Judith Jesch
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judithjesch.bsky.social
Judith Jesch
@judithjesch.bsky.social
2.2K followers 660 following 1K posts

Emeritus Professor of Viking Studies @UoNEnglish.bsky.social. Visiting Professor @insuhi.bsky.social, FBA. The Saga of the Earls of Orkney: https://birlinn.co.uk/product/the-saga-of-the-earls-of-orkney/ See https://uonenglish.substack.com/s/ragnas-islands .. more

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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

History 45%
Communication & Media Studies 18%
Posts Replies Media Videos

Reposted by Judith Jesch

shetnews.co.uk
Shetland News @shetnews.co.uk · 14h
The beautiful galley goes up in flames following the torchlit procession #uphellyaa

Reposted by Judith Jesch

shetlandlibrary.bsky.social
Shetland Library @shetlandlibrary.bsky.social · 21h
This is your annual reminder to shift your car off the Up Helly Aa route by 2pm lest it be towed away for ceremonial burning. 🙂🔥
Big yellow road sign saying ‘Attention, UP HELLY AA, Roads closed 4pm-9pm, No parking from 2pm.’

Reposted by Judith Jesch

davidallengreen.bsky.social
dag @davidallengreen.bsky.social · 3d
The task for political leadership now is not just to tell the truth, but to make people care about what is true and what is not.

Reposted by Catherine J. Frieman, Christina Pagel, Judith Jesch

c0nc0rdance.bsky.social
c0nc0rdance @c0nc0rdance.bsky.social · 3d
In my ongoing attempts to give you a break from *gestures widely* THE HORRORS:

Let's talk about the utterly bizarre science of cats' purring.

Here's a weird starting point:
There are NO cats (Felidae) that can BOTH roar AND purr.

Cats that roar = genus Panthera
Cats that purr = genus Felis

Reposted by Carolyne Larrington, Judith Jesch

vikingologypodcast.bsky.social
The Vikingology Podcast @vikingologypodcast.bsky.social · 3d
Lovely chat with @profcarolyne.bsky.social about stories, myths, dragons, and more!

vikingology.substack.com/p/myth-and-b...
Larrington
Watch now | Myth and belief in the Viking Age and beyond
vikingology.substack.com

judithjesch.bsky.social
Judith Jesch @judithjesch.bsky.social · 3d
Highly recommended!
papayranger.bsky.social Papay ranger - Jonathan Ford @papayranger.bsky.social · 4d
Our boat trips out to the Holm of Papay start again this April, the ultimate island off an island off and island experience with some great Neolitithic burial chambers along the way.

#Papay #Orkney #archaeology of #islands

Reposted by Judith Jesch

papayranger.bsky.social
Papay ranger - Jonathan Ford @papayranger.bsky.social · 4d
Our boat trips out to the Holm of Papay start again this April, the ultimate island off an island off and island experience with some great Neolitithic burial chambers along the way.

#Papay #Orkney #archaeology of #islands

judithjesch.bsky.social
Judith Jesch @judithjesch.bsky.social · 4d
That traffic isn't always good for the arch. www.flickr.com/photos/edwar... www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news...

Reposted by Judith Jesch

samleggs22.bsky.social
Dr Sam Leggett @samleggs22.bsky.social · 4d
This absolute behemoth of a book landed on my doorstep this week, excited to dive into it - but it’s so huge it might take me a good long while! But I spy lots of C14, isotopes & aDNA! ⚛️🧬The much awaited tome on Llanbedrgoch! 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 ⚔️ #medievalsky #archaeology @oxbowbooks.bsky.social
Photo of the book “From Farm to Viking-Age Trading Centre: the 1994-2012 Excavations at Llanbedrgoch, Anglesey” by Mark Redknap. Book cover has photos of the landscape, a Thor’s hammer pendant, a coin and a metal fitting.

Reposted by Judith Jesch

neilmcguigan.bsky.social
Neil McGuigan @neilmcguigan.bsky.social · 5d
New publication from myself, 'Haraldr Maddaðarson and Scoto-Orcadian Politics before 1222':
www.academia.edu/149771345/Ha...
Haraldr Maddaðarson and Scoto-Orcadian Politics before 1222
Haraldr Maddaðarson and Scoto-Orcadian Politics before 1222
www.academia.edu

judithjesch.bsky.social
Judith Jesch @judithjesch.bsky.social · 5d
This stanza provokes a celebrated retort by Ragna, 'It has now come to this, as is said, that few are so intelligent that they can see everything as it is, because this is from a stallion not a mare.' See ch. 81 of #SagaoftheEarlsofOrkney #Orkneyingasaga and uonenglish.substack.com/p/who-is-rag...

judithjesch.bsky.social
Judith Jesch @judithjesch.bsky.social · 5d
You are clearly better than any robot!

judithjesch.bsky.social
Judith Jesch @judithjesch.bsky.social · 5d
292 kennings for sea here skaldic.org/m.php?p=kenn...
Skaldic Project - kenning type
skaldic.org

Reposted by Judith Jesch

hildur.bsky.social
Hildur Knútsdóttir @hildur.bsky.social · 5d
Foreign Minister of Iceland says she has received confirmation that Trump did not mean Iceland when he repeatedly said Iceland yesterday.

She didn't want to go into details on where that confirmation came from, but it must have been someone in the U.S. foreign service. Awkward!

Reposted by Dorothy Bishop, Steve Peers, Tom Griffin , and 2 more

davidallengreen.bsky.social
dag @davidallengreen.bsky.social · 5d
The ‘Board of Peace’ is a protection racket on an international scale that would impress Trump’s mentor Roy Cohn.

judithjesch.bsky.social
Judith Jesch @judithjesch.bsky.social · 5d
More #runology!
norseincork.bsky.social NorseInCork @norseincork.bsky.social · 7d
OUP have published the first chapter of my Runes book (on the earliest period of runic writing) open access until 19 Feb. Do have a look if you're interested! academic.oup.com/book/61598/c...

judithjesch.bsky.social
Judith Jesch @judithjesch.bsky.social · 6d
And it all started at @uniofnottingham.bsky.social ...

Reposted by Judith Jesch

apardjon1.bsky.social
Apardjón Journal for Scandinavian Studies @apardjon1.bsky.social · 6d
Apardjón is pleased to present its newest special volume, Connections and the Church in Late Norse Scotland, edited by Caitlin Ellis and Tom Fairfax. We would like to thank all authors for contributing, and Caitlin Ellis and Tom Fairfax for their work. #MedievalSky

www.abdn.ac.uk/dhpa/researc...

judithjesch.bsky.social
Judith Jesch @judithjesch.bsky.social · 6d
Great work by @tcfairfax.bsky.social and @medivalist.bsky.social !

Reposted by Judith Jesch

jaztherunologist.bsky.social
Dr Jasmin Higgs @jaztherunologist.bsky.social · 6d
Inspired by a colleague saying she’d like a lesson on how to read a runic inscription, here’s a lesson!

open.substack.com/pub/jasminhi...

Reposted by Margot C. Finn, Judith Jesch

davidallengreen.bsky.social
dag @davidallengreen.bsky.social · 6d
Art of the Deal 0
Art of the Seal 1

Reposted by Judith Jesch

tonybeales.bsky.social
Tony Beales @tonybeales.bsky.social · 6d
Apparently it's #RedSquirrelAppreciationDay, so here's a red squirrel shot taken yesterday.
Not sure who needs a special day to appreciate red squirrels 🤔🤣
📍Cumbria, UK
#UKwildlife #mammals
Head and shoulders of a red squirrel in semi profile behind a blurred log partly covered in moss

Reposted by Judith Jesch

insuhi.bsky.social
UHI Institute for Northern Studies @insuhi.bsky.social · 6d
We are delighted to announce that registration is now open for the 7th @thinkuhi.bsky.social Institute for Northern Studies St Magnus Conference, taking place at UHI Perth from the 15th to the 17th April 2026.

Register now www.uhi.ac.uk/en/research-...

judithjesch.bsky.social
Judith Jesch @judithjesch.bsky.social · 6d
Just be careful... You didn't have stoats until 2011 either.

Reposted by Judith Jesch

scoupland.bsky.social
Simon Coupland @scoupland.bsky.social · 7d
Tomorrow - livestream of a #Viking evening at the Rijksmuseum van Oudheden in Leiden, with talks in Dutch but then at 20:00 UK time in English! rijksmuseum-van-oudheden.webinargeek.com/vikingverhal...
22 januari: Vikingverhalen
Tijdens de eerste editie van Vikingverhalen nemen vier internationaal gerenommeerde wetenschappers ons mee in boeiende verhalen over oud en nieuw onderzoek naar de Vikingtijd. Het gaat deze avond over...
rijksmuseum-van-oudheden.webinargeek.com

judithjesch.bsky.social
Judith Jesch @judithjesch.bsky.social · 7d
Also @dgplacenames.bsky.social

judithjesch.bsky.social
Judith Jesch @judithjesch.bsky.social · 7d
#Cat and #aurora - what's not to like?
danniemcq.bsky.social danniemcq @danniemcq.bsky.social · 8d
Cat wandered in front of the camera during the #aurora long exposure

Reposted by Claire Connolly, Judith Jesch

norseincork.bsky.social
NorseInCork @norseincork.bsky.social · 7d
OUP have published the first chapter of my Runes book (on the earliest period of runic writing) open access until 19 Feb. Do have a look if you're interested! academic.oup.com/book/61598/c...

Reposted by Shannon Vallor, Peter Thorne, Elena Litchman , and 6 more

danniemcq.bsky.social
danniemcq @danniemcq.bsky.social · 8d
Cat wandered in front of the camera during the #aurora long exposure

judithjesch.bsky.social
Judith Jesch @judithjesch.bsky.social · 8d
My other favourite Norwegian saying is 'kjært barn har mange navn'. Admittedly, Norway has only two names but Denmark has only one...