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The Aarhus Old Norse Mythology Conference

The so-called ‘Aarhus Old Norse Mythology Conference’ started out in 2005 as an annual conference held at Aarhus University. The conferences aimed to investigate new and interdisciplinary approaches to Old Norse mythology, and functioned as meeting places for scholars and students interested in topics related to Old Norse myths, mythologies, literature and religion. After four years the conference started to circulate between partner universities (coming back to Aarhus University in 2014 and 2023), and an important and strong network centering around these annual meetings was established. The conference is now an annual international event that brings together leading international scholars in the field along with junior scholars for fruitful discussions. 

Aarhus 2005: Old Norse Myths

Aarhus 2006: Old Norse Mythology

Aarhus 2007: Old Norse Mythology

Aarhus 2008: Myth and Memory

Aberdeen 2009: Myth and Theory in the Old Norse World

Reykjavík 2010: Gods and Goddesses on the Edge: Myth and Liminality

Zurich 2011: The Performance of Old Norse Myth and Ritual

Bonn 2012: Old Norse Mythology in the Digital Age

Harvard 2013: The Aarhus Mythology Conference: Old Norse Mythology in Comparative Perspective

Aarhus 2014: Myth and Knowledge

Stockholm 2015: Myth, Materiality and Lived Religion

Berkeley 2016: Paganism Past

Helsinki 2017: Folklore and Old Norse Mythology

Uppsala 2018: The Aarhus Mythology Conference: The Feminine in Old Norse Mythology and Folklore

Bergen 2019: Methodology in Mythology: The Aarhus Old Norse Mythology Conference

Copenhagen 2020

Cancelled due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
 

Reykjavík 2021: Doing Things With Old Norse Myth

Prague 2022: Hybrids and Metamorphoses: The Aarhus Old Norse Mythology Conference

Publications

The conference papers are not necessarily published, as the gatherings may have an exploratory function, yet the following publications are spin-offs of the conferences:

  • Reflections on Old Norse Myths. Ed. Pernille Hermann, Jens Peter Schjødt, and Rasmus Tranum Kristensen. Studies in Viking and Medieval Scandinavia 1, Brepols, 2007
    • Conference at Aarhus University, 2005
  • Theorizing Old Norse Myth. Ed. Stefan Brink and Lisa Collinson. Acta Scandinavica 7. Brepols 2017
    • Conference at University of Aberdeen, 2009
  • Old Norse Mythology – Comparative Perspectives. Ed. Pernille Hermann, Stephen A. Mitchell, and Jens Peter Schjødt, with Amber J. Rose. The Milman Parry Collection of Oral Literature 3. Harvard University Press, 2017
    • Conference at Harvard University, 2013
  • Myth, Materiality, and Lived Religion: In Merovingian and Viking Scandinavia. Ed. Klas Wikström af Edholm, Peter Jackson Rova, Andreas Nordberg, Olof Sundqvist, and Torun Zachrisson. Stockholm Studies in Comparative Religion 40. Stockholm University Press, 2019

  • Folklore and Old Norse Mythology. Ed. Frog and Joonas Ahola. Folklore Fellows' Communications 323. The Kalevala Society, 2021. 
    • Conference at University of Helsinki and The Finnish Literature Society, 2017
    • Available here