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Judith Jesch

@judithjesch.bsky.social

2.1K followers 640 following 830 posts

Retired professor of Viking Studies, FBA. The Saga of the Earls of Orkney coming out in November: https://birlinn.co.uk/product/the-saga-of-the-earls-of-orkney/ See also https://uonenglish.substack.com/s/ragnas-islands and @RagnasIslands.bsky.social .. more

Judith Jesch is a British scholar of Old Norse language and literature, runology, and the Viking Age. She was Professor of Viking Age Studies at the University of Nottingham until 2025. Jesch is chair of the international Runic Advisory Group and president of the English Place-Name Society. .. more

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Reposted by Iain Davidson, Judith Jesch

St Magnus Cathedral, Orkney @stmagnuscathedral.bsky.social · 6h

Earlier this year, an excavation in Rousay by @uhiarchaeology.bsky.social uncovered an expressive carved stone face. We have a similar fellow in the cathedral, so archaeologists visited today to examine them side by side!

Reposted by Judith Jesch

forskning.no @forskning.bsky.social · 6h

KOMMENTAR: Nok en gang må alle andre fortelle politikerne at forskning er viktig. Hvorfor kan de ikke forstå det selv?

Forskning er beredskap, så hvorfor trygger ikke regjeringen landet?

KOMMENTAR: Nok en gang må alle andre fortelle politikerne at forskning er viktig. Hvorfor kan de ikke forstå det selv?

www.forskning.no

Reposted by Judith Jesch

Corinna @shroomgirl.bsky.social · 11h

ON grind ‘gate’ occurs in many #Orkney #PlaceNames incl. Dyke of Grind (Egilsay), Grind (North Ronaldsay & Stronsay), Grindaly (Stronsay) & Grindlays Breck (Rousay). The last 2 seem to contain hlíð ‘slope’, the latter also with ON brekka ‘slope’ or perhaps Scots breck (since hlíð appears forgotten)

Grindlay's Breck, Rousay. Colour photo of a croft on a slope.

Reposted by Judith Jesch

Hetan Shah @hetanshah.bsky.social · 1d

Tonight we had a lovely ceremony welcoming newly elected Fellows of @britishacademy.bsky.social. My personal highlight was seeing two of our new Honorary Fellows - the librarian @richove.bsky.social and the composer Judith Weir. Both will have a lot to contribute to our Fellowship

Richard Ovenden

Judith Weit

Reposted by Judith Jesch

Yaroslava @strategywoman.bsky.social · 2d

I absolutely love this piece –
marigolds representing the regions of Ukraine.

🇺🇦 Pavlo Makov,
East and West of the Dnipro. Marigolds, 2024
colour and graphite pencil drawing acrylic paper

Reposted by Judith Jesch

Χοδαδαδίος Ρεζαχανίδης, PhD, KRT, Duc de Téhéran @sasanianshah.bsky.social · 2d

My interview with The Ancients podcast on the Sasanians and the Rise of Islam.

open.spotify.com/episode/42Mc...

open.spotify.com

Reposted by Judith Jesch

St Magnus Cathedral, Orkney @stmagnuscathedral.bsky.social · 2d

Squeezing this in before the end of the day! #31DaysofGraves - Day 13, Skeleton. Of course, it had to be this cheery and dynamic fellow from the gravestone of Kirkwall merchant Patrick Prince.

Reposted by Christian Odendahl, Andrew Scott, Elizabeth Stokoe , and 11 more Christian Odendahl, Andrew Scott, Elizabeth Stokoe, Sibylle Gollac, Göran Bolin, Christine Kooi, Bessma Momani, Michael H. Whitworth, Julia M. Wright, Joanna Tai, Raúl Pacheco-Vega, Judith Jesch, Evan Roberts, David Darmofal

bleary @bleary.off-the-records.com · 2d

If anyone needs me I will be in the museum, lying down next to the bog bodies.

Did people really memorize phone numbers before cell phones, or is that just a movie thing?
2? Questions
I was watching some old shows from the 90s and noticed people would just dial numbers from memory - like they'd call their friends or family without looking anything up.
Made me wonder if that was actually normal back then? Did people genuinely have all their important numbers memorized, or did most folks keep a little address book or written list nearby?

Reposted by Kris Inwood

Judith Jesch @judithjesch.bsky.social · 2d

Looks like I'll be busy next week. Do come along to one or all of these if you're in #Kirkwall! #Orkney #saga #runes #runology

Poster inviting people to an event about runic inscriptions in the St Magnus Centre, Kirkwall, at 7.30 pm on Tuesday 20 October. For info email lorainejc@earthlink.net

Poster inviting people to a talk by Judith Jesch about her new book The Saga of the Earls of Orkney on Thursday 23 October in Orkney Library at 6.30 pm. To book phone 01856 873166,

Poster inviting people to a book signing with Judith Jesch of her new book The Saga of the Earls of Orkney in The Orcadian Bookshop on Saturday 25 October 12-2 pm.

Reposted by Judith Jesch

Max @paisleystars.bsky.social · 3d

Two years I've been after this shot 😆

(Proper photos tomorrow. Lady Aurora has made her dramatic entrance in the most amazing green and purple gown and I am going to be busy)

Bright green aurora borealis behind an old mining cableway tower made of wood

Judith Jesch @judithjesch.bsky.social · 5d

Two beautiful photos!

Reposted by Judith Jesch

Papay ranger - Jonathan Ford @papayranger.bsky.social · 6d

Just showing off. Solan goose in the Papay Sound.

Reposted by Judith Jesch

Peter Ellis @almostconverge.kozterulethasznalatienge.day · 6d

as many journalists are frantically googling "lászló krasznahorkai" today, i can't stop giggling

because what i know and google doean't is that there's another guy with the same quite rare name: a lad who writes not-really-nobel-worthy lyrics for various hungarian goth bands

Reposted by Henry Jones, Judith Jesch

Terry O'Connor @osteoconnor.bsky.social · 6d

Maples. Harlow Carr garden, Yorkshire.

Large flower beds with maples in yellow, gold, orange and burgundy. Evergreen behind.

Judith Jesch @judithjesch.bsky.social · 7d

The Viking Ship Museum in Roskilde has to shore up its windows in the autumn to protect the ships against winter storms and flooding. So they're building a new museum building www.vikingeskibsmuseet.dk/nytmuseum 2/2

A viking ship in the Vikingskibsmuseet, #Roskilde, with wooden supports shoring up the window which looks out onto the harbour.

Judith Jesch @judithjesch.bsky.social · 7d

L: Sea-Stallion and Cathedral; R: the Sea-Stallion's original, Skuldelev 2, in the Viking Ship Museum, #Roskilde. 1/2

The Sea-Stallion, a reconstruction of the 11th-century Skuldelev 2 viking ship

Fragments of what was an 11th-century viking ship, Skuldelev 2, at the Vikingeskibsmuseet, #Roskilde

Reposted by Judith Jesch

Papay ranger - Jonathan Ford @papayranger.bsky.social · 8d

South wick in light, the North end in shadow. A fine October day in Papay, with the sea showing true colours.
Also note our new boat naust seating area at The Kelp Store, constructed by our master builders Alistair Hourston and Son.

Reposted by Judith Jesch

NorseMap @norsemap.bsky.social · 8d

Our NorseMap website is now live! Go check it out: www.ucc.ie/en/norsemap

Reposted by Judith Jesch

NorseMap @norsemap.bsky.social · 8d

What is a viking to you? Has your perception of them changed over the years? NorseMap is a @erc.europa.eu funded research project where we want to map the legacy of vikings in areas like literature & art, branding, tourism & politics. Comments below -what comes to mind when you think of vikings?

Reposted by Judith Jesch

Kristel Zilmer @kristelzilmer.bsky.social · 9d

Vi har en ledig stilling som forsker i #runologi for en periode på 12 måneder ved Kulturhistorisk museum, UiO. Stillingen er en del av infrastrukturprosjektet NORCHRON: Norwegian diachronic corpus 200–1814, finansiert av Norges forskningsråd. www.jobbnorge.no/ledige-still...

Reposted by Judith Jesch

Kristel Zilmer @kristelzilmer.bsky.social · 9d

Those interested are welcome to contact me with inquiries regarding the position.

Judith Jesch @judithjesch.bsky.social · 10d

Enjoy!

Judith Jesch @judithjesch.bsky.social · 11d

Norwegian wins Golden Spurtle, world porridge championship in Scotland www.nrk.no/sorlandet/sv...

Sven Seljom elsker havregrøt så mye at han drar til Skottland for å delta i VM

Sven Seljom (57) tok med seg norsk vann og havre til Skottland. Det skulle vise seg å bli VMs gulloppskrift.

Reposted by Judith Jesch

Corinna @shroomgirl.bsky.social · 11d

ON hross n. 'horse' also occurs in the following #NorthernIsles #PlaceNames: Ross Geo & Russiger (with gjá f. 'Inlet, coastal gully' & garðr 'enclosure') in #Papay, and, Ruskilie (perhaps with hlíð f. 'slope, hillside') in #FairIsle

Colour photo of Ross Geo in Papay. A rocky inlet below a grass slope.

Reposted by Judith Jesch

Corinna @shroomgirl.bsky.social · 11d

The Henry Moore of fungi...? Misshapen Giant Puffball (Calvatea gigantea) for #UKfungusday today! @britmycolsoc.org.uk

A large white mushroom that looks like it is made up of three conjoined spheres.

Judith Jesch @judithjesch.bsky.social · 12d

Some lucky person in Stavanger is going to get to move in here, perhaps with a cat or cats!

Lars S. Sørensen @handansken.bsky.social · 12d

Nu er det offentligt. Køb vores gamle lejlighed!!
www.finn.no/realestate/h...

Judith Jesch @judithjesch.bsky.social · 12d

I have to confess I drink ale but don't know how it is made 🍺

Judith Jesch @judithjesch.bsky.social · 12d

I guess 'hrosti' perhaps means 'mash' rather than 'malt'?

Judith Jesch @judithjesch.bsky.social · 12d

And it's 'surf of malt' here: skaldic.org/m.php?p=vers...

Arnórr jarlaskáld Þórðarson, Þorfinnsdrápa 1

Edition of stanza: Arnórr jarlaskáld Þórðarson, Þorfinnsdrápa 1

Judith Jesch @judithjesch.bsky.social · 12d

Merryn, I've followed you for years, so I know! You might like this little stanza about Earl Þorfinnr's drinking of 'the swamp of malt' (a kenning for 'ale') all winter! The normal ON word is 'malt', but here the poet uses a poetic word 'hrosti' (cf. Norwegian 'roste') skaldic.org/m.php?p=vers...

Arnórr jarlaskáld Þórðarson, Þorfinnsdrápa 2

Edition of stanza: Arnórr jarlaskáld Þórðarson, Þorfinnsdrápa 2