Research Seminar: Twisted Ribbons of Song: The Saga of the Earls of Orkney and poetry from or inspired by northern Scotland
- Date: Tuesday 9 December 2025, 17:30 – 19:00
- Location: Hybrid
- Type: Seminar series, Seminars and lectures
- Cost: Free. <a href="https://forms.office.com/Pages/ResponsePage.aspx?id=qO3qvR3IzkWGPlIypTW3y74eqOLcj5VFp87PQcBkW_NUQjhIQ1JaNzQ4VlJNTVo1RU5DM0Q5OE45SS4u">Registration required for online attendance</a>.
Judith Jesch and Charlotte Eichler present a seminar for the Institute for Medieval Studies.
About the seminar
The medieval Icelandic Saga of the Earls of Orkney contains 82 stanzas composed from the tenth to the twelfth century by residents of and visitors to Orkney and Shetland. At this event, Judith Jesch will introduce the saga and its poetry and read selected examples in both Old Norse and her English versions. Charlotte Eichler will read some of her published and unpublished poems inspired by the Saga and by visits to Orkney and Shetland as part of the Ragna’s Islands project.
About the speakers
Judith Jesch is Emeritus Professor of Viking Studies at the University of Nottingham and directed the Ragna’s Islands project in 2024-2025; her edition and translation of The Saga of the Earls of Orkney is published by Birlinn in 2025.
Charlotte Eichler has an MA in Norse and Viking Studies from the University of Nottingham and is now Project Editor at the International Medieval Bibliography at the University of Leeds. Her first collection of poetry, Swimming Between Islands, was published by Carcanet in 2023.
Find out more about the Institute for Medieval Studies.
How to attend
This seminar will take place in a hybrid format. In-person attendees are welcome to arrive at room G.36 of the Baines Wing from 17:00 for the seminar to begin at 17:30.
To attend online, please complete this registration form (no Microsoft account required) and you will be sent the joining link shortly before the seminar begins.
Image information
Charlotte Eichler pictured on Fair Isle © Charlotte Eichler.