Tom Birkett – författare

Följ med på ett sprakande äventyr i den nordiska mytologins värld, där mäktiga gudar och hjältar festar och slåss, där monster lurar och ingen kan undkomma ödet. Denna fängslande antologi är en perfekt introduktion till de mest spännande och legendariska karaktärerna i den nordiska mytologin. Här finns till exempel dödsrikets härskarinna Hel, den enögde allfadern Oden och lurendrejaren Loke. Läs berättelser om jättar och mystiska älvor, om de tre nornorna, ödesgudinnorna som bestämmer över människornas liv, och möt den fruktade Midgårdsormen som slingrar sig runt hela världen. Nordisk mytologi är rikt illustrerad med vackra, förtrollande bilder av konstnären och serietecknaren Isabella Mazzanti.

With their distinctive and other-worldly appearance, runes--an ancient alphabet used to write Germanic languages--provide our only first-hand record of the customs and beliefs of peoples living on the northern fringe of the Roman Empire during a period of mass migration and momentous social upheaval. Emerging from obscure origins early in the first millennium, the runic script found new roles in Early Medieval England and Viking-Age Scandinavia, bearing witness to changing faiths, documenting the exploits of Norse settlers and mercenaries as they redrew the map of Europe, and giving us a rare window into the lives of medieval merchants in the North Atlantic. Runes: A Concise History recounts the fascinating story of the runic script and its evolution, whilst using the information provided by runic inscriptions to trace some of the major events to shape the medieval North, from migration, settlement, and conquest to conversion and the beginnings of Old English literature. From salacious graffiti (including a rune stick mentioning the fact that 'Árni the priest wants to have Inga') and intimate inscriptions on jewelry (such as a charm on a lead plaque stating that an illness-causing dwarf is dead), to towering runestones expressing the power and prestige of Viking rulers, the stories told through runic objects offer insight into cultures on the peripheries of Europe as they came to shape the medieval world. Knowledge of runes travelled across the North Sea with Germanic tribes migrating from the Continent and the script proceeded to evolve differently in England, being used alongside the Roman alphabet for several centuries and coming to play a key role in Northumbria's Golden Age and the beginnings of an English literature. Here is the story of an extraordinary but little-known writing system that seems opaque to us yet offers a window on the wider social history of migration, settlement, and cultural exchange in pre-modern Europe.Through six chapters focused on distinct periods, author Tom Birkett introduces the reader to some of the highlights of the runic corpus, including exciting objects only discovered in the last few years. Runes have come to increasing prominence through adaptations of Tolkien's fiction for the screen and their appropriation by the extreme right. This complex legacy of the reception and misuse of runes is an important facet of the cultural history of the script, and the final chapter brings the story of runes into the present day by addressing these many modern afterlives.

Legends of Norse Mythology is an illustrated anthology of Norse gods, giants, monsters and heroes retold anew.  Featuring beautiful and otherworldly portraits of mythological characters from Isabella Mazzanti and enchanting text from Old English scholar and Norse mythology expert Dr Thomas Birkett, this collection of timeless tales is the perfect gift for lovers of Viking myths as well as readers looking for an introduction to this epic world ofmystical power, battles, quests and intrigue.  With this book, readers can take an adventure through time to a realm of ice and fire, magic and mischief. They’ll meet a cast of characters from Norse folklore and be swept up in their epic deeds and fates.  Inside, there are more than 30 profiles of Norse figures – from gods and goddesses, to giants, elves, monsters and other mythical beings. Each profile introduces the figure, including their defining attributes and a new retelling of their story, along with sidelights of extra facts and details. Figures include familiar gods like Thor to lesser-known legends such as giant sisters Gjálp and Greip.  A captivating visual portrayal of each figure helps crystallize these beings in readers’ imaginations. Isabella Mazzanti’s evocative artwork perfectly express the fantastic traits and powers of the mythical figures within.  Interspersed with the profiles are summaries of four famous Norse tales and events: The story of Ymir and the Nine Worlds How Thor’s Hammer Was Made The Mead of Poetry The Tale of Ragnarök A visual feast and a journey to another world this book is perfect for the whole family to explore and enjoy. From the trickster god Loki and his mischievous ways to the powerful Norns – the three women who weaved the destinies of all living beings – discover why these incredible stories are still a part of our culture today.

Rediscovering the Vikings explores the changing perception of Norse and Viking cultures across different cultural forms, and the complex legacy of the Vikings in the present day. Bringing together experts in literature, history and heritage engagement, this highly interdisciplinary collection aims to reconsider the impact of the discipline of Old Norse Viking Studies outside the academy and to broaden our understanding of the ways in which the material and textual remains of the Viking Age are given new meanings in the present.

The essays here, united by their appreciation of the centrality of translation to the interpretation of the medieval past, add to our understanding of how the old is continually made anewThe first decades of the twenty-first century have seen an unprecedented level of creative engagement with early medieval literature, ranging from the long-awaited publication of Tolkien's version of Beowulf and the reworking of medieval lyrics by Ireland's foremost poets to the adaptation of Eddic and Skaldic poetry for the screen. This collection brings together scholars and accomplished translators working with Old English, Old Norse and MedievalIrish poetry, to take stock of this extraordinary proliferation of translation activity and to suggest new ways in which to approach these three dynamic literary traditions. The essays in this collection include critical surveysof texts and traditions to the present day, assessments of the practice and impact of individual translators from Jorge Luis Borges to Seamus Heaney, and reflections on the particular challenges of translating poetic forms and vocabulary into different languages and media. Together they present a series of informed and at times provocative perspectives on what it means to "carry across" early medieval poetry in our contemporary cultural climate.Dr Tom Birkett is lecturer in Old English at University College Cork; Dr Kirsty March-Lyons is a scholar of Old English and Latin poetry and co-organiser of the Irish Research Council funded conference and translation project "Eald to New".Contributors: Tom Birkett, Elizabeth Boyle, Hannah Burrows, Gareth Lloyd Evans, Chris Jones, Carolyne Larrington, Hugh Magennis, Kirsty March-Lyons, Lahney Preston-Matto, Inna Matyushina, Rory McTurk, Bernard O'Donoghue, Heather O'Donoghue, Tadhg Ó Síocháin, Bertha Rogers, M.J. Toswell.