7. The Research Institutions behind the Project
This is not currently part of the peer-reviewed material of the project. Do not cite as a research publication.
Snorrastofa:
The project is based at Snorrastofa, an independent research centre established in 1995. The centre is located in Reykholt in south-western Iceland, the main residence of Iceland’s greatest medieval writer, poet, scholar and statesman, Snorri Sturluson (1179-1241), and its main task is to instigate and conduct research on the medieval period in general, and Snorri and his works in particular. It is one of Iceland’s main historic sites, a cultural centre past and present. Reykholt has always been associated with scholarly work, but with the establishment of Snorrastofa this status has been secured and expanded. The mythological and poetic material in one of Snorri’s texts, the Prose Edda, is a unique source of information about the pre-Christian belief systems, and thus the idea of a project on mythology has been a natural one for the centre from early in Snorrastofa’s history.
The Reykjavík Academy:
The Academy is a centre for independent scholars in the humanities and social sciences with years of experience in organising and developing cross-disciplinary research projects. The Academy has no paid posts (apart from its administrative staff), as its researchers are funded by research grants or commissions from public or private bodies. Approximately 50 active scholars and graduate students work at the centre, founded in 1997, which is a non-profit institution. The Academy’s members also include a number of foundations, associations and companies. The Reykjavík Academy is managed by its members, and the needs of scholars take highest priority. It is a democratic workplace, independent of orders from above. Freedom of thought and behaviour are the Academy’s key values. The Academy is a cross-disciplinary institution where rigorous scholarship and fertile discussion meet, and the second-largest workplace for humanities and social sciences scholars in Iceland. It organises conferences, arranges lectures, and provides a forum for its members to discuss their research.
The University of Iceland:
The University of Iceland is a progressive educational and scientific institution, renowned in the global scientific community for its research. It is a state university, situated in the heart of Reykjavík, the capital of Iceland. A modern, diversified and rapidly developing institution, the University of Iceland offers opportunities for study and research in almost 400 programmes spanning most fields of science and scholarship: Social Sciences, Health Sciences, Humanities, Education, Natural Sciences and Engineering. In all its principal fields of scholarship the University of Iceland has scientists who have studied at many of the world’s leading universities and are respected leaders in their fields. While some of the resources available at the University are uniquely Icelandic (such as the manuscripts preserved in the Árni Magnússon Institute), the international networks created by its faculties, academics and scientists are also ranked among its most valuable assets.
http://snorrastofa.is/ or http://snorrastofa.is/default.asp?Sid_Id=7222&tId=1&tre_Rod=002|001|
http://www.akademia.is/ or http://www.akademia.is/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=49&Itemid=90&lang=en
http://english.hi.is/