1. The World Tree (Yggdrasil) is a sign of connectivity in the Norse cosmos
The past has a bright future in Cork, or so argues University College Cork (UCC) Old English Professor Tom Birkett when presenting as part of the UCC School of English research seminar series. This presentation came just after Tom’s success in achieving IRC funding to begin a new, large scale interactive archive of Old Norse material entitled ‘The World Tree Project’. This seminar served to introduce the project to those new to it and show its usefulness in studying the cultural impact of Norse culture all over the world.
The project, which will be based in UCC, hopes to create the largest suppository of freely available Viking related sources in existence. From this it can serve as a teaching utility and an interactive investigation into differing social and cultural reactions to Viking culture. What is most exciting about this project is that it will be community driven with little barriers to contribution being set up.
Rather than looking for large amounts of contributors, this project caters more towards ‘super contributors’. These are a small group of enthusiasts who contribute to a project on a greater level than regular contributors and tend to have more expertise in the area. The presentation cleverly reflected this as it seemed to be aimed at provoking those within the room who had the largest interest in such a niche topic and move them to action. An explanation into the rewards of contributing to such a project acted to further entice members of the audience to become ‘super contributors’ and add to this potentially great body of work.
This presentation was initially entitled ‘“Tonight I do not fear the fierce warriors of Norway, coursing on the Irish Sea:” Sailing a Viking Ship in Poetry and Practice’. This changed with little notice when the project received backing. Tom maintained elements of this initial research paper as to not disappoint those attending the presentation who wished to learn more about Viking sailing practices. The journey of the Sea Stallion, a recreated Viking ship, served as an example of how cultures appropriate Viking heritage differently today. The differing welcomes the ship received throughout its journey across Europe reflected how people choose to cling to certain elements of Viking heritage and ignore others.
Tom used this example to show both the validity and the potential pitfalls of a project like this as it showed how contributors can interpret material differently through national or personal biases which may affect the projects content. Tom was keen to express that all reactions, no matter how uncomfortable they may be, are still valid and in need of compiling and studying as they are real ways in which Norse culture manifests itself in society. It is how these reactions are handled and portrayed that is key to the projects integrity. Academic integrity seemed to be a major underlying theme of the entire presentation and something Tom was eager to display.
The technical difficulties at the beginning of the presentation caused me to approach it with a lack of confidence in the project. If they couldn’t get a projector to work then how could they possibly create an interactive online archive of Viking related material? My concerns were eased as Tom demonstrated extensive study into the ethics and criteria required for such an undertaking, showing serious thought and planning being put into this project. His assertion that all programming related tasks would be left to experts further relieved my worries.
My only slight criticism of this presentation is that it felt like it was created to justify the projects creation rather than focus on how it could be employment as an academic tool. The presentation’s title focuses on connecting cultures through the project rather than one that seeks audience support. This reflects how the project is still in its infancy but its success in gaining IRC backing shows that its reasoning and foundations are solid,making this feel unnecessary. A less defensive tone could have been adopted to allow for an easier investigation into the projects uses in examining cultural connections drawn from Norse heritage.
In conclusion, Tom’s presentation was insightful, well delivered and highly provocative. The fact that it was put together in such a short amount of time made it even more impressive. It moved me to want to be part of the project which I would rate as being a presentation of this type’s greatest achievement. I am very excited to see how ‘The World Tree Project’ grows in the coming years.
Works Cited
Birkett, Tom. “From Viking Ships to Reading Lists: Connecting Cultures with the World Tree Project.” University College Cork. Cork City, Cork. 18 Nov. 2015. Seminar Presentation.
Illustrations
shieldwallsandlyres 
