With the expansion of medieval Scandinavians into Eastern Europe and their intermixture with the local cultures, there arise questions of identity and memory. How much of their ancestral Scandinavian homeland would the Rus’ have remembered? What exactly would they remember or want to remember? In what way did they remember it? And how long did a connection between the Rus’ and Scandinavia last? This presentation seeks to answer these questions through an analysis of Rus’ and Scandinavian chronicles, mainly the Primary Chronicle and Heimskringla, focusing on references to Scandinavia or other places of origin. Along with this conventional literary evidence, runic inscriptions will also be analyzed. Memory in many ways shapes identity, and the memory of home is particularly important in this process. Therefore, not only will this presentation examine how and what, if anything, was remembered, but also, to what extent the memory of home and one’s heritage played a part in forming a Rus’ cultural and social identity. 

William Pidzamecky’s PhD thesis is an interdisciplinary study of Viking Age settlement in England, Ireland, Russia, and Ukraine with the goal of increasing understanding of the Global Viking phenomenon while at the same time bridging scholarly divisions. His current research interests focus on Viking Age history, archaeology, and literature. Some broad topics that interest him include settlement, commerce and industry, cross-cultural contacts, politics, and social structures.

A recording of this Webinar presentation can be found here.   
Written Q&A’s from William Pidzamecky about this Webinar can be found  here. 

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