Ola Wikander
@olawikander.bsky.social
Philologist, author, Lundensian. Ugaritologist, Hebraist, Semitist, part IE-ist. PhD & Reader/Senior Lecturer, OT/HB. Ex Pro Futura fellow (Uppsala & Cambridge).
Ordained in a rare religion.
Abyssum per Sapientiam Linguā Incarnandō.
Ola-Wikander-eng.se
Ordained in a rare religion.
Abyssum per Sapientiam Linguā Incarnandō.
Ola-Wikander-eng.se
Pinned
Ola Wikander
@olawikander.bsky.social
· Nov 18
Thread of all my currently published books! (1/x):
First:
"Unburning Fame: Horses, Dragons, Beings of Smoke, and Other Indo-European Motifs in Ugarit and the Hebrew Bible" (2017)
and
"Drought, Death, and the Sun in Ugarit and Ancient Israel: A Philological and Comparative Study" (2014)
First:
"Unburning Fame: Horses, Dragons, Beings of Smoke, and Other Indo-European Motifs in Ugarit and the Hebrew Bible" (2017)
and
"Drought, Death, and the Sun in Ugarit and Ancient Israel: A Philological and Comparative Study" (2014)
Working on an article on Swedish-language reception of Gnosticism that is... a bit late (due to my having been ill over New Years and beyond) . But I'm getting there!
January 31, 2026 at 2:22 AM
Working on an article on Swedish-language reception of Gnosticism that is... a bit late (due to my having been ill over New Years and beyond) . But I'm getting there!
1. Hebrew Bible
2. Sanskrit
3. History of Religion, esp. Indian religions
4. Latin
5. Linguistics
6. Jewish Studies
7. Akkadian
Ok, that's seven, but there you go.
2. Sanskrit
3. History of Religion, esp. Indian religions
4. Latin
5. Linguistics
6. Jewish Studies
7. Akkadian
Ok, that's seven, but there you go.
Never mind jobs you had, tell me five (or rather: five of the) classes you took at university.
1. Political Science
2. History
3. Economic History
4. Economics
5. Communications
1. Political Science
2. History
3. Economic History
4. Economics
5. Communications
Never mind jobs you had, tell me five (or rather: five of the) classes you took at university.
1) History
2) History of art
3) German
4) Medieval archaeology
5) Archival knowledge
1) History
2) History of art
3) German
4) Medieval archaeology
5) Archival knowledge
January 30, 2026 at 4:49 PM
1. Hebrew Bible
2. Sanskrit
3. History of Religion, esp. Indian religions
4. Latin
5. Linguistics
6. Jewish Studies
7. Akkadian
Ok, that's seven, but there you go.
2. Sanskrit
3. History of Religion, esp. Indian religions
4. Latin
5. Linguistics
6. Jewish Studies
7. Akkadian
Ok, that's seven, but there you go.
Tonight, I dreamt that @pymundgenealogy.com and I were singing אִם-יְהוָה לֹא-יִבְנֶה בַיִת (Psalm 127) together in a very loud voice at a party in a condo association's party space, until the caretaker came and gave us a stiff talking-to. Sure was fun, though.
January 30, 2026 at 3:30 PM
Tonight, I dreamt that @pymundgenealogy.com and I were singing אִם-יְהוָה לֹא-יִבְנֶה בַיִת (Psalm 127) together in a very loud voice at a party in a condo association's party space, until the caretaker came and gave us a stiff talking-to. Sure was fun, though.
Rewatching She-Ra (2018), one of the tv series most beloved by Yours Truly. The idiots at Netflix are retiring the series from streaming...
Physical media FTW. Still, and always.
Physical media FTW. Still, and always.
January 29, 2026 at 10:42 PM
Rewatching She-Ra (2018), one of the tv series most beloved by Yours Truly. The idiots at Netflix are retiring the series from streaming...
Physical media FTW. Still, and always.
Physical media FTW. Still, and always.
Akkadian word of the day:
Kullatu(m) ("whole, totality, all-ness, πλήρωμα").
Kullatu(m) ("whole, totality, all-ness, πλήρωμα").
January 29, 2026 at 4:43 PM
Akkadian word of the day:
Kullatu(m) ("whole, totality, all-ness, πλήρωμα").
Kullatu(m) ("whole, totality, all-ness, πλήρωμα").
Keith Richards, perhaps?
January 28, 2026 at 2:07 AM
Keith Richards, perhaps?
Ugaritic word of the day:
šmšr ("to set [a vehicle] in motion, to drive [?]), š-stem of the root mšr.
šmšr ("to set [a vehicle] in motion, to drive [?]), š-stem of the root mšr.
January 27, 2026 at 5:01 PM
Ugaritic word of the day:
šmšr ("to set [a vehicle] in motion, to drive [?]), š-stem of the root mšr.
šmšr ("to set [a vehicle] in motion, to drive [?]), š-stem of the root mšr.
Ugaritic word of the day:
Khn /kāhinu/, "priest".
Khn /kāhinu/, "priest".
January 26, 2026 at 2:47 AM
Ugaritic word of the day:
Khn /kāhinu/, "priest".
Khn /kāhinu/, "priest".
Hittite word of the day:
Āškaz ("outdoors, outside", literally "out of the door/gate", ablative).
Āškaz ("outdoors, outside", literally "out of the door/gate", ablative).
January 23, 2026 at 10:23 PM
Hittite word of the day:
Āškaz ("outdoors, outside", literally "out of the door/gate", ablative).
Āškaz ("outdoors, outside", literally "out of the door/gate", ablative).
Jakten på de försvunna indexposterna.
January 23, 2026 at 3:35 PM
Jakten på de försvunna indexposterna.
Om nya boken och metaforskningsanalys av forskar/författarsjälvet, eller hur man nu skall uttrycka det :-) :
ola-wikander.blogspot.com/2026/01/drak...
ola-wikander.blogspot.com/2026/01/drak...
Drakbok och självanalys!
En av de roligaste sakerna jag hade äran att göra förra året var att i slutet av detsamma ge ut min nya bok Den undflyende ormen: kampen mo...
ola-wikander.blogspot.com
January 22, 2026 at 4:16 PM
Om nya boken och metaforskningsanalys av forskar/författarsjälvet, eller hur man nu skall uttrycka det :-) :
ola-wikander.blogspot.com/2026/01/drak...
ola-wikander.blogspot.com/2026/01/drak...
Effectively threatening war because you didn't get the peace prize is... quite something.
January 19, 2026 at 5:41 PM
Effectively threatening war because you didn't get the peace prize is... quite something.
Reposted by Ola Wikander
Ugaritic word of the day:
Mtr ("additionally").
Mtr ("additionally").
January 19, 2026 at 2:31 AM
Ugaritic word of the day:
Mtr ("additionally").
Mtr ("additionally").
Reposted by Ola Wikander
Nu har programmet för Koncentrat, min lilla science fiction- och fantasylitteraturkongress som tar plats i mitt vardagsrum i slutet av mars, börjat ta form. Det finns fortfarande ett par luckor, men man börjar ana vad vi kommer att prata om.
johanjonsson.net/koncentrat.h...
johanjonsson.net/koncentrat.h...
January 11, 2026 at 3:00 PM
Nu har programmet för Koncentrat, min lilla science fiction- och fantasylitteraturkongress som tar plats i mitt vardagsrum i slutet av mars, börjat ta form. Det finns fortfarande ett par luckor, men man börjar ana vad vi kommer att prata om.
johanjonsson.net/koncentrat.h...
johanjonsson.net/koncentrat.h...
Ugaritic word of the day:
Mtr ("additionally").
Mtr ("additionally").
January 19, 2026 at 2:31 AM
Ugaritic word of the day:
Mtr ("additionally").
Mtr ("additionally").
Or he could just do the world a favor and stop making Avatar movies.
James Cameron says he must find a cheaper way to produce the Avatar movies in order to continue making them. https://bit.ly/4qnlOpl
January 16, 2026 at 9:32 PM
Or he could just do the world a favor and stop making Avatar movies.
Sure, languages of the Caucasus and Coptic have massive consonant clusters, but how about one of my favorite Swedish words – "västkustskts" ("belonging to something inanimate belonging to the West Coast")?
January 16, 2026 at 4:15 PM
Sure, languages of the Caucasus and Coptic have massive consonant clusters, but how about one of my favorite Swedish words – "västkustskts" ("belonging to something inanimate belonging to the West Coast")?
Reposted by Ola Wikander
Ugaritic word of the day:
Ugaritic word of the day:
ʾiqnʾu ("lapis lazuli", "lapis lazuli-colored", "blue", "violet blue", "purple").F
Ugaritic word of the day:
ʾiqnʾu ("lapis lazuli", "lapis lazuli-colored", "blue", "violet blue", "purple").F
November 8, 2025 at 5:04 PM
Ugaritic word of the day:
Ugaritic word of the day:
ʾiqnʾu ("lapis lazuli", "lapis lazuli-colored", "blue", "violet blue", "purple").F
Ugaritic word of the day:
ʾiqnʾu ("lapis lazuli", "lapis lazuli-colored", "blue", "violet blue", "purple").F
Den 28/3 deltar jag på fantastikkonferensen Koncentrat i Malmö och pratar kaosdrakar! Mycket kul program rent allmänt – se här:
johanjonsson.net/koncentrat.h...
johanjonsson.net/koncentrat.h...
Koncentrat
johanjonsson.net
January 14, 2026 at 4:21 PM
Den 28/3 deltar jag på fantastikkonferensen Koncentrat i Malmö och pratar kaosdrakar! Mycket kul program rent allmänt – se här:
johanjonsson.net/koncentrat.h...
johanjonsson.net/koncentrat.h...
Ālak peke, ālak pekant - kyal mā kärsnāt?
January 14, 2026 at 2:52 AM
Ālak peke, ālak pekant - kyal mā kärsnāt?
Tonight, yours truly's proofreading of this one will commence:
www.barnesandnoble.com/w/human-ness...
www.barnesandnoble.com/w/human-ness...
Human-ness and God-ness in Biblical and Classical Culture: That One Seems to Me A Little Less than A God|Hardcover
This volume explores the poetic and philosophical boundaries between humanity and divinity across the Hebrew Bible, Graeco—Roman literature, and early Christian thought. Inspired by Psalm 8 and t...
www.barnesandnoble.com
January 11, 2026 at 2:45 PM
Tonight, yours truly's proofreading of this one will commence:
www.barnesandnoble.com/w/human-ness...
www.barnesandnoble.com/w/human-ness...
Ah, there it is — caught my ceremonial first "'we' do this thing" meaning "many in the US do this thing" instance of the year today.
January 11, 2026 at 2:17 PM
Ah, there it is — caught my ceremonial first "'we' do this thing" meaning "many in the US do this thing" instance of the year today.
Ugaritic word of the day:
ʕṣr ("bird").
Possibly attested with vocalization in the writing u-ṣú-ru.
ʕṣr ("bird").
Possibly attested with vocalization in the writing u-ṣú-ru.
January 10, 2026 at 7:08 PM
Ugaritic word of the day:
ʕṣr ("bird").
Possibly attested with vocalization in the writing u-ṣú-ru.
ʕṣr ("bird").
Possibly attested with vocalization in the writing u-ṣú-ru.
I like this one, especially the attestation of the original (pre-Hebrew) affricate pronunciation of *s3 (=Hebrew samekh) as [ts], rendered as <ṯ> in Egyptian (a sign used for, more or less, "ch" in "change").
January 9, 2026 at 10:57 PM
I like this one, especially the attestation of the original (pre-Hebrew) affricate pronunciation of *s3 (=Hebrew samekh) as [ts], rendered as <ṯ> in Egyptian (a sign used for, more or less, "ch" in "change").