Scott Mellor

Language(s): High Proficiency: Swedish Reading and Communication Skills: Danish, French, German, Icelandic, Norwegian, Russian, Spanish Reading Languages: Gothic, Latin, Middle English, Old English, Old High German, Old Norse

Research/Language Interests: Scandinavian Studies, Folklore Studies, Medieval Studies, Medieval through 19th century literature.

About Me: Scott Mellor is a Teaching Professor of Nordic Studies at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, where he has taught since September 1999. He began his academic career with a focus on Historical Scandinavian Linguistics, which evolved into a broader interest in medieval Scandinavia. His dissertation, Function and Formula: An Analysis of Ten Poems from the Codex Regius, explored the transition from orality to literacy in the Norse world and came out as a book in 2008.

Professor Mellor’s research interests include Oral Theory and The Völsunga Saga, the cultural and religious history of early Scandinavia, and the writings of H.C. Andersen, including his use of Romantic-era flower symbolism, innovative writings, and depiction of women’s issues found in The Little Mermaid. He has also published on Saint Ansgar’s mission to Sweden, and more recently an article updating his earlier oral theory research: “Revisiting Formula and Mythic Patterns and the Interplay between The Poetic Edda and Vǫlsunga saga,” in New Light on Formulas in Oral Poetry and Prose. He also served as co-editor for the 2024 special issue of the Journal of Finnish Studies focused on Åland and the Finland-Swedes.

Currently, he is developing a project on the folk life and traditions of the Åland Islands. His teaching includes a range of innovative courses:

• SummerLaunch: Sweden, a study abroad program exploring Nordic history from the Bronze Age to the Age of Empire
• World of the Vikings, a First-Year Interest Group course comparing pop-culture portrayals of Vikings in movies, TV, and games with historical and saga-based representations
• Nordic Narrative and Gaming, which investigates myth, epic, and folktale structures and their potential applications in game design
• Horror as Expressions of National Angst, a course examining how horror reflects the cultural anxieties of different historical periods.

Professor Mellor has also developed several distance education courses, including The Vikings for both UW–Milwaukee and UW-Madison, The Tale of Hans Christian Andersen in collaboration with Niels Ingwersen, and helped work on a course on 19th-century Scandinavian literature with Susan Brantly. He served as a Faculty Fellow for the Bradley Learning Community (BLC), UW-Madison’s first learning community, from 2008 until 2025, and has served as the Faculty Director of Norden Language Community within UW–Madison’s International Learning Community since its inception in 2007. He is a member of the Humanities Council of Wisconsin’s Speakers Bureau and has been on several TV shows; including Clash of the Gods, Unexplained, History’s Greatest Warriors, and even Ancient Aliens; as an expert on the Vikings.

Affiliated Programs: Folklore, Religions Studies, Medieval Studies

Education:
• University of Wisconsin-Madison, Ph.D. in Advanced Folklore Studies Dissertation: “Function and Formula: An Analysis of Ten Poems from the Codex Regius” (1992-99)
• University of Wisconsin-Madison, Department of Scandinavian Studies, Master of Arts Degree in Scandinavian Linguistics (1989-92)
• University of Minnesota, Department of Applied Linguistics English as a Second Language Teaching (1987-88)
• University of Minnesota, Department of Linguistics Bachelor of Arts Degree in Linguistics (1983-84, 1986-87)
• Goethe Institute; Staufen, BRD, German Language and Literature (1984-85)

LIST OF PUBLICATIONS