The 15th of May 2023 was a special and unusual day for me. On this very day, I defended my PhD thesis entitled ‘On Wings to the Otherworld: Bird Remains in Viking Age Graves from Scandinavia’ that I prepared in the last three years. This post includes a short summary of this event.
Early in the morning, my family took me to my flat on campus in Blindern Oslo. Together we went to the Helga Engs hus, auditorium 3 where the whole event would have taken place. Before opening, I did several tests to check if the audio and stream have worked properly. Everything was fine therefore we started to prepare for the first part.
Trail lecture
Sometime before the date of the defence PhD student receives an email from the Faculty of the University of Oslo with details on the topic of the trial lecture. It is chosen by the Committee to check the knowledge and delivering abilities of the candidate. The Committee have chosen for me the following topic ‘Interpreting Burial Rituals in Viking-age Scandinavia: Complexity, Diversity, Regionality and the Actors Involved”. In my presentation for the trial lecture, I decided to present tendencies in various varied Viking Age burial rituals.
Before starting my lecture, I was kindly introduced by the Head of the Department Jon Vidar Sigurdsson.
My trial lecture consisted of several parts providing details on various aspects of funerary rituals in the Viking Age. The first part introduced listeners to the geographical and time scope of the talk. It also included basic details on the main types of burials: cremation and inhumation.
The second part provided details on aspects of cremation and inhumation funerals. By presenting selected graves from different parts of Scandinavia nuances within these rituals were shown. It disused that cremation rituals had multiple phases within each of them could take place different rituals involving mourners, different species of animals and varied objects. It also stressed that some cremation graves from the older periods were reused in the Viking Age. Furthermore, this lecture part also provided details on metaphorical life after death under the mound. The part dedicated to the inhumation funerary rituals discussed aspects of the creation of space within the graves (e.g. chamber graves, pit graves). Later it included the presentation of the so-called voyages to the otherworld on the examples of graves in which the dead were buried in boats, ships or other vessels. The next discussed example was the matter of the missing body parts (and their replacements) in several graves.
The third part of the lecture was focused on the presentation of several aspects of the Viking Age funerary rituals. It provided details on performances of the funerary rituals and also take into account the possibility of burials that had to be organised immediately. It presents also that some burial rituals could be disturbed by other people, animals, or other events. Later attention was devoted to the meanings and functions and agency of various animal species in the funerary rituals. It stressed the significance of different species of birds in phases of funerary rituals. Especially there were discussed cremation graves in which were found unburnt remains of birds as well as these graves with avian remains belonging to wild species. After this part was presented meanings and functions of various objects. There were presented categories of these artefacts and their ornaments. It was stressed that some of the objects could be treated especially because of their features as well as abilities ascribed to them. Furthermore, some of them could have been animated in the lifetime of their owners or by the mourners in the funerary rituals. Attention was also paid to the intentional damage of some artefacts (e.g. spears, staffs) as well as the placement of various objects in the graves.
The last part of the trial lecture summarised different aspects of the funerary rituals in the Viking Age.
After the trial lecture, it was a break during which the Committee assessed the lecture. It was also time for lunch.
Defence
After the break, at 12:30 pm the defence started. I entered the auditorium in the procession. I was followed by Sarah Croix (Second Opponent), Charlotte Hedenstierna-Jonson (First Opponent), Unn Pedersen (Committee Administrator) and Jon Vidar Sigurdsson (Head of the Department).
In the first part of the defence, I presented the content of the thesis.
In the beginning, I stressed that the foundations of the PhD project and the thesis were laid during my earlier research projects on the meanings and functions of birds in Viking Age funerary rituals.
Later, I discussed shortly what every chapter of PhD thesis and its contents.
In the following part first opponent Associate Professor Charlotte Hedenstierna-Jonson, (Uppsala University) presented remarks on my thesis. Furthermore, I also get several interesting and thought-provoking questions from Charlotte.
After this nice conversation, it was a short break.
Later I again entered the auditorium in the procession, in the same order as mentioned above.
The following part of the defence was dedicated to the conversation with the second opponent Associate Professor Sarah Croix (Aarhus University). Sarah presented her remarks on my thesis. Furthermore, she also asked me several fascinating questions related to issues connected with my work.
After this fruitful conversation, Jon Vidar thanked us. He also informed the audience in the auditorium and online that I successfully defended my thesis. He also added that a report on the defence will be submitted to the Faculty of Humanities.
Later, I got ovations, received wonderful flowers and very kind gratulations from the Committee, Supervisors, Head of the Department, PhD students from the Museum of Cultural History, researchers from the Archaeological Section of the Museum of Cultural History, Librarian from the Archaeological Library and other people gathered in the auditorium.
I would like to thank very much the Committee (Charlotte Hedenstierna-Jonson, Sarah Croix, Unn Pedersen) for the nice conversations and thought-provoking questions, the Supervisors (Julie Lund, Ann Zanette Tsigaridas Glørstad, Ramona Harrison) for their remarks and support over the years and all who attended in person or online for their support and kind words! I also thank everyone for their nice gifts and gratulations!
Photos from the defence by: M. Karpińska. Photo with my Mum by: Jon Vidar Sigurdsson.
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At the time when I am writing this post numerous Ukrainians in muddy trenches and among ruins keep fighting for freedom, defending peaceful civilians and European values. Many of them are academics, researchers, and students whose works and studies were disrupted by the brutal russian invasion. During their brave actions at the frontlines, they often get wounded and traumatised. Daily, it is required special, professional tactical medical help.
Therefore, I would like to encourage you to donate to the
&
providing professional medical assistance for wounded at the frontlines in Ukraine.
I believe that the most beautiful matter will be to help to save lives!
Thank you very, very much in advance!
VIKING AGE BIRDS 