Old Norse-Icelandic literature and language; landscape; dialect; place-names; name studies (onomastics); memory studies; landscape archaeology; medievalism; Norse reception; regionalism; eco-criticism; geocriticism; geology; etymology; twentieth-century poetry; writers of place; north/North; environmental writing; mountain literature.

Local Vikings!! I argue that Old Norse-Icelandic language and culture has been used in some really important notions of regional identity. Though people may not always realise, Scandinavian language and culture—which came to the British Isles in the Viking Age (793-1066)—continues to impact the words we use and the ways we think. Some of the most historically marginalised areas of the British Isles, including the remotest parts of England and Scotland, have in common a significant Norse element in their history and heritage. This affects everything. From the stories we tell, to the buildings we live in, to the dialect we speak. In an era of marked globalisation, local and regional identity has become more important than ever—and coronavirus has made this even more apparent. In such times, we realise the cultural and economic hegemony of London and the south of England, as regional councils all over the north of England rebel against the government's decisions, and newspapers bear such headlines as "Northern Revolt". I argue in my thesis that by paying close attention to the currents at play in regional identity in certain parts of Britain and Ireland, we can reframe this narrative. We can re-orient the map to bring those areas on the perceived periphery into the the centre of a world which has long been defined by travel, trade and contact over the North Atlantic.

You can find out more about my research on my academia.edu page or my Oxford page, or feel free to contact me either on twitter (@northerlynotes) or by email: jack.hartley@univ.ox.ac.uk