Krister Vasshus @kristervasshus.bsky.social · 02/10/2026Very interesting research! One clear weakness, however, is that the arguments against natural spread is very far from convincing. The argument is close to "no one has proven definetely that natural spread can occur". In essense, this means the posibility of natural spread cannot be excluded. 010
Reposted by Krister VasshusNina Willburger @drnwillburger.bsky.social · 20/09/2026The amazing “Elk’s Head of Huittinen” comes from a Mesolithic settlement in southern Finland, dating to around 6100 BC. The ~10 cm long steatite (soapstone) head was carefully ground and finished and features a shaft hole for mounting. Because the stone is soft, it is unlikely...🧵1/3 📷 me 8482142
Krister Vasshus @kristervasshus.bsky.social · 20/09/2026Hutututu Old Norse interjection meaning 'so cold!' Still lives on in Norwegian "huttetu", which may have a slightly broader meaning. Not that I propose to read this inscription as "all this silver gives me the chills", or anything, but I'm just putting it out there. 162
Krister Vasshus @kristervasshus.bsky.social · 14/09/2026Things I do that my ancestors wouldn't dream of. Migration era Scandinavians would get the creeps if they saw this. Vikings would think I'm insane. Scandinavians first started foraging edible mushrooms in the late 1800s, it seems. Some times change is for the better. Mushroom eating is better. 161
Reposted by Krister VasshusNick Lloyd @spaincivilwartours.bsky.social · 10/09/2026Map produced from the perspective of Galicia but applicable to the world before the revolutionary changes brought by arrival of the railway. By sea: A Coruña to London: 5 days. By land: Coruña to Madrid; 20 days. 23426109
Reposted by Krister VasshusTrevor Wiley @mearcsteppende.bsky.social · 12/09/2026Want to learn how early medieval people living on the coast in Scotland hunted seals and seabirds? Or how collecting sea snails on the beach was part of new Christian practice? You should check out my new article in Water History! link.springer.com/article/10.1... #medievalskylink.springer.comWild animals, small practices, and the formation of an early medieval coastal landscape on the Firth of Forth - Water HistoryThe large-scale landscape changes that occurred in northern Britain from roughly 400–800 C.E. were built on a vast array of smaller shifting practices which reflected the realities of local environmen... 510345
Krister Vasshus @kristervasshus.bsky.social · 11/09/2026Sagnlandet Lejre tilbyr kurs i runer. Her kan du læra å skriva eigne runer, og du får ein god innføring i runenes historie. Der er berre 25 ledige plassar, så det gjeld om å vera hurtig å bestilla. sagnlandet.dk/p/knaek-kode...sagnlandet.dkKnæk koden til fortiden - Runekursus d. 12. oktober - Sagnlandet Lejre - Historisk-Arkæologisk Forsknings- og FormidlingscenterEksklusivt runekursus med en af landets førende eksperter. Lær hvordan du tyder runerne og bliv helt skarp på, at skrive dine egne små beskeder med en skrift, som de færreste forstår. 011
Reposted by Krister VasshusDr. Merritt Rae Turetsky @queenofpeat.bsky.social · 09/09/2026Forget planting trees for a second. Let's talk about BOGS. Did you know that peatlands cover a tiny 3% of Earth’s land, but store MORE CARBON than all the world's forests combined?They are an ultimate MVP of our climate system and it’s time we start hyping them. Join me! 🧵 1/ 11677254
Krister Vasshus @kristervasshus.bsky.social · 09/09/2026Sagnlandet Lejre held kurs i plantefarging for dei som er interesserte. sagnlandet.dk/p/nordens-fa...sagnlandet.dkEksklusivt kursus i plantefarvning af garn d. 27 september - Sagnlandet Lejre - Historisk-Arkæologisk Forsknings- og FormidlingscenterEksklusivt endagskursus i naturfarvning af garn d. 27. september 2026 fra kl. 09.30-17.00 043
Krister Vasshus @kristervasshus.bsky.social · 06/09/2026The runic inscription on the newly discovered silver hoard from Rebild reads "hutu". Hutu hútu huntu huttu hudu húdu hundu huddu hytu hýtu hyntu hyttu hydu hýdu hyndu hyddu hotu hótu hontu hottu hodu hódu hondu hoddu høtu hœtu høntu høttu hødu hœdu høndu høddu hǫtu hǫntu hǫttu hǫdu hǫndu hǫddu 160
Krister Vasshus @kristervasshus.bsky.social · 03/09/2026A few days ago I met an 83-yo American whose four grandparents had inwandered from Norway to USA. This old dude spoke Norwegian, but his dialect was ofcourse rather old fashioned, since it had been cut off from Norway for 150 years. The historical sociolinguist inside me had a great time! 260
Krister Vasshus @kristervasshus.bsky.social · 30/08/2026Me bør gjeninnføra tilnamn på kongane våre. Men sjølv klarer eg kje bestemma meg for kva som høver best for Harald 5.. Kong Harald Lått og Løye eller Harald Seglkonge (eller kong Harald den Rommande?) 150
Reposted by Krister VasshusDr. Scott Hartman - but not THAT kind of doctor @skeletaldrawing.bsky.social · 28/08/2026Have you ever wanted to visually compare the size of your favorite extinct animals? Now you can, as I'm launching an interactive size comparison tool on my website. Give it a try and let me know what you think: www.skeletaldrawing.com/compare/ 41914441
Reposted by Krister VasshusJohan Schalin @schaljoh.bsky.social · 28/08/2026Finland har över 100.000 öar, holmar, skär, kobbar och grund, och de flesta som ligger i havet finns i det svenska språkområdet. Därför finns det t.ex. ca. 4000 namn som slutar på ”-skär” (’skerry’). sprakinstitutet.fi/kobbar-grynn...sprakinstitutet.fiKobbar, grynnor, skärSvenskan har tiotals ord för landområden som omgärdas av vatten. Orden står sällan ensamma, de är efterleder i namn som Långskär, Algrund och Granholm. Några av namnen har sitt ursprung i finskan, som... 0103
Reposted by Krister VasshusØystein Hellesøe Brekke @oysteib.bsky.social · 28/08/2026Haakon VIII is the first King of Norway to have two Norwegian born parents since King Magnus the Lawmender, who died in 1280. (Still part of the "immigrant population" though, as the statisticians define it - two foreign born grandparents.) 2479
Krister Vasshus @kristervasshus.bsky.social · 28/08/2026Håkon/Haakon< Hákon < *HauhakunjaR 'highborn' (an urnordisk compound of the adjective *hauha- 'high' and masculine noun *kunjaR 'male decebdant'). Fitting name for a king. 160
Reposted by Krister VasshusRikkeSolesen @ristol.bsky.social · 25/08/2026www.linkedin.com/posts/univer...linkedin.com”Runologi er et lille forskningsområde - men med enormt stor kulturel impact.” Sådan lød det fra en af deltagerne i sidste uges internationale konference om runer og runeindskrifter på Københavns… |...”Runologi er et lille forskningsområde - men med enormt stor kulturel impact.” Sådan lød det fra en af deltagerne i sidste uges internationale konference om runer og runeindskrifter på Københavns Un... 096
Reposted by Krister VasshusAlex Harvey @alexharvv.bsky.social · 05/08/2026A (belated) cfp for #IMC2027 FORGET THE VIKINGS: Other raids, raiders, & raiding practises of the Early Medieval Period Read below for details, and if you're interested (or know anyone who might be), please submit your proposal of 150 words to the attached e-mail (also in alt text) before 1/9/26 56136
Reposted by Krister VasshusRachel Pope @prehistorian.bsky.social · 10/08/2026MUST READ: The Wetwang aDNA pre-print is out | Ancient DNA reveals matrilineal organisation and recurrent unions between dominant matrilines in Iron Age Britain www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6... (thank you @radicalanthro.bsky.social)biorxiv.orgAncient DNA reveals matrilineal organisation and recurrent unions between dominant matrilines in Iron Age BritainKinship practices underpin all traditional societies, forming the basis for socially sanctioned reproductive unions, residence patterns and the inheritance of rights and property[1][1],[2][2]. Althoug... 512948
Krister Vasshus @kristervasshus.bsky.social · 13/08/2026The photo of the eclipsing sun over Lejre yesterday evening does not quite capture the eerie 539-vibe I got from the strange scattering of light. It certainly did not feel auspicious! 020
Krister Vasshus @kristervasshus.bsky.social · 13/08/202621-25. september arrangerer Brandbjerg Højskole eit kurs om vikinganes verd med fokus på Danmark. Ei veke full av opplevingar både ute i landskapet og inne i lokala (sjå program i lenka). Meld deg til, og sprei gjerne ordet til alle som kunne ha interesse for emnet. brandbjerg.dk/ugekursus/vi...brandbjerg.dk 020
Reposted by Krister VasshusAntiquity Journal @antiquity.ac.uk · 07/08/2026📰 Evidence for the introduction of brown trout into mountain lakes 7,000 years ago is one of the earliest known examples of environmental management by prehistoric foraging societies. 🏺 #AntiquityResearch #ArchaeologyNews via @heritagedaily.bsky.social www.heritagedaily.com/2026/08/7000...heritagedaily.com7,000-year-old fish traps rewrite the history of early resource managementArchaeologists have uncovered compelling evidence that Mesolithic hunter-gatherers deliberately introduced brown trout into Norway's mountain lakes around 7,000 years ago, representing one of the… 4286
Reposted by Krister VasshusLars Marius Garshol (no) @larsga-no.bsky.social · 01/08/2026Regjeringen har forslag til ny lov om salg av alkohol fra produsent, og Ølportalen intervjuer meg om hvorfor forslaget ikke er noe særlig bra. olportalen.no/feature/gard...olportalen.noGårdssalg uten kveik 243
Krister Vasshus @kristervasshus.bsky.social · 01/08/2026Særarrangement i Sagnlandet Lejre: Folkemusiker Sif Wiimh gir ei musikalsk tidsreise i kongehallen frå 700-talet. Kom og høyr om instrumenter og folkemusikkens sannsynlege opphav i tida før skriftleg dokumentasjonskultur. Meld deg til! sagnlandet.dk/p/en-musikal...sagnlandet.dkEn musikalsk tidsrejse i Kongehallen - Sagnlandet Lejre - Historisk-Arkæologisk Forsknings- og FormidlingscenterEn musikalsk tidsrejse i Kongehallen torsdag den 13. August fra kl. 18.00-20.00 Træd ind i varmen fra den knitrende langild i nordens største kongehal, og lad dig føre med på en rejse gennem 1000 års ... 041
Krister Vasshus @kristervasshus.bsky.social · 30/07/2026Gradestokken her i Dǫnmǫrk seier 32 grader, og vestlendingen her drøymer om å ha det svalt som eit myrlik. Heldigvis har eg importert eit øl som høver seg godt i den samanhengen. 130
Krister Vasshus @kristervasshus.bsky.social · 30/07/2026When did we get kings in Northern Europe? Most of the time I see discussions on this topic, the age of migration is in the center. In a way I can understand why. This is when early written records and oral traditions that later ends up in writing about kingship shows up. I think this can't.... 1174
Krister Vasshus @kristervasshus.bsky.social · 29/07/2026Særarrangement i Sagnlandet Lejre: Sanketur og langbordsmiddag. Oseberggrytene kjem fram, og etter ein god omgang mathandverk, skal det etast! Meld deg på! sagnlandet.dk/p/sanketur-o...sagnlandet.dkSmagen af vikingetiden - Sagnlandet Lejre - Historisk-Arkæologisk Forsknings- og FormidlingscenterSanketur og langbordsmiddag d 30. august kl 10.00-16.00 Vi går på sanketur i landskabet efter vilde ingredienser, grønne urter og søde smagsgivere. Over åben ild skaber vi sammen et lækkert måltid, so... 020
Krister Vasshus @kristervasshus.bsky.social · 28/07/2026Oats, sourned milk and blueberries (Vaccinium myrtillus) straight from the bush. A Norwegian breakfast, if there ever was one! 030
Reposted by Krister VasshusJan Owe @janowe10.bsky.social · 26/07/2026Läs om gravstenen med runor funnen på Färöarna. Inskriften står upp-och-ner, men visst ser det ut att stå huilir (vilar) på stenen. www.tjodsavnid.fo/greinir/runa...tjodsavnid.foRúnarsteinur funnin í útgrevstri á Sondum á Sandi — TjóðsavniðÍ fornfrøðiliga útgrevstrinum á Sondum á Sandi komu fólk frá Tjóðsavninum í vikuni fram á ein rúnarstein. Rúnarsteinurin lá í gólvinum í einum bygningi, sum er givin fram í fornfrøðiliga útgrevstrinum... 011
Krister Vasshus @kristervasshus.bsky.social · 25/07/2026Norsk juleøl er godt i vestnorsk sommarvêr òg. 050
Krister Vasshus @kristervasshus.bsky.social · 13/07/2026God morgon alle saman! Måtte dagen din vera full av bær! 030
Krister Vasshus @kristervasshus.bsky.social · 03/07/2026Bringebær < *bremingabazja A handful of snacks on my way to work. 010
Reposted by Krister VasshusJan Owe @janowe10.bsky.social · 01/07/2026Var hittar vi de yngsta runstensinskrifterna? Läs och se utbredningskartor runbloggen.gamlebo.se/2026/07/01/v...runbloggen.gamlebo.seVar hittar vi de yngsta runstenarna? – Runbloggen 001
Reposted by Krister Vasshusculina vetus (Volker Bach) @culinavetus.bsky.social · 28/06/2026In 1500, the Danish king went on a three-day special military operation against the peasant republic of Dithmarschen. It ended as you'd expect. Also, sixteenth-century fruit soup recipes. www.culina-vetus.de/2026/06/28/w... #foodhistory #medievalsky #eattherich 153
Krister Vasshus @kristervasshus.bsky.social · 28/06/2026Maula. A Norwegian verb meaning something like 'eating something so nice that it would almost be more appropriate to eat it together with something, but you just eat it on its own'. The verb is derrived from a noun meaning 'mouth'. It is what I did to these wild strawberreies. 0121
Krister Vasshus @kristervasshus.bsky.social · 22/06/2026Last week a few scholars gathered for an epigraphic workshop, where we tried a few techniques of making various inscriptions. Runes, minuscles, wood, chalk, wax, cake, tea. Trying the processes ourselves already gave us some valuable insights to why inscriptions look the way they do. 130
Reposted by Krister VasshusAnette Sand-Eriksen @sanderiksen.bsky.social · 16/06/2026The Museum of Cultural History @uio.no is hiring a PhD candidate in Nordic #Archaeology, linked to the museum’s research on the #VikingAge. As icing on the cake, you’ll be working in the environment of the new Museum of the Viking Age, part of MCH, opening in 2027! www.jobbnorge.no/en/available...jobbnorge.noPhD research fellow in Nordic Archaeology (301195) | University of OsloJob title: PhD research fellow in Nordic Archaeology (301195), Employer: University of Oslo, Deadline: Friday, July 31, 2026 02529
Reposted by Krister VasshusKristel Zilmer @kristelzilmer.bsky.social · 12/06/2026Nå er det litt fokus igjen på vikingtidsymbolikk og runeinspirasjon (fordi fotball). Her er to enkle tekster som jeg tidligere har skrevet: 1) Om misbruk av runer & 2) Om moderne runebruk - hvordan skrive med runer på moderne språk. #runologi #runology 2189
Reposted by Krister VasshusBø! Ei veldig skummel jeit 🐐 @rebelwink.bsky.social · 11/06/2026Kan eit nedslagskrater ha ein diameter på berre 20 m? Kva anna kan det vere? 451
Reposted by Krister VasshusJohan Schalin @schaljoh.bsky.social · 09/06/20265) Fi Oulu - Sw Uleåborg The name is not originally Swedish but the first relevant attestation is. In 1328 the lake Oulunjärvi (100km upstream by Oulunjoki river) was referred to as ”Wlvthræsk” (today Sw. ”Ule träsk”). The Finnish name is of obscure origin and so is the first vowel in Swedish Ule- 👇🏻 2152
Reposted by Krister VasshusJohan Schalin @schaljoh.bsky.social · 10/06/20266) Fi Turku (or Suomen Turku) - Sw Åbo The oldest city in Finland and the centre of the Province of Finland ’Proper’. whose name got robbed by the whole country. The name Åbo is attested from the 13th century and the first attestation of ”Suomen turus” is from the 16th. ”turku” means ’market place’👇🏻 2124
Krister Vasshus @kristervasshus.bsky.social · 09/06/2026A Norwegian sportsball-garnment used these days has made some very subtle use of the Urnes style of art. Cool! Would be even better if they changed the alphabet with actual runes, but I suppose this is the next best thing. Scandifuturism! www.fotball.no/landslag/nor...fotball.noHer er Norges VM-drakterHerrelandslagets nye drakter ble lansert i dag. Se hjemme- og bortedrakten her! 020
Reposted by Krister VasshusJackson Crawford @norsebysw.bsky.social · 08/06/2026Er det nokon av dykk som trur at t.d. "vel" eller "jo/ju" er *naudsynleg* for å bestemma spesielle tydingar av eit assosiert ord? For eksempel eit verb der å seia "eg har Xt" tyder noko forskjelleg frå "eg har jo Xt," i alle fall i ein munnleg samanheng? 461
Krister Vasshus @kristervasshus.bsky.social · 04/06/2026Interested in runes, Old Norse or medieval Latin? The ERC project Epigraphic Centres of Medieval Scandinavia (EpiCentres) is hiring! We are looking for two postdocs and one PhD fellow for 3 years For more info, including how to apply, scroll this thread. 264
Reposted by Krister Vasshusculina vetus (Volker Bach) @culinavetus.bsky.social · 02/06/2026I must not feel guilty for not giving individual students the attention they need if my employer makes me teach 45 units a week. I am not at fault in this scenario. Repeat 100 times. 021
Krister Vasshus @kristervasshus.bsky.social · 01/06/2026Pometet ved Københavns Universitet er ein herleg stad med mange spennande prosjekt. Her skrapar dei litt i overflata om kva dei held på med der ute. uniavisen.dk/i-taastrup-e...uniavisen.dkI Taastrup eksperimenterer Lasse med frankensteintræer og frø til fremtidenI 70 år har Københavns Universitets levende genbank Pometet bevaret gamle frugtsorter, eksperimenteret med nye dyrkningsformer og kæmpet for sin plads i verden, der igen og igen har forsøgt at bygge s... 031
Krister Vasshus @kristervasshus.bsky.social · 28/05/2026Danskspråkleg arkeologipodkast som får safta i kroppen til å gli på den heilt riktige måten! 10 av 10! (Og nei, eg seier det ikkje berre fordi kona har snekra konseptet saman og fått økonomien på plass frå Carlsberg (skål!). Men ein blir jo litt stolt, då.) brydningstid.simplecast.combrydningstid.simplecast.comBrydningstidVi lever i en tid præget af omvæltninger, i politik, klima, teknologi og kultur. At navigere i store forandringer er dog ikke nyt i menneskets historie. Hvornår har det egentlig været stabilt at være... 010
Krister Vasshus @kristervasshus.bsky.social · 26/05/2026Habaru(nōz) wuhrt-eka 'I crafted sea-runes' 1193
Reposted by Krister VasshusClare Downham @downham.bsky.social · 18/05/2026www.jobs.ac.uk/job/DRO233/d... one year post in Old Norse #medievalskyjobs.ac.ukDepartmental Lecturer in Old Norse at University of OxfordApply now for the Departmental Lecturer in Old Norse role on jobs.ac.uk - the leading job board for higher education jobs. View details. 02015