Appendix. Documentation

The following documents the proposed structure (Figure 15) as a relational database as currently implemented. Most categories are represented as tables in a relational database. Columns in these tables that link to other tables are given in italics. This is not meant to be an exhaustive list of tables and columns for the proposed resource but lists some key information types associated with each phenomenon.

Some categories are implemented using the generic ‘rdf’ table, which is structured like the XML RDF application as a subject-predicate-object triple. The subject is a reference to a row in a particular table, as is the object; the predicate is a link to the ‘predicate’ table in the database which defines the relationship between the subject and object.

Repository (The body responsible for holding and/or documenting the object — not yet implemented)

Fields: Name, Abbreviation, Location, URI.

Existing resources: Various institutional websites.

Collection (A manuscript collection, or a standard or convenient grouping of other object types — ‘collections’ table)

Fields: Link to Repository, Name, Abbreviation, URI

Existing resources: handrit.is, www.bl.uk, etc.

Manuscript (Any unique object such as a manuscript, runic inscription, artefact, picture stone or burial — ‘mss’ table)

Fields: Link to Collection, Siglum/shelfmark/inventory number, Name, Date, Provenance, Description

Existing resources: handrit.is, www.bl.uk, britishmuseum.org, raa.se, CIL, etc.

Page (A roughly two-dimensional part of the object containing text, image or other relative information, or a whole object — this is currently not represented by an actual table but by references to page numbers in the Reference and Image tables)

Fields: Link to Manuscript, Number, Alternative number

Image (An image of a side or page of the object — ‘images’ table)

Fields: Link to Page, URI or data, Type, DPI, Source

Existing resources: handrit.is and similar sites

Reference (A link connecting the Page to a picture, chapter, stanza or text of an inscription — ‘refs’ table)

Fields: Link to Page, Link to Chapter/Stanza/Picture

Chapter/Stanza/Rune/Picture (A single piece of semantically separable text or image — ‘verses’ table)

Fields: Link to Text/Poem (where relevant), Number, Alternative number, Title, Title translated, Rough Text, Rough Translation

Existing resources: heimskringla.no and similar web sites

Editions of text (Versions of the chapter text or translation — ‘edrefs’ table, partially implemented)

Fields: Link to Chapter/etc., Link to Bibliographic work, Number, Title, Text/translation

Bibliographic work (A standard bibliographic reference with appropriate fields — ‘bibl_works’ table, with links to ‘bibl_authors’, ‘bibl_journals’, ‘bibl_images’, etc.)

Texts/Poems (Prose works or poems — ‘text’ table)

Fields: Link to Author (where relevant), Title, Introduction, Dating, Provenance

Author (The author of a primary work — ‘skalds’ table)

Fields: Name, Dates (b., d., fl.), Biography

Word in text (Words that appear in the text segments — ‘word’ table, also requires ‘line’ table)

Fields: Link to Chapter/etc., Link to Lemma, Link to Place, etc., Relative ordering, Word form, Translation in context

Place (A real named place, not necessarily identified — currently implemented as part of the ‘thing’ table)

Fields: Link to Word in text, Modern name, Other names, Type of name, Latitude/Longitude coordinates

Lemma (Dictionary headword — ‘lemma’ table)

Fields: Lemma, Part of speech, Gloss

Existing resources: onp.hum.ku.dk, Fritzner’s Ordbok, etc.

Lemma part (Parts of compound words in dictionary lemma — ‘lemmapart’ table)

Fields: Link to Lemma (compound), Link to Lemma (part), Relative order of part

Name (A link between a word and a being or thing — ‘name’ table)

Fields: Link to Lemma, Link to Being, Name

Name in text (A link between the application of a name to a being and the source of that application — currently implemented using the ‘rdf’ table)

Fields: Link to Name, Link to Chapter/etc.

Being (A mythological being or other unique phenomenon — part of ‘thing’ table)

Fields: Main name, Type, Description, Links to Being (as mother, father)

Being’s Attribute (The linking of a being to an attribute — ‘attribution’ table)

Fields: Link to Being, Link to Attribute

Attribute (A personal attribute of a being, or some sort of attribute of any other phenomenon in the corpus — ‘attribute’ table)

Fields: Name, Description

Attribution in Text (A link between the attribution of a feature to a being, or similar phenomenon, and a source of that attribution — currently implemented using the ‘rdf’ table)

Fields: Link to Being’s Attribute, Link to Chapter/etc., Description

Attribute in Text (A non-specific link between a series of attributes not attached to a particular named being, such as in a picture or analogue or text sharing mythological motifs — currently implemented using the ‘rdf’ table)

Fields: Link to Attribute, Link to Chapter/etc., Description

Action in Text (A link between a narrative element and a particular instance of that action in a text or image — ‘action’ table)

Fields: Link to Chapter/etc., Link to Narrative Element, Classification as linked by identified name, visual features or generic motif, Description

Narrative Element (Ordered part of a repeated narrative which can be used to link to individual versions of the narrative — ‘narrativeelement’ table)

Fields: Link to Narrative, Label, Description, Relative ordering

Narrative (A narrative that may occur in more than one text or image — ‘narrative’ table)

Fields: Name, Summary, Context, Commentary

Participant (An identified being in a narrative — ‘participant’ table)

Fields: Link to Narrative, Link to Being, Other information

References