Alison Finlay | Birkbeck College, University of London (original) (raw)

Papers by Alison Finlay

Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages, 2012

English, 1991

... of the Cotton Gnomic Poem 158 AUDREY L. MEANEY IO The Valkyrie Reflex in Old English Literatu... more ... of the Cotton Gnomic Poem 158 AUDREY L. MEANEY IO The Valkyrie Reflex in Old English Literature 176 HELEN DAMICO ... Vocabulary of Beauty 211 PAUL BEEKMAN TAYLOR 14 Cynewulf's Autonomous Women: A Reconsideration of Elene and Juliana 222 ALEXANDRA ...

SAGA BOOK-VIKING SOCIETY FOR …, 1995

Þórhallur Vilmundarson and Bjarni Vilhjálmsson (eds), Harðar saga. Bárðar saga. Þorskfirðinga sag... more Þórhallur Vilmundarson and Bjarni Vilhjálmsson (eds), Harðar saga. Bárðar saga. Þorskfirðinga saga. Flóamanna saga. Þórarins þáttr Nefjólfssonar. Þorsteins þáttr uxafóts. Egils þáttr Síðu-Hallssonar. Orms þáttr Stórólfssonar. Þorsteins þáttr tjaldstoeðings. Þorsteins þáttr forvitna. Bergbúa þáttr. Kumlbúa þáttr. Stjörnu-Odda draumr (Rory McTurk) ... G. F. Bigelow (ed.), The Norse of the North Atlantic; Nordatlantisk arkaeologi-vikingetid og middelalder: bebyggelse og økonomi; C. D. Morris and D. J. Rackham (eds), Norse and Later Settlement and Subsistence in the North Atlantic

Myths, Legends, and Heroes, 2011

Book synopsis: In Myths, Legends, and Heroes, editor Daniel Anzelark has brought together scholar... more Book synopsis: In Myths, Legends, and Heroes, editor Daniel Anzelark has brought together scholars of Old Norse-Icelandic and Old English literature to explore the translation and transmission of Norse myth, the use of literature in society and authorial self-reflection, the place of myth in the expression of family relationships, and recurrent motifs in Northern literature. The essays in Myths, Legends, and Heroes include an examination of the theme of sibling rivalry, an analysis of Christ's unusual ride into hell as found in both Old Norse and Old English, a discussion of Beowulf's swimming prowess and an analysis of the poetry in Snorri Sturluson's Edda. A tribute to Durham University professor John McKinnell's distinguished contributions to the field, this volume offers new insights in light of linguistic and archaeological evidence and a broad range of study with regard to both chronology and methodology.

Scandinavica

This article traces the history of the legend of Cnut's abortive attempt to rebuke the waves, fro... more This article traces the history of the legend of Cnut's abortive attempt to rebuke the waves, from its first appearance in the twelfth-century Historia Anglorum of Henry of Huntingdon to modern critiques of climate change. Early versions located it in accounts of the king's demonstrative piety, emphasising the limits of imperial power and the need for monarchs to acknowledge the superior power of God. Comparable tales in classical sources and medieval Welsh legends and saints' lives suggest a possible oral origin for the story. From the eighteenth century the accusation of vainglory was transferred to an audience of courtiers who were rebuked by the pious king; claims were also made about the physical location of the scene. In modern journalistic parlance, Cnut is a byword for a delusional attempt to avert the inevitable, the most recent example being the coining of the term 'Canute syndrome' to describe climate-change denial.

European Journal of Scandinavian Studies, 2017

Masculinities in Old Norse Literature, 2020

Book synopsis: St Edmund, king and martyr, supposedly killed by Danes (or "Vikings") in... more Book synopsis: St Edmund, king and martyr, supposedly killed by Danes (or "Vikings") in 869, was one of the pre-eminent saints of the middle ages; his cult was favoured and patronised by several English kings and spawned a rich array of visual, literary, musical and political artefacts. Celebrated throughout England, especially at the abbey of Bury St Edmunds, it also inspired separate cults in France, Iceland and Italy.

Scripta Islandica Islandska Sallskapets Arsbok, 2014

Jómsvíkinga saga is difficult to classify generically. Modern conceptions of history and fiction ... more Jómsvíkinga saga is difficult to classify generically. Modern conceptions of history and fiction in any case rely on different assumptions from those of medi eval authors. Recent attempts to relocate another anomalous text, Yngvars saga víð fǫrla, within the fornaldarsögur has implications for Jómsvíkinga saga. The saga has an intricate two-way relationship with the konungasögur, and is set against a back ground of historical events, but its narrative is ahistorical, particularly in its personalization of events. The saga shows a development over time, with later versions including more fantastic elements; the inclusion of verse, on the model of the konunga sögur, was also a later development. The saga shows a particular interest in the dynamics of relationships within a warrior group, rather than singling out an individual hero. There is a polarity between the heroic Vagn and the treacherous Sigvaldi, whose defection brings about the downfall of the group. Despite sharing material with the konungasögur, the saga's preoccupations are distinctive and defy genre classification.

Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages, 2012

English, 1991

... of the Cotton Gnomic Poem 158 AUDREY L. MEANEY IO The Valkyrie Reflex in Old English Literatu... more ... of the Cotton Gnomic Poem 158 AUDREY L. MEANEY IO The Valkyrie Reflex in Old English Literature 176 HELEN DAMICO ... Vocabulary of Beauty 211 PAUL BEEKMAN TAYLOR 14 Cynewulf's Autonomous Women: A Reconsideration of Elene and Juliana 222 ALEXANDRA ...

SAGA BOOK-VIKING SOCIETY FOR …, 1995

Þórhallur Vilmundarson and Bjarni Vilhjálmsson (eds), Harðar saga. Bárðar saga. Þorskfirðinga sag... more Þórhallur Vilmundarson and Bjarni Vilhjálmsson (eds), Harðar saga. Bárðar saga. Þorskfirðinga saga. Flóamanna saga. Þórarins þáttr Nefjólfssonar. Þorsteins þáttr uxafóts. Egils þáttr Síðu-Hallssonar. Orms þáttr Stórólfssonar. Þorsteins þáttr tjaldstoeðings. Þorsteins þáttr forvitna. Bergbúa þáttr. Kumlbúa þáttr. Stjörnu-Odda draumr (Rory McTurk) ... G. F. Bigelow (ed.), The Norse of the North Atlantic; Nordatlantisk arkaeologi-vikingetid og middelalder: bebyggelse og økonomi; C. D. Morris and D. J. Rackham (eds), Norse and Later Settlement and Subsistence in the North Atlantic

Myths, Legends, and Heroes, 2011

Book synopsis: In Myths, Legends, and Heroes, editor Daniel Anzelark has brought together scholar... more Book synopsis: In Myths, Legends, and Heroes, editor Daniel Anzelark has brought together scholars of Old Norse-Icelandic and Old English literature to explore the translation and transmission of Norse myth, the use of literature in society and authorial self-reflection, the place of myth in the expression of family relationships, and recurrent motifs in Northern literature. The essays in Myths, Legends, and Heroes include an examination of the theme of sibling rivalry, an analysis of Christ's unusual ride into hell as found in both Old Norse and Old English, a discussion of Beowulf's swimming prowess and an analysis of the poetry in Snorri Sturluson's Edda. A tribute to Durham University professor John McKinnell's distinguished contributions to the field, this volume offers new insights in light of linguistic and archaeological evidence and a broad range of study with regard to both chronology and methodology.

Scandinavica

This article traces the history of the legend of Cnut's abortive attempt to rebuke the waves, fro... more This article traces the history of the legend of Cnut's abortive attempt to rebuke the waves, from its first appearance in the twelfth-century Historia Anglorum of Henry of Huntingdon to modern critiques of climate change. Early versions located it in accounts of the king's demonstrative piety, emphasising the limits of imperial power and the need for monarchs to acknowledge the superior power of God. Comparable tales in classical sources and medieval Welsh legends and saints' lives suggest a possible oral origin for the story. From the eighteenth century the accusation of vainglory was transferred to an audience of courtiers who were rebuked by the pious king; claims were also made about the physical location of the scene. In modern journalistic parlance, Cnut is a byword for a delusional attempt to avert the inevitable, the most recent example being the coining of the term 'Canute syndrome' to describe climate-change denial.

European Journal of Scandinavian Studies, 2017

Masculinities in Old Norse Literature, 2020

Book synopsis: St Edmund, king and martyr, supposedly killed by Danes (or "Vikings") in... more Book synopsis: St Edmund, king and martyr, supposedly killed by Danes (or "Vikings") in 869, was one of the pre-eminent saints of the middle ages; his cult was favoured and patronised by several English kings and spawned a rich array of visual, literary, musical and political artefacts. Celebrated throughout England, especially at the abbey of Bury St Edmunds, it also inspired separate cults in France, Iceland and Italy.

Scripta Islandica Islandska Sallskapets Arsbok, 2014

Jómsvíkinga saga is difficult to classify generically. Modern conceptions of history and fiction ... more Jómsvíkinga saga is difficult to classify generically. Modern conceptions of history and fiction in any case rely on different assumptions from those of medi eval authors. Recent attempts to relocate another anomalous text, Yngvars saga víð fǫrla, within the fornaldarsögur has implications for Jómsvíkinga saga. The saga has an intricate two-way relationship with the konungasögur, and is set against a back ground of historical events, but its narrative is ahistorical, particularly in its personalization of events. The saga shows a development over time, with later versions including more fantastic elements; the inclusion of verse, on the model of the konunga sögur, was also a later development. The saga shows a particular interest in the dynamics of relationships within a warrior group, rather than singling out an individual hero. There is a polarity between the heroic Vagn and the treacherous Sigvaldi, whose defection brings about the downfall of the group. Despite sharing material with the konungasögur, the saga's preoccupations are distinctive and defy genre classification.

by Jeffrey Turco, Richard L Harris, Russell Poole, Fjodor Uspenskij, Carla Del Zotto, Aðalheiður Guðmundsdóttir, Sæbjørg Walaker Nordeide, Egilsdóttir Ásdís, Alison Finlay, Shaun F. D. Hughes, Jonathan Hui, Philip Lavender, Christine Schott, Dirk H Steinforth, and Paul Acker

NNS, 2020

Submissions received by September 1, 2019, will be considered for publication in NNS 2 (2020). Ne... more Submissions received by September 1, 2019, will be considered for publication in NNS 2 (2020). New Norse Studies: A Journal on the Literature and Culture of Medieval Scandinavia is the annual of Islandica, a series in Icelandic and Norse studies, founded in 1908 and published in print and online by the Fiske Icelandic Collection, Cornell University Library. Devoted to all facets of the written tradition of medieval Iceland and Scandinavia, NNS seeks to bring the insights of multiple disciplines to bear upon Norse texts.

NNS welcomes contributions to scholarship relating to all aspects of Old Norse-Icelandic literature, including but not limited to: literary and textual culture; mythology, folklore, and history of religions; archaeology and material culture; language, linguistics, philology, and runology; medieval history; and comparative literary studies.

NNS does not solicit or publish reviews of individual books. Review essays concerning larger trends, topics, and bodies of scholarship are welcome.