Wolves and the Wolfish: Imagery of a Cultural Phenomenon in Old Norse-Icelandic

我的项目首次全面考察了古挪威-冰岛文化中的狼，揭示了狼的形象在中世纪冰岛的影响。学者们分析狼主要是作为文学人物可以变形的威胁动物（Adalheidur Gudmundsdottir 2007, Kuusela 2012, Minjie Su 2020），以及作为冰岛法律体系中最卑鄙的罪犯的比较词（Gudrún Nordal 1998, Breen 1999, Riisoy 2014）。我问：是什么原因导致狼在冰岛文化中无处不在，尽管它们的身体并不存在？这个物种的精神和道德法典暗示了社会对与狼有关的个体的看法？这方面在现代社会是如何演变的？尽管有大量的古挪威-冰岛文学资料提到狼，但考古证据表明，这种物种从来不是岛上的土著物种（Pluskowski 2006）。然而，狼出现在挪威（Pluskowski 2006），其文化和历史与冰岛有关。通过扩展最近关于该物种在斯堪的纳维亚景观中的历史和分布的研究（Andersen et al. 2015, Taylor 2018），我的论文评估了狼在民间分类学和更广泛的文化中的意义。这包括它们在斯堪的纳维亚葬礼仪式中的普遍存在（Pluskowski 2006），在符文石上的描绘（Oehrl 2010, Stern 2013），以及古挪威-冰岛的命名传统（Uecker 1972, Breen 1997）。此外，我认为“狼性”是一种概念隐喻，它塑造了中世纪冰岛人的感知和交流。根据Lakoff（1987）的“意象图式”，我认为“狼性”是作为一个概念领域运作的，在这个概念领域中，心理表征允许将空间和物理规律扩展到更复杂的情况。特别是，Thibodeau和Boroditski（2011）分析了动物隐喻对现代社会中人类思维和观点的影响，我研究了这种方法在中世纪冰岛背景下的可行性。因此，我研究了表演来源，如斯卡尔迪诗，以评估狼的表现和观众的接受背后的艺术意图。我关注的是狼、文字和诗人自己的洞察力之间的关系。最后，古挪威-冰岛的狼形象与权力交织在一起（Speidel 2004），这种联系被纳粹宣传和今天的国家社会主义运动（Watt 1992, Mazower 2008）利用，或者被极端主义团体（例如，文兰之狼）用来宣传他们的观点。因此，通过批判性地评估狼在古挪威-冰岛文化中的表现，我的项目对比了现代这些动物的神话化。我将利用M4C联盟提供的跨机构联系，通过会议项目传播我的研究成果，比如莱斯特的MRC或伯明翰的CeSMA活动，这些活动鼓励与当地社区的接触。此外，我将与M4C的伙伴机构合作，如诺丁汉联合国教科文组织文学之城，以确保我的项目与更广泛的非学术界公众产生共鸣。我的研究的第一年将分析狼考古和历史在中世纪斯堪的纳维亚半岛，而第二年和第三年将致力于文学，语言和艺术来源的密切分析。最后的六个月将专注于整理和评估我的发现。

My project offers the first holistic examination of wolves in Old Norse-Icelandic culture, unearthing the impact of wolf imagery in medieval Iceland. Scholars have analysed wolves principally as menacing animals into which literary characters can shapeshift (Adalheidur Gudmundsdottir 2007, Kuusela 2012, Minjie Su 2020), and as a term of comparison for the most debased criminals in the Icelandic legalsystem (Gudrún Nordal 1998, Breen 1999, Riisoy 2014). I ask: What is the cause of wolves' cultural ubiquity in Iceland despite their physical absence? What does the spiritual and moral codification of this species suggest about social outlooks towards individuals associated with wolves? How has this aspect evolved in modern society?Despite the abundance of Old Norse-Icelandic literary sources mentioning wolves, archaeological evidence demonstrates this species was never indigenous to the island (Pluskowski 2006). However, wolves were present in Norway (Pluskowski 2006), whose culture and history are connected to Iceland. By expanding on recent studies regarding the history and distribution of this species in the Scandinavian landscape (Andersen et al. 2015, Taylor 2018), my thesis evaluates the meaning of wolves in folk taxonomy and the wider culture. This includes their pervasiveness in Scandinavian burial rituals (Pluskowski 2006), depictions on runestones (Oehrl 2010, Stern 2013), and the Old Norse-Icelandic naming tradition (Uecker 1972, Breen 1997).Additionally, I consider 'wolfishness' as a conceptual metaphor that shaped human perception and communication in medieval Iceland. Following Lakoff's (1987) 'image schema', I argue that 'wolfishness' operates as a conceptual domain, where mental representations sanction the extension of spatial and physical laws to more complex situations. Particularly, Thibodeau and Boroditski (2011) analysed the effect of animalistic metaphors on human thinking and opinions in modern society, and I study the viability of this approach in the medieval Icelandic context. Hence, I examine performative sources, such as skaldic poetry, to assess the artistic intent behind the representations of wolves and the audience's reception. I focus on the relationship between wolves, the words, and the poets' own discernment.Finally, Old Norse-Icelandic wolf imagery is interlaced with power (Speidel 2004) and this connection has been exploited by the Nazi propaganda and today's National Socialist Movement (Watt 1992, Mazower 2008), or by extremist groups (e.g., the Wolves of Vinland) to spearhead their views. Therefore, by critically evaluating the representation of wolves in Old Norse-Icelandic culture, my project contrasts themythologisation of these animals in modern times. I will use the cross-institutional connections the M4C consortium offers to circulate my research through conference programmes, such as Leicester's MRC or Birmingham's CeSMA events, which encourage engagement with local communities. Furthermore, I will collaborate with M4C's partner institutions such as the Nottingham UNESCO City of Literature to ensuremy project resonates with a broader public of non-academics.The first year of my research will analyse wolf archaeology and history in medieval Scandinavia, whereas the second and third year will be devoted to a close analysis of literary, linguistic, and artistic sources. The final six months will be focused on ordering and assessing my findings.