Óðinn, Þórr, Loki and His Children: Old Norse Myth in Anglophone Popular Culture
2025-03-04 17:30 - 19:00 (Europe/Helsinki) | Université du Luxembourg – Maison des Sciences Humaines, 11, porte des Sciences, Esch-sur-Alzette, L-4366
This lecture will examine the ways in which three principal figures of Old Norse myth have been made to signify in recent Anglo-American culture. Exploring the figures of Óðinn, Þórr and Loki (and his monstrous children) in novels, films, TV shows and operas, I will argue that these figures are indeed, as journalists like to say, ‘having a moment’ in the present-day popular imagination, in ways that differ considerably from their roles in previous nineteenth- and early twentieth-century works. The cultural functions they fulfil are closely related to their depictions in medieval sources – indeed, their ‘authenticity’ in relation to medieval source material for example is a subject of lively debate in fan communities – but these characters have also fundamentally re-tooled and re-imagined in order to reflect on key contemporary concepts such as patriarchy, masculinity, queerness, adolescence and alterity in popular discourse.
Speaker: Prof. Carolyne Larrington
Carolyne Larrington is Emerita Professor of medieval European literature at the University of Oxford, and Emerita Research Fellow of St John’s College, Oxford. Her research spans such fields as Old Norse literature, Arthurian studies, folklore, emotions in medieval literature and medievalism. Her most recent academic book is Approaches to Emotion in Middle English Literature (2024). She also writes books for the general reader, including The Old Norse Myths that Shape the Way We Think (2023) and two books on Game of Thrones. Her next trade book, The Little Book of Trolls, for the British Library, is published on May 15th, 2025.
Venue: Maison des Sciences Humaines, Black Box
Program
17h15 – Registration & welcoming words
17h30 – Presentation
18h15 – Questions & discussion
18h45 – Cocktail

With the suppory of C²DH, IHIST, Historic.ul
Photo: Wallpaper from the God of War Series by Sony Entertainment, https://www.goodfon.com/games/wallpaper-god-of-war-god-gow-god-of-war-5-gow5-gow-5-demi-god-viking-5.html

The Impact of Empire: Carrying capacity of Eastern Mediterranean landscapes under societal and climatic constraints - Prof. Ingmar Unkel
2025-09-29 18:30 - 20:00 | Université du Luxembourg – Maison des Sciences Humaines, 11, porte des Sciences, Esch-sur-Alzette, L-4366
The lack of water is a serious threat to all societies at all times, especially in regions such as the Mediterranean. However, a simple, linear relationship between less rainfall and the decline of societies falls short of the mark. While archaeologists often approach the topic of water scarcity and its impact on socio-economic systems in terms of economic or political mechanisms, Ingmar Unkel focuses on natural water availability for plants and the consequences that follow. The resilience of societies to (hydrological) natural hazards depends on the land-use potential of the region: Which locations are suitable for which type of land use? What is the quality of the soil? How much agricultural land is available at all? Ultimately, it is a social question of how land-use potential was dealt with in the past in various areas of governance, and whether this can still be seen in geoarchaeological archives.
Speaker: Prof. Ingmar Unkel (Heidelberg University)
Ingmar Unkel is Professor of Physical Geography of the Anthropocene at Heidelberg University, where he is also a Fellow of the Marsilius Kolleg, an interdisciplinary center that fosters exchange between the cultural and natural sciences. Previously, he was Professor of Environmental History at Kiel University for over ten years, serving on the executive board of the Cluster of Excellence ROOTS (“Social, Environmental, and Cultural Connectivity in Past Societies”) and as a principal investigator in the Collaborative Research Center 1266 (“Scales of Transformation”). He obtained his PhD from the Heidelberg Academy of Sciences with a dissertation on the radiocarbon chronology of the Nasca Culture.
Venue: Maison des Sciences Humaines, Black Box
Program
18h30 – Registration & welcoming words
18h45 – Presentation
19h30 – Questions & discussion
20h00 – Cocktail

With the support of C²DH, IHIST, Historic.ul

Small State Studies and History. Thoughts on Imperialism and Luxembourgish foreign policy - Dr. Yves Schmitz
2025-10-13 17:30 - 19:00 | Université du Luxembourg – Maison du Savoir (MSA), 2, avenue de l'Université, Esch-sur-Alzette, 4365, Luxembourg
What difference does small make? – this lecture will weigh the possibilities and problems in applying methods and findings from the field of Small State Studies to two historiographical fields that in terms of size seemingly could not be further apart: Modern Western Imperialism and Luxembourg’s Foreign Policy towards a decolonising Africa. As historical figures, from Danish and Portuguese diplomats to Luxembourgish ministers, have put the size of their country at the forefront, the question remains if the rhetoric has had a meaningful impact on the policies applied. Were the colonial policies of states such as Belgium or the Netherlands different to France or Great Britain due to state size? Can the decisions taken by the Luxembourgish foreign ministry always be boiled down to their inherent smallness? The paper will touch on a variety of case studies, helping to enable a meaningful exchange between these different strands of research.
Speaker: Dr. Yves Schmitz (Hildesheim University)
Yves Schmitz has studied history at the Universities of Hamburg and Exeter, and completed his PhD in comparative imperial history at Marburg University in 2021. Since then, he has worked at different post-doc position at the Universities of Bremen, Hagen and Duisburg-Essen. In 2024, he has published an award-winning introduction to the colonial history of Luxembourg with the Luxembourgish art-collective Richtung22. Since October, he works as a lecturer (Lehrkraft für besondere Aufgaben) at Hildesheim University.
Venue: MSA 4.510, Maison du Savoir, Belval Campus
Program
17h30 – Registration & welcoming words
17h45 – Presentation
18h30 – Questions & discussion
19h00 – Cocktail

With the support of C²DH, IHIST, Historic.ul
