Biography
Language(s): Old Norse-Icelandic, Icelandic, Danish
Research/Language Interests: Old Norse-Icelandic language and literature, paleography and philology, hagiography, color studies.
About Me: I am Professor and Torger Thompson Chair. I am a native of Denmark. I joined the
Department in the fall of 2001, where I teach a variety of courses on Old Norse-Icelandic
language and literature and Scandinavian linguistics. I have published a number of books. The
most recent are Three Humanist Compendia in Icelandic Translation (with Dario Bullitta)
(2026), 24 Hours in the Viking Age: A Day in the Life of the People Who Lived There (2024),
and Pious Fictions and Pseudo-Saints in the Late Middle Ages: Selected Legends from an
Icelandic Legendary (with Marianne Kalinke (2023). Two other books are now at press: The
Priest’s Eye: AM 672 4to in The Arnamagnaean Collection, Copenhagen, and 30 Days in the
Viking Age: Will You Survive? Together with Gottskálk Jensson, I am currently working on a new edition of the Old Norse-Icelandic sagas of the apostles. In addition to books, I have translated a number of sagas into Danish and English and published 90+ articles on a variety of topics within the field of Old Norse-Icelandic, including editions of religious texts, non-verbal communication, color terms, and (with Sune Wolf Pulsiano) illnesses and discomforts.
Affiliated Departments: Religious Studies Program
Education:
• University College London, PhD in Scandinavian Studies (1987)
• University College London, MA in Scandinavian Studies (1982)
• University of Iceland, BA Hons in Icelandic and Norwegian (1981)
KIRSTEN WOLF CV
(list of publications and awards included in CV)