Maeshowe, Orkahaugr – The names of Orkney’s great burial mound as nodes in a heteroglossic web of meaning-making

Ragnhild Ljosland

Maeshowe, Orkahaugr – The names of Orkney’s great burial mound as nodes in a heteroglossic web of meaning-making

Ragnhild Ljosland

Archaeology Institute

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Chapter

296 Downloads (Pure)

Abstract

Situated on a central thoroughfare on the Orkney Mainland, and in the Heart of Neolithic Orkney World Heritage Area, is the c. 5000-year-old burial mound now known by the name of Maeshowe. In the Orkneyinga Saga, however, and in a runic inscription in the mound itself, the mound has another name: Orkahaugr, or Orkhaugr.

The aim here is to discuss these names focusing on reception and interpretation, asking which stories have been told about these names from the Middle Ages to the present, and what these stories can tell us regarding how those who heard and told them understood the mound: Its exterior and, perhaps more importantly, its interior, contents and meaning.

Original language	English
Title of host publication	What is North?
Subtitle of host publication	Imagining the North from Ancient Times to the Present Day
Editors	Oisin Plumb
Place of Publication	Turnhout
Publisher	Brepols Publishers
Chapter	11
Pages	193-210
Number of pages	18
ISBN (Electronic)	978-2-503-58503-1
ISBN (Print)	978-2-503-58502-4
Publication status	Published - 15 Jun 2020
Event	The third St Magnus conference: Visualising the North - Orkney Duration: 14 Apr 2016 → 16 Apr 2016

Publication series

Name	The North Atlantic World
Publisher	Brepols
Volume	1

Conference

Conference	The third St Magnus conference
Period	14/04/16 → 16/04/16

Keywords

Maeshowe
Folklore
Onomastics
Placenames
Storytelling
Bakhtin
Norse
Norse Orkney

Access to Document

Ljosland_Maeshowe_OrkahaugSubmitted manuscript, 301 KBLicence: CC BY-NC

Ragnhild Ljosland
- ragnhild.ljoslanduhi.acuk
- UHI Orkney - Lecturer
- Archaeology Institute - Lecturer
Person: Academic - Research and Teaching or Research only

Carving the Self. Portrayals of the Self in Medieval Textual Graffiti from Norway and Connected Territories.
Ragnhild Ljosland (Examiner) & Marco Bianchi (Examiner)
23 Nov 2021
Activity: Examination

Cite this

@inbook{295a38588f4745b6a51be8f8a104b202,

title = "Maeshowe, Orkahaugr – The names of Orkney{\textquoteright}s great burial mound as nodes in a heteroglossic web of meaning-making",

abstract = "Situated on a central thoroughfare on the Orkney Mainland, and in the Heart of Neolithic Orkney World Heritage Area, is the c. 5000-year-old burial mound now known by the name of Maeshowe. In the Orkneyinga Saga, however, and in a runic inscription in the mound itself, the mound has another name: Orkahaugr, or Orkhaugr. The aim here is to discuss these names focusing on reception and interpretation, asking which stories have been told about these names from the Middle Ages to the present, and what these stories can tell us regarding how those who heard and told them understood the mound: Its exterior and, perhaps more importantly, its interior, contents and meaning.",

keywords = "Maeshowe, Folklore, Onomastics, Placenames, Storytelling, Bakhtin, Norse, Norse Orkney",

author = "Ragnhild Ljosland",

year = "2020",

month = jun,

day = "15",

language = "English",

isbn = "978-2-503-58502-4",

series = "The North Atlantic World",

publisher = "Brepols Publishers",

pages = "193--210",

editor = "Oisin Plumb",

booktitle = "What is North?",

note = "The third St Magnus conference : Visualising the North ; Conference date: 14-04-2016 Through 16-04-2016",

}

Maeshowe, Orkahaugr – The names of Orkney’s great burial mound as nodes in a heteroglossic web of meaning-making. / Ljosland, Ragnhild.
What is North?: Imagining the North from Ancient Times to the Present Day. ed. / Oisin Plumb. Turnhout: Brepols Publishers, 2020. p. 193-210 (The North Atlantic World; Vol. 1).

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Chapter

TY - CHAP

T1 - Maeshowe, Orkahaugr – The names of Orkney’s great burial mound as nodes in a heteroglossic web of meaning-making

AU - Ljosland, Ragnhild

PY - 2020/6/15

Y1 - 2020/6/15

N2 - Situated on a central thoroughfare on the Orkney Mainland, and in the Heart of Neolithic Orkney World Heritage Area, is the c. 5000-year-old burial mound now known by the name of Maeshowe. In the Orkneyinga Saga, however, and in a runic inscription in the mound itself, the mound has another name: Orkahaugr, or Orkhaugr. The aim here is to discuss these names focusing on reception and interpretation, asking which stories have been told about these names from the Middle Ages to the present, and what these stories can tell us regarding how those who heard and told them understood the mound: Its exterior and, perhaps more importantly, its interior, contents and meaning.

AB - Situated on a central thoroughfare on the Orkney Mainland, and in the Heart of Neolithic Orkney World Heritage Area, is the c. 5000-year-old burial mound now known by the name of Maeshowe. In the Orkneyinga Saga, however, and in a runic inscription in the mound itself, the mound has another name: Orkahaugr, or Orkhaugr. The aim here is to discuss these names focusing on reception and interpretation, asking which stories have been told about these names from the Middle Ages to the present, and what these stories can tell us regarding how those who heard and told them understood the mound: Its exterior and, perhaps more importantly, its interior, contents and meaning.

KW - Maeshowe

KW - Folklore

KW - Onomastics

KW - Placenames

KW - Storytelling

KW - Bakhtin

KW - Norse

KW - Norse Orkney

M3 - Chapter

SN - 978-2-503-58502-4

T3 - The North Atlantic World

SP - 193

EP - 210

BT - What is North?

A2 - Plumb, Oisin

PB - Brepols Publishers

CY - Turnhout

T2 - The third St Magnus conference

Y2 - 14 April 2016 through 16 April 2016

ER -

Maeshowe, Orkahaugr – The names of Orkney’s great burial mound as nodes in a heteroglossic web of meaning-making

Abstract

Publication series

Conference

Keywords

Access to Document

Fingerprint

Profiles

Ragnhild Ljosland

Activities

Carving the Self. Portrayals of the Self in Medieval Textual Graffiti from Norway and Connected Territories.

Cite this