Articles & Book Chapters by Luke John Murphy
Open Archaeology, 2020
The rise of social zooarchaeology and the so-called ‘animal turn’ in the humanities both reflect ... more The rise of social zooarchaeology and the so-called ‘animal turn’ in the humanities both reflect a growing interest in the interactions of humans and non-human animals. This comparative archaeological study contributes to this interdisciplinary field by investigating the ways in which successive human cultures employed religion to conceptualise and interact with their ecological context across the longue durée. Specifically, we investigate how the Iron Age, Romano-British, early medieval English, medieval Welsh, and Information Age populations of Great Britain constructed and employed supranatural female figures – Andraste, Diana, Ēostre, St. Melangell, and the modern construct ‘Easter’ – with a common zoomorphic link: the hare. Applying theoretical concepts drawn from conservation ecology (‘shifting baselines’) and the study of religion (‘semantic centres’) to a combination of (zoo)archaeological and textual evidence, we argue that four distinct ‘hare goddesses’ were used to express their congregations’ concerns regarding the mediation of violence between the human in-group and other parties (human or animal) across two millennia.
The Retrospective Methods Network Newsletter, 2020
This article attempts to alleviate what it identifies as an ‘issue of communication and shared un... more This article attempts to alleviate what it identifies as an ‘issue of communication and shared understanding’ in Viking Studies: the range of methodological concepts used in different discourses within the field. It proposes a set of approximate equivalences between a range of such methodological concepts, organised into two groups, intended to allow scholars to roughly but efficiently locate scholarship from outside their own speciality within more familiar systems of meaning.
Animals, 2020
Naomi Sykes, Piers Beirne, Alexandra Horowitz, Ione Jones, Linda Kalof,
Elinor Karlsson, Tammie K... more Naomi Sykes, Piers Beirne, Alexandra Horowitz, Ione Jones, Linda Kalof,
Elinor Karlsson, Tammie King, Howard Litwak, Robbie A. McDonald,
Luke John Murphy, Neil Pemberton, Daniel Promislow, Andrew Rowan,
Peter W. Stahl, Jamshid Tehrani, Eric Tourigny, Clive D. L. Wynne, Eric Strauss and Greger Larson
The Earth is under increasing pressure from the burgeoning global human population and the subsequent rise in demand for food and a myriad of other finite resources. Mitigating the environmental, societal and ecological impact of the human footprint requires understanding the long-term relationships between our species and the plants and animals we now rely upon. In addition, the modern scientific approach often conceives of, and addresses individual problems through narrow windows that can fail to take into account the connectedness of multiple problems. By broadening the scope of inquiry to include both science and humanities perspectives, and simultaneously focussing on a single species, we suggest that many of the United Nations Strategic Development Goals (SDGs) can be addressed more effectively. In this paper, we describe how a comprehensive assessment of the long-term relationship between humans and dogs can yield insights, and offer ways in which modern global challenges can be tackled.
Scripta Islandica, 2018
The understanding of pre-Christian Nordic religion as a complicated network of overlapping and in... more The understanding of pre-Christian Nordic religion as a complicated network of overlapping and interrelated religious systems has achieved a growing acceptance in recent years, allowing for an increase in studies of a number of localised and phenomenologically-distinct articulations of historical Scandinavian paganism. However, while large-scale public cults of high-status sites like Gamla Uppsala, Lejre, and Hlaðir have received considerable attention, little work has yet been done on more private forms of religiosity in the Late Iron Age. This article utilises a paradigm of typologically-relevant domestic, familial, and household religion\s developed in the Antique Near East and Mediterranean to analyse textual and archaeological evidence for household cult in the Nordic Late Iron Age. Based on descriptions of religious praxis in a number of medieval Icelandic narratives and skaldic verse contextualised by philological and archaeological evidence, a model of pre-Christian household religion is proposed to feature characteristics such as a predominance of localised deities, significant roles for women, and a temporal link to specific times of the year, particularly late autumn and winter. This model not only contributes to an emerging comparative model of historical private religiosity, but also offers insight into what might be uniquely Nordic about pre-Christian religion in Scandinavia and its environs.
Keywords: Pre-Christian religion, household religion, popular religion, comparative religion, religious praxis, domestic life
Place and Space in the Medieval World
2018. ‘Processes of Religious Change in Late-Iron Age Gotland: Rereading, Spatialisation, and Enc... more 2018. ‘Processes of Religious Change in Late-Iron Age Gotland: Rereading, Spatialisation, and Enculturation’, in Place and Space in the Medieval World, ed. Meg Boulton, Heidi Stoner, and Jane Hawkes. Routledge Research in Art History 1 (London: Routledge): 32-46.
The Christianisation of Scandinavia was a fundamental change to religious life at the close of the Iron Age (c. 1000-1100AD). Modern scholarship has sought to investigate not only the transformations brought about by this shift, but also the survivals of earlier phenomena. This article seeks to examine evidence for both continuity and change during the Christianisation of Gotland, establishing – as far as is possible – the state of pre-Christian sacral places, particularly vé. Using Guta saga’s account of the first churches built in Gotland as a catalyst for comparative study, the subjective changes undergone by such sites during church-building are examined, and issues of spatial control and inculturative Christianisation are investigated. On the basis of findings from this study it is argued that the Christianisation of Gotland was a nuanced process of preservation and alteration, not a simple one-for-one replacement of one religion by another, and was both responsive to and driven by spatial issues. (154 words)
ENGLISH ABSTRACT: No systematic survey of processions in pre-Christian Scandinavian religion has ... more ENGLISH ABSTRACT: No systematic survey of processions in pre-Christian Scandinavian religion has yet been attempted, in line with the lack of research on processions in the Study of Religion more generally. This article examines the written, archaeological, and iconographic material and applies Bernhard Lang's typology of processions in order to describe the functions of the pre-Christian Scandinavian processions. The tentative conclusion it offers is that processions in the pre-Christian North can be divided into two categories: a group of circulatory processions of a predominantly hierophoric type often connected with fertility; and a group of linear processions of a predominantly hierophoric-functional type often connected with funerary rituals.
Moving to a new country is hard enough if you speak the language. Moving somewhere with a totally... more Moving to a new country is hard enough if you speak the language. Moving somewhere with a totally different language is even harder! Fortunately, most Scandinavians have a good grasp of English, and at Universities the level of English is often exceptional, with locals slipping effortlessly between languages the instant you walk through the door while continuing to debate obscure scholarly questions. Nonetheless, just because your colleagues and students can speak English doesn’t always that they will – or should.
While some departments, institutes, or laboratories may make heavy use of English, there will always be contexts where locals will speak their own language amongst themselves, be that on coffee breaks or in specialist Scandinavian journals. Other areas of the university – particularly in the humanities – tend to have far fewer foreigners, making the pressure of learning the local language all the greater.
Much of the typical advice for second-language learners around the world also applies in Scandinavia, so this (proposed) chapter highlights useful strategies for picking up “Scandinavian” as a PhD student with a lot else on your plate. It goes beyond just language-learning tips, however, offering advice on dealing with the language barrier(s) inside Scandinavian academic culture, considering the pros and cons of speaking English and/or the local language in contexts from the classroom to the lunch room. It suggests strategies for convincing your colleagues and students of your competence despite the difficulties of speaking and writing in a foreign language (be that English or a Scandinavian); impressing future employers with your linguistic talents; tackling the gulf between your eloquence in English and the strain of expressing yourself in “Scandinavian”; and for persuading co-workers to deal with you in their native language. It pays particular attention to teaching and publication, two key areas of a young academic’s career where even a relatively small amount of linguistic effort can have a huge effect on your PhD at a Scandinavian university, not to mention your prospects of finding post-docs and future work in Scandinavia.
The varied nature of Iron Age religious sites in Scandinavia has been the cause of much scholarly... more The varied nature of Iron Age religious sites in Scandinavia has been the cause of much scholarly debate, particularly in terms of their continuity and centralization — or otherwiselack thereof. Little focus, however, has been placed on the general patterns of spatialization displayed by these sites in the wider pre-Christian landscape. This article therefore seeks to examine the social spaces engendered with sacral value by pre-Christian Scandinavians. Drawing on a range of evidence, including toponymic, textual, and archaeological corpora, a model is proposed whereby, despite the ongoing physical changes in such religious sites during the Iron Age, an underlying continuity may be found in the non-physical characteristics of their spaces. It is concluded that different manifestations of liminality — geographic, temporal, and dimensional — lay at the heart of these late Iron Age sacral spaces.
Keywords: Iron Age, Scandinavia, social space, sacral value, religious site, liminality.
Conference Presentations by Luke John Murphy
04.2017, Family in the Premodern World: A Comparative Approach Workshop, Princeton University, US... more 04.2017, Family in the Premodern World: A Comparative Approach Workshop, Princeton University, USA.
03.2017, Miðaldastofa lecture series, University of Iceland.
01.2017, Norræn Trú seminar series, University of Iceland.
Presented July 2016 at the ‘PhD Research Seminar’ (Aarhus Universitet, Denmark).
Presented September 2013, at the ‘Vísindavöku Þjóðarspegill’ (Háskóli Íslands, Reykjavík, Iceland)
Presented April 2009, at the ‘Within Reach: European Peripheries in the Middle Ages’ Conference (... more Presented April 2009, at the ‘Within Reach: European Peripheries in the Middle Ages’ Conference (University of Leeds, U.K.)
Presented June 2009, at the ‘York-UEA-Kings Postgraduate Symposium’ (University of East Anglia, N... more Presented June 2009, at the ‘York-UEA-Kings Postgraduate Symposium’ (University of East Anglia, Norwich, U.K.)
Presented March 2011, at the ‘International and Interdisciplinary Student Symposium on Old-Norse ... more Presented March 2011, at the ‘International and Interdisciplinary Student Symposium on Old-Norse Subjects’ (Aarhus Universitet, Denmark)
Presented March 2011, as part of the ‘Engir Strengleikar’ seminar series (Háskóli Íslands, Reykja... more Presented March 2011, as part of the ‘Engir Strengleikar’ seminar series (Háskóli Íslands, Reykjavík, Iceland)
Presented November 2011, at the ‘Power and the Sacred in the Medieval World (5th - 15th centuries... more Presented November 2011, at the ‘Power and the Sacred in the Medieval World (5th - 15th centuries)’ Conference (University of Leicester, U.K.)
Presented July 2012, at the ‘International Medieval Congress 2012’ (University of Leeds, U.K.)
Presented August 2012, at ‘The 15th International Saga Conference’ (Aarhus Universitet, Denmark)
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Articles & Book Chapters by Luke John Murphy
Elinor Karlsson, Tammie King, Howard Litwak, Robbie A. McDonald,
Luke John Murphy, Neil Pemberton, Daniel Promislow, Andrew Rowan,
Peter W. Stahl, Jamshid Tehrani, Eric Tourigny, Clive D. L. Wynne, Eric Strauss and Greger Larson
The Earth is under increasing pressure from the burgeoning global human population and the subsequent rise in demand for food and a myriad of other finite resources. Mitigating the environmental, societal and ecological impact of the human footprint requires understanding the long-term relationships between our species and the plants and animals we now rely upon. In addition, the modern scientific approach often conceives of, and addresses individual problems through narrow windows that can fail to take into account the connectedness of multiple problems. By broadening the scope of inquiry to include both science and humanities perspectives, and simultaneously focussing on a single species, we suggest that many of the United Nations Strategic Development Goals (SDGs) can be addressed more effectively. In this paper, we describe how a comprehensive assessment of the long-term relationship between humans and dogs can yield insights, and offer ways in which modern global challenges can be tackled.
Keywords: Pre-Christian religion, household religion, popular religion, comparative religion, religious praxis, domestic life
The Christianisation of Scandinavia was a fundamental change to religious life at the close of the Iron Age (c. 1000-1100AD). Modern scholarship has sought to investigate not only the transformations brought about by this shift, but also the survivals of earlier phenomena. This article seeks to examine evidence for both continuity and change during the Christianisation of Gotland, establishing – as far as is possible – the state of pre-Christian sacral places, particularly vé. Using Guta saga’s account of the first churches built in Gotland as a catalyst for comparative study, the subjective changes undergone by such sites during church-building are examined, and issues of spatial control and inculturative Christianisation are investigated. On the basis of findings from this study it is argued that the Christianisation of Gotland was a nuanced process of preservation and alteration, not a simple one-for-one replacement of one religion by another, and was both responsive to and driven by spatial issues. (154 words)
While some departments, institutes, or laboratories may make heavy use of English, there will always be contexts where locals will speak their own language amongst themselves, be that on coffee breaks or in specialist Scandinavian journals. Other areas of the university – particularly in the humanities – tend to have far fewer foreigners, making the pressure of learning the local language all the greater.
Much of the typical advice for second-language learners around the world also applies in Scandinavia, so this (proposed) chapter highlights useful strategies for picking up “Scandinavian” as a PhD student with a lot else on your plate. It goes beyond just language-learning tips, however, offering advice on dealing with the language barrier(s) inside Scandinavian academic culture, considering the pros and cons of speaking English and/or the local language in contexts from the classroom to the lunch room. It suggests strategies for convincing your colleagues and students of your competence despite the difficulties of speaking and writing in a foreign language (be that English or a Scandinavian); impressing future employers with your linguistic talents; tackling the gulf between your eloquence in English and the strain of expressing yourself in “Scandinavian”; and for persuading co-workers to deal with you in their native language. It pays particular attention to teaching and publication, two key areas of a young academic’s career where even a relatively small amount of linguistic effort can have a huge effect on your PhD at a Scandinavian university, not to mention your prospects of finding post-docs and future work in Scandinavia.
Keywords: Iron Age, Scandinavia, social space, sacral value, religious site, liminality.
Conference Presentations by Luke John Murphy
Elinor Karlsson, Tammie King, Howard Litwak, Robbie A. McDonald,
Luke John Murphy, Neil Pemberton, Daniel Promislow, Andrew Rowan,
Peter W. Stahl, Jamshid Tehrani, Eric Tourigny, Clive D. L. Wynne, Eric Strauss and Greger Larson
The Earth is under increasing pressure from the burgeoning global human population and the subsequent rise in demand for food and a myriad of other finite resources. Mitigating the environmental, societal and ecological impact of the human footprint requires understanding the long-term relationships between our species and the plants and animals we now rely upon. In addition, the modern scientific approach often conceives of, and addresses individual problems through narrow windows that can fail to take into account the connectedness of multiple problems. By broadening the scope of inquiry to include both science and humanities perspectives, and simultaneously focussing on a single species, we suggest that many of the United Nations Strategic Development Goals (SDGs) can be addressed more effectively. In this paper, we describe how a comprehensive assessment of the long-term relationship between humans and dogs can yield insights, and offer ways in which modern global challenges can be tackled.
Keywords: Pre-Christian religion, household religion, popular religion, comparative religion, religious praxis, domestic life
The Christianisation of Scandinavia was a fundamental change to religious life at the close of the Iron Age (c. 1000-1100AD). Modern scholarship has sought to investigate not only the transformations brought about by this shift, but also the survivals of earlier phenomena. This article seeks to examine evidence for both continuity and change during the Christianisation of Gotland, establishing – as far as is possible – the state of pre-Christian sacral places, particularly vé. Using Guta saga’s account of the first churches built in Gotland as a catalyst for comparative study, the subjective changes undergone by such sites during church-building are examined, and issues of spatial control and inculturative Christianisation are investigated. On the basis of findings from this study it is argued that the Christianisation of Gotland was a nuanced process of preservation and alteration, not a simple one-for-one replacement of one religion by another, and was both responsive to and driven by spatial issues. (154 words)
While some departments, institutes, or laboratories may make heavy use of English, there will always be contexts where locals will speak their own language amongst themselves, be that on coffee breaks or in specialist Scandinavian journals. Other areas of the university – particularly in the humanities – tend to have far fewer foreigners, making the pressure of learning the local language all the greater.
Much of the typical advice for second-language learners around the world also applies in Scandinavia, so this (proposed) chapter highlights useful strategies for picking up “Scandinavian” as a PhD student with a lot else on your plate. It goes beyond just language-learning tips, however, offering advice on dealing with the language barrier(s) inside Scandinavian academic culture, considering the pros and cons of speaking English and/or the local language in contexts from the classroom to the lunch room. It suggests strategies for convincing your colleagues and students of your competence despite the difficulties of speaking and writing in a foreign language (be that English or a Scandinavian); impressing future employers with your linguistic talents; tackling the gulf between your eloquence in English and the strain of expressing yourself in “Scandinavian”; and for persuading co-workers to deal with you in their native language. It pays particular attention to teaching and publication, two key areas of a young academic’s career where even a relatively small amount of linguistic effort can have a huge effect on your PhD at a Scandinavian university, not to mention your prospects of finding post-docs and future work in Scandinavia.
Keywords: Iron Age, Scandinavia, social space, sacral value, religious site, liminality.
"In Denmark there’s an estimated 30 blót-groups. These are religious groups that make their own rituals to honor the old Nordic Gods: Odin, Thor or Freya. This modern attempt to revive paganism is called Asatru. One of these blót-groups is called “Hefjendur”. It claims to be more serious than other groups."
Film by Cas van Lier, Kai Brands, and Kate Gregan
Key Words: Late Iron Age, Viking Age, Pre-Christian Religion, Space and Place, Religious Development, Religious Variation, Christianisation, Household Religion, Gotland, Method and Theory in the Study of Religion