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Articles by Natalie Van Deusen
Scandinavian Studies 87.3 (2015): 383-400
Scandinavian Studies, 2014
Journal of English and Germanic Philology, 2014
Maal og minne , 2011
AM 235 fol., a collection oftranslated saints' lives from ca. I4oo, contains a wide variety of ma... more AM 235 fol., a collection oftranslated saints' lives from ca. I4oo, contains a wide variety of marginalia, ranging from religious invocations to childish pen-trials. Perhaps the most unique ofthe manuscript's marginalia is a seventeenth-century embroidery pattern on fol. 20V, a grid with large black ornamented letters reading "ION AMIG" 06n owns me). In addition to the finished pattern is a smaller, blank grid on fo1. 52V. This article discusses the pattern within the tradition ofwomen and embroidery in medieval and earlY modern Iceland. It speculates as to who mcry have used the pattern thrpugh an examination ofother marginalia in the codex, and concludes with a discussion ofthe significance ofthe pattern not onlY for the stuctY of women and needlework in Iceland, but also for our understanding ofwomen's use and ownership ofmanuscripts in Iceland, particularlY during the early modern period.
Arkiv för nordisk filologi, 2011
23 var.). NoRa 79 fragm. (the two smaller fragments) and aM 764 4to (15v-16r) are not used in ung... more 23 var.). NoRa 79 fragm. (the two smaller fragments) and aM 764 4to (15v-16r) are not used in unger's edition. i am in the process of preparing a new, scholarly edition of the composite legend, which will utilize all available manuscripts preserving the text.
Scandinavian-Canadian Studies / Études scandinaves au Canada , 2009
Book Reviews by Natalie Van Deusen
Scandinavian-Canadian Studies / Études scandinaves au Canada, 2017
Journal of English and Germanic Philology, 2018
Journal of English and Germanic Philology, 2017
Scandinavian-Canadian Studies / Études scandinaves au Canada, 2014
Scandinavian-Canadian Studies / Études scandinaves au Canada, 2016
Scandinavian-Canadian Studies / Études scandinaves au Canada, 2014
Scandinavian-Canadian Studies / Études scandinaves au Canada
Bookbird: A Journal of International Children's Literature, 2013
Bookbird: A Journal of International Children's Literature, 2013
Scandinavian Studies 87.3 (2015): 383-400
Scandinavian Studies, 2014
Journal of English and Germanic Philology, 2014
Maal og minne , 2011
AM 235 fol., a collection oftranslated saints' lives from ca. I4oo, contains a wide variety of ma... more AM 235 fol., a collection oftranslated saints' lives from ca. I4oo, contains a wide variety of marginalia, ranging from religious invocations to childish pen-trials. Perhaps the most unique ofthe manuscript's marginalia is a seventeenth-century embroidery pattern on fol. 20V, a grid with large black ornamented letters reading "ION AMIG" 06n owns me). In addition to the finished pattern is a smaller, blank grid on fo1. 52V. This article discusses the pattern within the tradition ofwomen and embroidery in medieval and earlY modern Iceland. It speculates as to who mcry have used the pattern thrpugh an examination ofother marginalia in the codex, and concludes with a discussion ofthe significance ofthe pattern not onlY for the stuctY of women and needlework in Iceland, but also for our understanding ofwomen's use and ownership ofmanuscripts in Iceland, particularlY during the early modern period.
Arkiv för nordisk filologi, 2011
23 var.). NoRa 79 fragm. (the two smaller fragments) and aM 764 4to (15v-16r) are not used in ung... more 23 var.). NoRa 79 fragm. (the two smaller fragments) and aM 764 4to (15v-16r) are not used in unger's edition. i am in the process of preparing a new, scholarly edition of the composite legend, which will utilize all available manuscripts preserving the text.
Scandinavian-Canadian Studies / Études scandinaves au Canada , 2009
Scandinavian-Canadian Studies / Études scandinaves au Canada, 2017
Journal of English and Germanic Philology, 2018
Journal of English and Germanic Philology, 2017
Scandinavian-Canadian Studies / Études scandinaves au Canada, 2014
Scandinavian-Canadian Studies / Études scandinaves au Canada, 2016
Scandinavian-Canadian Studies / Études scandinaves au Canada, 2014
Scandinavian-Canadian Studies / Études scandinaves au Canada
Bookbird: A Journal of International Children's Literature, 2013
Bookbird: A Journal of International Children's Literature, 2013
Scandinavian-Canadian Studies / Études scandinaves au Canada, 2009
The genre of hagiography in medieval Scandinavia has long been overlooked by scholars of the peri... more The genre of hagiography in medieval Scandinavia has long been overlooked by scholars of the period in favour of the epic stories of Scandinavian kings, the tales of mythical heroes of the German migration age, and especially, the family sagas of medieval Iceland. Accordingly, little has been written on medieval Scandinavian saints' lives, especially in English, and aside from Birgitta of Sweden the majority of native Scandinavian saints are largely unknown to non-specialists. Fortunately, the last couple of decades have witnessed an upsurge in interest in both translated and natively produced saints' lives, particularly those composed in medieval Iceland. This collection of essays, edited by Thomas A. DuBois, is an excellent example of the increasing scholarly attention that has recently been paid to the genre of hagiography in medieval Scandinavia.
Pontifical Institute of Mediaeval Studies, 2019
This book examines the cults and legends of Martha and Mary Magdalen in medieval Scandinavia, esp... more This book examines the cults and legends of Martha and Mary Magdalen in medieval Scandinavia, especially Iceland. While a number of parallels may be drawn between Iceland and mainland Scandinavia in terms of liturgical and artistic representations of Martha and Mary Magdalen, the Old Norse-Icelandic literary tradition stands apart from its Scandinavian counterparts in the cultural significance and relevance it gives to each of the “sister saints” in medieval Iceland, where the composite Mǫrtu saga ok Maríu Magðalenu was compiled in the mid-fourteenth century. The book concludes with a normalized edition of the only complete redaction of Mǫrtu saga ok Maríu Magðalenu, followed by its first English translation.
Co-written with Kirsten Wolf, UW-Madison University of Toronto Press
Faith and Knowledge in Late Medieval and Early Modern Scandinavia, ed. Mikael Males and Karoline Kjesrud, 2020
The Cult of Saints in the Archbishopric of Nidaróss, ed. Jon Vidar Sigurdsson and Ragnhild Bø, 2022
An Icelandic Literary Florilegium: A Festschrift in Honor of Úlfar Bragason, ed. Marianne Kalinke and Kirsten Wolf, 2020
Saints and their Legacies in Medieval. Iceland, ed. Dario Bullitta and Kirsten Wolf, 2021
Sainthood, Scriptoria, and Secular Erudition of Medieval and Early Modern Scandinavia: Essays in Honor of Kirsten Wolf, ed. Dario Bullitta and Natalie M. Van Deusen., 2022
Maal og Minne, 2011
AM 235 fol., a collection of translated saintsA¢â¬â¢ lives from ca. 1400, contains a wide varie... more AM 235 fol., a collection of translated saintsA¢â¬â¢ lives from ca. 1400, contains a wide variety of marginalia, ranging from religious invocations to childish pen-trials. Perhaps the most unique of the manuscriptA¢â¬â¢s marginalia is a seventeenth-century embroidery pattern on fol. 20v, a grid with large black ornamented letters reading A¢â¬AION A MIGA¢â¬Â (JA³n owns me). In addition to the finished pattern is a smaller, blank grid on fol. 52v. This article discusses the pattern within the tradition of women and embroidery in medieval and early modern Iceland. It speculates as to who may have used the pattern through an examination of other marginalia in the codex, and concludes with a discussion of the significance of the pattern not only for the study of women and needlework in Iceland, but also for our understanding of womenA¢â¬â¢s use and ownership of manuscripts in Iceland, particularly during the early modern period.
Carolyne Larrington, Brothers and Sisters in Medieval European Literature. Woodbridge, Suffolk, a... more Carolyne Larrington, Brothers and Sisters in Medieval European Literature. Woodbridge, Suffolk, and Rochester, New York: York Medieval Press, 2015. Pp. ix, 275. ISBN: 978-1-903153-62-8. $99.In Malory's Morte Darthur, Gawain's emotional reaction to the accidental killing by Lancelot of his brothers Gareth and Gaheris is one of the most vividly depicted of any in that great work: he swoons and lies as if dead, and upon awaking runs weeping to King Arthur. It is a powerful demonstration of brotherly love; but as Carolyne Larrington points out, it is an emotional reaction complicated by Gawain's knowledge that Gareth loved Lancelot better than his own brothers. Part of Gawain's anguish is caused by the inevitable friction between competing ties of blood and other social bonds. Gawain's duty is to avenge his brothers; but he goes too far in refusing any kind of settlement with Lancelot. Gawain cannot forgive the 'preferred friend, the better-than-brother' (p. 66) who superseded family in Gareth's affections.The complexities of the sibling bond as articulated in medieval literature are the focus of this stimulating book, wide-ranging in both chronology (500-1500) and geographical scope. Icelandic sagas sit alongside French romance and Irish legend, allowing for cross-cultural comparisons that draw out something of the essential nature of sibling stories. According to Larrington, modern sibling theory provides a 'qualified' understanding of medieval sibling dynamics, arguing that while the 'historical realities for siblings between 500 and 1500 were extremely various,' the 'essential parameters of brothers' and sisters' feelings . . . remain unchanged' (p. 235). Across eight chapters, Larrington builds a dynamic case for understanding sibling relationships in medieval narratives as compelling both in their own right and in examining larger themes such as the social cost of feuding, the problems of inheritance, and the exercise of political authority. By using a wide range of source material, she is able to show that themes replicated across texts demonstrate fundamental preoccupations about sibling bonds. Siblings share not only 'biological and legal genealogy' (p. 8) but often also childhood experiences and social networks. Brothers and sisters play an essential role in identity formation, in both positive and negative ways. The 'work of the sibling', Larrington argues, is to differentiate him- or herself from the rest of the sibling group. This can provide positive results, where siblings develop different but complementary identities. It can also result in extreme rivalry as siblings jostle to occupy one preferred space, often that of heir. …
This opens up the possibility of multiple readings of the material potentially by different group... more This opens up the possibility of multiple readings of the material potentially by different groups of individuals who were exposed to it. A Freudian perspective is suggested with regard to a key episode when the eponymous hero of the saga must brave the violence of “loathly ladies” to get access to sexual pleasures (p. 177). Particularly interesting is his reading of Illuga saga from a perspective which reveals a hitherto ignored feminine point of view, laced with wit and irony, and brings to light the extent to which female characters control the narrative and its developments (p. 207–208). This section is followed by a presentation and discussion of the history of the printed editions and scholarly reception of the saga which has already been mentioned. A final chapter is devoted to the different metrical romances which were composed based on the saga. This leads to considerations about the value of shorter sagas, which were easier to retell in the elaborate and somewhat convolute...
Arkiv för nordisk filologi, 2011
This article examines the composite Old Norse-Icelandic legend of Mary Magdalen and Martha, the s... more This article examines the composite Old Norse-Icelandic legend of Mary Magdalen and Martha, the so-called M0rtu saga ok Mariu Magðalenu, in light of its unusual focus on Martha. Most medieval legends of the “sister saints,” both in Latin and in the vernacular, focus almost exclusively on Mary Magdalen, the model of the contemplative life (vita contemplativa). However, the Old Norse-Icelandic compilation, which draws from a number of Latin sources, gives Martha, the model of the active life (vita activa), a primary role in the saga and condenses key aspects of the legend pertaining to Mary Magdalen. It is argued that the concentration on Martha can be seen within the context of how saints’ lives oftentimes functioned in medieval Christendom, namely to both prescribe and describe societal expectations. Women in Iceland, both lay and religious, were by necessity active in the domestic sphere. Martha, as the model of the vita activa and of hospitality, would have been a much more practi...
Saints and their Legacies in Medieval Iceland