The Mind and Skills of an Academic Researcher

By Jacqueline Etheridge

This article is a result of my on-going experiences researching for an extended essay as part of my BA degree in Viking Studies. It is additionally undertaken at the suggestion of members of the Viking Society for Northern Research, who felt that too little is known about the relationships between the court skalds of tenth century Norway. Although many of the skaldic poets from the eighth to tenth centuries were Norwegian, as time passed the ratio of Norwegian to Icelandic poets fell considerably. Some Icelanders, who journeyed from their homeland to serve at Norwegian courts, may nevertheless have been connected with Norwegians: just how many were, and in what way, is a matter of some interest to scholars in the field of early Nordic history, language and literature. The question upon which my research is based falls into two parts: the first is to ascertain the familial or other relationship between those described as 'skalds' of both royal and aristocratic courts in tenth century Norway; the second to establish whether this is reflected in the extant verses such skalds wrote.[1]

Enthusiasm, perseverance, and staying informed are three vital characteristics of a successful researcher, says Ihsan M. Salloum