @toonhive.bsky.social · 04/10/2026
76 years ago today, Snoopy made his first appearance in ‘Peanuts.’
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Nigella Lawson @nigella.bsky.social · 04/10/2026
It’s Korvapuustipäivä in Finland and Kanelsbullens Dag in Sweden, which is to say Cinnamon Bun Day! I happen to have a recipe for Swedish Cinnamon Buns, so of course it has to be #RecipeOfTheDay www.nigella.com/recipes/swed...
nigella.com
Swedish Cinnamon Buns
Swedish Cinnamon Buns are not radically different from other cinnamon buns (and do see my Norwegian Cinnamon Buns), but they do diverge in one fundamental way: rather than having the fluffiness of, sa...
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The Vikingology Podcast @vikingologypodcast.bsky.social · 03/10/2026
Super stoked to have @smsindbaek.bsky.social back on the podcast. This time we talked about the series of cool books he's written about the #vikingage ring fortresses in Denmark. Check it out! vikingology.substack.com/p/denmarks-v...
vikingology.substack.com
Denmark’s Viking Age Ring Fortresses
Listen now | Our chat with archaeologist Søren Sindbæk about these enigmatic monuments
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Judith Jesch @judithjesch.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
This is some very fine bling!
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Judith Jesch @judithjesch.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
Nice photo!
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Judith Jesch @judithjesch.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
skaldic.org/m.php?p=vers...
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Ticia Verveer @ticiaverveer.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
In an update from Secrets of the Ice, researchers reveal that this year alone, 48 prehistoric arrows have been discovered and recovered from melting ice in Jotunheimen. ​While these finds offer insights into ancient hunting,they also signal an urgent & sobering reality: the oldest ice is now melting
secretsoftheice.com
Year of the Arrows - Now the Stone Age Is Melting Out - Secrets of the Ice
48 prehistoric arrows emerge from melting ice in Jotunheimen in Norway as increasingly ancient artefacts are revealed.
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Simon Kuestenmacher @simongerman600.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
This animated map by @AaronJBecker shows the average colour of Europe from September 2024 to September 2026 based on satellite images. It's fun to look at your region changing colour through the seasons.
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Tom Fairfax @tcfairfax.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
Details forthcoming for the SSNS conference in the Borders! www.ssns.org.uk/featured/ssn...
ssns.org.uk
SSNS 2026 Conference - Darnick, Scotland - Scottish Society for Northern Studies
On Saturday the 28th of November, the Society will hold its annual Day Conference in Darnick Village Hall in the Scottish Borders.
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Margot Finn @eicathomefinn.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
Universities cannot expect researchers to take risks if they are repeatedly at risk of redundancy while losing professional services support, grappling with the gratuitous vagaries of home and international student number swings and both teaching and assessing in an age of unregulated AI.
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Corinna @shroomgirl.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
Spending time in Caithness prowling round #OrkneyingaSaga #PlaceNames! Today: Ham (hǫfn 'harbour, safe haven'), Halkirk (hár & kirkja 'church'), Scrabster (perhaps pers name Skári & bólstaðr ‘dwelling, farm’) but we did drive thru Forss (fors ‘waterfall’) & Murkle (myrkr 'muddy’ & hóll ‘hill’) too!
Colour photo of a small sheltered bay with a rocky shore, evidence of a stone built cassie-style pier, cliffs beyond and a blue sky. The place is Ham in Caithness, a simplex place-name from ON hǫfn 'harbour, safe haven'.
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Fair Isle Bird Observatory @fairislebirdobs.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
The September Ranger Blog is available to read now to catch up on what Carla has been up to lately over at www.fairislebirdobs.co.uk/ranger_blog....!
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Judith Jesch @judithjesch.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
Well, I got two postcards today, so celebrated #WorldPostcardDay appropriately!
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Institute for Medieval Studies Leeds @leedsims.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
Delighted to announce our autumn seminars. All welcome! All free and hybrid. To attend the first one online go to forms.cloud.microsoft/e/irxCe8c5mC or join us in Parkinson B.08 #medieval #leedsmedieval
Poster for Autumn research seminars at Institute for Medieval Studies Leeds. All hybrid (online and Parkinson B.08). 
Tuesday 13 October, 5.30 pm
	Cosmin Popa-Gorjanu (Universitatea ‘1 Decembrie 1918’, Alba Iulia, Romania)
‘Ethnic and Political Communities in Transylvania in the Late Medieval Period’

Tuesday 3 November, 5.30 pm
	Matthew Townend (University of York, UK)
	‘Court Poetry in the Viking Age: Performance 	and Reception’

Tuesday 24 November, 5.30 pm
	Ellen  Gallimore (University of Leeds, UK)
	‘Early Medieval Law in Nineteenth-Century Reform Debates: Tithes, the Nation, and the Established Church’
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Orkney Library & Archive @orkneylibrary.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
a short poem name like when we meet a bovine and we say 'hi coo' #NationalPoetryDay #Haiku
A black and white archive photograph of a cow standing beside a track leading down to a mill. The cow is looking at the camera.
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Judith Jesch @judithjesch.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
But they're a treasure trove for #onomastics, just like #runic inscriptions! 😀
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Judith Jesch @judithjesch.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
Publishers seem to think podcasts are a good way and most of them are quite fun...you're only talking to one or two people but also to the millions (well, tens or hundreds in most cases).
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Ugly Reykjavik @uglyreykjavik.bsky.social · 17/08/2026
It's time to play: spot the former mini hydro power station. These were sometimes used to generate electricity on farms in the first half of the 20th century. #Iceland #photography #streetphotography #nature #landscape #naturephotography #landscapephotography #abandoned #decay #river #history
If you look closely you can see a what is left of a small hydro power station. There's also a river, a bridge and some greenery.
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Judith Jesch @judithjesch.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
Look forward to hearing more!
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Judith Jesch @judithjesch.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
'Visitation'?
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Margot Finn @eicathomefinn.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
'What the islanders discovered were extensive burial grounds, decorated stonework and early buildings – all the features belonging to a major sixth-century monastery, comparable to the much better known site of Iona a little to the south-west.'
theguardian.com
‘Hugely exciting’ finds on tiny Scottish island shed light on spread of Christianity
Community-funded archaeological excavations of ‘really important’ sixth-century monastery also rewrite story of Lismore
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Steffen Hope @hopesteffen.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
Since I've worked a bit on local history lately, I wrote up a lengthy account of how I ended up re-enacting part of the historical voyages that my forebears had to undertake when travelling to church in the period c.1600-1876: my-albion.blogspot.com/2026/09/an-u....
View from a wooded shoreline. In the foreground is a fallen tree trunk, behind which is the pebbled shore of a fjord, a green plastic boat fastened to the trunk, and then the placid waters of the fjord itself, stretching towards the other shore. The upper third of image is taken up by the overhanging branches of an ash tree.
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