Welcome to SPACE, our adult continuing education program which offers interactive monthly courses for personal enrichment! Learn more here.
Dr. Irina Manea
SPACE Preceptor
A curious mind and history buff
Irina-Maria is a Romanian living in Germany with a flair for Nordic cultures. She has a PhD in Norse mythology from the University of Bucharest, and her main research interests comprise the history of Vikings, magic and the supernatural in the Norse world, legendary sagas and sagas of the Icelanders.
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Current and Upcoming Modules
Highlighted Modules
Non-Sequential Series
All Modules
A History of the Vikings: Art and Culture
Mixed Lecture/Discussion • Low intensity
Discover essential aspects of everyday life in the world of the Norse! In this module we'll be exploring the rich cultural and religious life of the Scandinavian communities between the 8th and 11th century, trying to figure out what their cultural products can tell us about their mindset. We'll have a look at cosmogonical and eschatological concepts from Norse myth, funeray archaeology, the runic writing system and how it evolved, as well as the fascinating art styles that adorned objects ranging from small cups and sword pommels to the front doors of Christian churches.
While the first two modules of the Viking age cluster would be recommendable, fell free to join the course regardless.
The module will follow an 8-session structure as shown below:
The module will follow an 8-session structure as shown below:
| Outline | 8-Session Structure |
|---|---|
| Week 1 | Lecture 1: Norse myths and beliefs |
| Discussion 1: Discussion about Lecture 1 material | |
| Week 2 | Lecture 2: Death and afterlife |
| Discussion 2: Discussion about Lecture 2 material | |
| Week 3 | Lecture 3: Runes and runestones |
| Discussion 3: Discussion about Lecture 3 material | |
| Week 4 | Lecture 4: Viking art styles |
| Discussion 4: Discussion about Lecture 4 material |
A History of the Vikings: The Scandinavian Homelands
Mixed Lecture/Discussion • Low intensity
From TV shows to computer games, the Vikings still manage to capture our imagination and ensnare us in an odd mix of fact and fiction. But who were they really? This new series aims to take a deep dive and provide challenging perspectives about the real Norse characters that shaped medieval Europe.
The Vikings (ca. 800-1100) would be impossible to understand without the geography and society that produced them. In this module, we will explore the intricate social and political frameworks that shaped Viking Age Scandinavia and investigate the interplay between kinship, community hierarchies, and power dynamics that underpinned Norse society.
Topics include the general context of Scandinavian history, social order, the importance of thing assemblies, the influence of chieftains and kings in regional power struggles, but also lesser discussed aspects such as the roles of women. By integrating primary sources such as chronicles, law codes, sagas as well as the latest archaeological findings and research methods, we will develop a nuanced understanding of how the Norse functioned and what enabled them to exert far-reaching influence across Europe and beyond.
The module will follow an 8-session structure as shown below:
The Vikings (ca. 800-1100) would be impossible to understand without the geography and society that produced them. In this module, we will explore the intricate social and political frameworks that shaped Viking Age Scandinavia and investigate the interplay between kinship, community hierarchies, and power dynamics that underpinned Norse society.
Topics include the general context of Scandinavian history, social order, the importance of thing assemblies, the influence of chieftains and kings in regional power struggles, but also lesser discussed aspects such as the roles of women. By integrating primary sources such as chronicles, law codes, sagas as well as the latest archaeological findings and research methods, we will develop a nuanced understanding of how the Norse functioned and what enabled them to exert far-reaching influence across Europe and beyond.
The module will follow an 8-session structure as shown below:
| Outline | 8-Session Structure |
|---|---|
| Week 1 | Lecture 1: Ancient Scandinavia and the Beginnings of the Viking age |
| Discussion 1: Discussion about Lecture 1 material | |
| Week 2 | Lecture 2: Social structures and daily life |
| Discussion 2: Discussion about Lecture 2 material | |
| Week 3 | Lecture 3: Chieftains, kings and warriors |
| Discussion 3: Discussion about Lecture 3 material | |
| Week 4 | Lecture 4: Women of the Viking age |
| Discussion 4: Discussion about Lecture 3 material |
A History of the Vikings: The Viking Diaspora
Mixed Lecture/Discussion • Low intensity
From TV shows to computer games, the Vikings still manage to capture our imagination and ensnare us in an odd mix of fact and fiction. But who were they really? This new series aims to take a deep dive and provide challenging perspectives about the real Norse characters that shaped medieval Europe.
In this module we will walk (or sail!) in the footsteps of the Norse to discover how they changed and were changed by the worlds they encountered. In Britain, the great army conquered three kingdoms, intermingled with the local populace and forced the development of Wessex which would ultimately coalesce English unity. The assault on Ireland left monasteries devastated, but the Vikings also founded vital trade centres like Dublin and got involved in local wars. The raids in the Carolingian empire distrupted trade routes and eroded imperial power, ultimately leading to coopting the Norse into what would become the duchy of Normandy. To the East, the Rus reached the Byzantine empire where they formed elite guards, the Russian steppes beginning the process of state formation, as well as the far Muslim world they supplied with slaves. To the West, the troubled seas led them to settle the proto-democracy of Iceland, explore Greenland and even the coast of Canada. Through their travels, the course of medieval history was fundamentally altered by the Viking diaspora.
The module will follow an 8-session structure as shown below:
In this module we will walk (or sail!) in the footsteps of the Norse to discover how they changed and were changed by the worlds they encountered. In Britain, the great army conquered three kingdoms, intermingled with the local populace and forced the development of Wessex which would ultimately coalesce English unity. The assault on Ireland left monasteries devastated, but the Vikings also founded vital trade centres like Dublin and got involved in local wars. The raids in the Carolingian empire distrupted trade routes and eroded imperial power, ultimately leading to coopting the Norse into what would become the duchy of Normandy. To the East, the Rus reached the Byzantine empire where they formed elite guards, the Russian steppes beginning the process of state formation, as well as the far Muslim world they supplied with slaves. To the West, the troubled seas led them to settle the proto-democracy of Iceland, explore Greenland and even the coast of Canada. Through their travels, the course of medieval history was fundamentally altered by the Viking diaspora.
The module will follow an 8-session structure as shown below:
| Outline | 8-Session Structure |
|---|---|
| Week 1 | Lecture 1: Norse kings in Britain and Ireland |
| Discussion 1: Discussion about Lecture 1 material | |
| Week 2 | Lecture 2: Assault on the Frankish Empire |
| Discussion 2: Discussion about Lecture 2 material | |
| Week 3 | Lecture 3: From Varangians to Russians |
| Discussion 3: Discussion about Lecture 3 material | |
| Week 4 | Lecture 4: The Atlantic Way: Iceland, Greenland, Vinland |
| Discussion 4: Discussion about Lecture 3 material |
Conversational Norwegian 1
Discussion-based • Medium intensity
Hei alle sammen! Hello everyone! Want to make good use of your spare time and learn something useful? How about Norwegian? It's quite easy to gain a basic level and the language has some very special traits you will love! We'll learn to introduce ourselves, use simple phrases, talk about everyday things and practise speaking in different common situations. Bonus: every lesson comes with bite-sized facts about Norwegian history and culture. Velkommen til Norge og norske språket! Welcome to Norway and the Norwegian language!
The Communicative language teaching approach will be used: every lesson we'll practice words and phrases in specific contexts, with more focus on sentence and vocabulary building than grammatical content.
The module will follow an 8-session structure as shown below:
The Communicative language teaching approach will be used: every lesson we'll practice words and phrases in specific contexts, with more focus on sentence and vocabulary building than grammatical content.
The module will follow an 8-session structure as shown below:
| Outline | 8-Session Structure |
|---|---|
| Week 1 | Session 1: Introducing yourself, pronunciation basics |
| Session 2: Basic activities, days and numbers | |
| Week 2 | Session 3: Professions, more activities |
| Session 4: Family members, daily routine, telling time | |
| Week 3 | Session 5: Weekend plans, simple conversations |
| Session 6: Food, clothes, where things are | |
| Week 4 | Session 7: Going shopping |
| Session 8:Final practice |
Pre-Christian Religions of the North
Lecture-based • Low intensity
Explore the fascinating spiritual landscape of the ancient Germanic-speaking world (Anglo-Saxon, Continental Germanic, Scandinavian), where gods, myths, and nature were deeply woven into the cultural fabric. This crash course will dive into the rich traditions of paganism in Northern and Central Europe, from the Bronze Age era to its lasting influence in medieval sagas.
We will engage with a variety of sources ranging from written texts such as Latin histories, heroic or skaldic poetry, Germanic law codes, to archaeological findings such as wooden idols, golden bracteates or bog bodies. Study cases will be analysed in their respective historical context, such as the cult of mother-goddesses from the Rhineland or remnants of pagan beliefs in healing charms.
Through discussions of cosmology, rituals, and the role of myth, we will examine how these early belief systems shaped the cultural and socio-political life in pre-Christian Central and Northern Europe, discover potential continuities, but above all else, uncover a great temporal and geographic diversity with plenty of unanswered questions.
The module will follow an 8-session structure as shown below:
Nota bene: The course serves as an overview of sources for pre-Christian practices and the evolution of religious ideas in Northern Europe over a timespan of 1000 years – there was never a homogenous, continuous and unchanged strain of “Germanic” paganism. The term remains controversial in scholarship due to its political misuse.
We will engage with a variety of sources ranging from written texts such as Latin histories, heroic or skaldic poetry, Germanic law codes, to archaeological findings such as wooden idols, golden bracteates or bog bodies. Study cases will be analysed in their respective historical context, such as the cult of mother-goddesses from the Rhineland or remnants of pagan beliefs in healing charms.
Through discussions of cosmology, rituals, and the role of myth, we will examine how these early belief systems shaped the cultural and socio-political life in pre-Christian Central and Northern Europe, discover potential continuities, but above all else, uncover a great temporal and geographic diversity with plenty of unanswered questions.
The module will follow an 8-session structure as shown below:
| Outline | 8-Session Structure |
|---|---|
| Week 1 | Lecture 1: Religions in the Bronze Age – stone pictures, megalithic cultures |
| Discussion 1: Class discussion on Lecture 1 material. | |
| Week 2 | Lecture 2: Ritual and sacrifice – Iron and Viking Age public and private sacrifices |
| Discussion 2: Class discussion on Lecture 2 material. | |
| Week 3 | Lecture 3: Pantheons, cosmogonies, eschatologies – Pre-Norse and Norse deities, fate, death |
| Discussion 3: Class discussion on Lecture 3 material. | |
| Week 4 | Lecture 4: Conversion stories – phases, peoples, syncretism |
| Discussion 4: Class discussion on Lecture 4 material. |
Nota bene: The course serves as an overview of sources for pre-Christian practices and the evolution of religious ideas in Northern Europe over a timespan of 1000 years – there was never a homogenous, continuous and unchanged strain of “Germanic” paganism. The term remains controversial in scholarship due to its political misuse.
Viking Hogwarts: A Guide to Old Norse Magic
Mixed Lecture/Discussion • Low intensityPaganism was most likely never a unified system of belief, and may have been much more complex and diverse than our current sources can let us know. Beyond semi-structured beliefs, we also encounter more practical forms actively trying to influence the environment – sorcery, most often referred to as seidr, a collective term to designate soothsaying, divination, healing, controlling weather, battle magic and much more.
In this module we will be critically exploring the sources for such powerful practices, the vocabulary of sorcery, as well as attempting to enter the Viking soul in search of its logic and manifestations through everyday witchcraft, while confronting the great hindrances in the study of an elusive phenomenon.
Why is Odin a god of sorcery? Who performed magic in Viking times? Was it gendered? Was sexuality involved? What did magic reveal, and how was it perceived? Put your name into the goblet of mead and let‘s get started.
The module will follow an 8-session structure as shown below:
| Outline | 8-Session Structure |
|---|---|
| Week 1 | Lecture 1: Old Norse religion and magic - definitions, sources and challenges |
| Discussion 1: Discussion about lecture 1 and extra material topics | |
| Week 2 | Lecture 2: The performers - types of magic and magicians, social status and gender issues |
| Discussion 2: Discussion about lecture 2 and extra material topics | |
| Week 3 | Lecture 3: The performance - ritual places, toolkit, magic staffs |
| Discussion 3: Discussion about lecture 3 and extra material topics | |
| Week 4 | Lecture 4: Spells and amulets - actual runic spells and their potential meanings |
| Discussion 4: Discussion about lecture 4 and extra material topics |
Viking Hogwarts: Battle Magic and Mythology
Mixed Lecture/Discussion • Low intensity
After having discussed the complex phenomenon of seidr magic in module 1, we are going to have a closer look at its most violent practices. Beyond domestic practices, sorcerous aggression manifested e.g. through driving the enemy insane, sending spirits to attack, causing misfortune and on a much broader scale on the battlefield.
A clear projection of supernatural intervention is offered by Odin‘s servants the valkyrjur, but also shapeshifting berserkers caught by ritual frenzy, with powers stemming from Odin himself, “The Terrible” in his sorcerous role. Battle spells also seem to have been preserved as literary remnants with a chance at authenticity derived from ideas in older poems, like ideas about war-fettering, invulnerability or disguise.
These elements of sorcery buried deep in the often problematic sources might help us better understand the potential mindset of pre-Christian Northern peoples and illuminated the often too tightly defined warrior identity.
The module will follow an 8-session structure as shown below:
A clear projection of supernatural intervention is offered by Odin‘s servants the valkyrjur, but also shapeshifting berserkers caught by ritual frenzy, with powers stemming from Odin himself, “The Terrible” in his sorcerous role. Battle spells also seem to have been preserved as literary remnants with a chance at authenticity derived from ideas in older poems, like ideas about war-fettering, invulnerability or disguise.
These elements of sorcery buried deep in the often problematic sources might help us better understand the potential mindset of pre-Christian Northern peoples and illuminated the often too tightly defined warrior identity.
The module will follow an 8-session structure as shown below:
| Outline | 8-Session Structure |
|---|---|
| Week 1 | Lecture 1: The Norse gods of war |
| Discussion 1: Discussion about Lecture 1 material | |
| Week 2 | Lecture 2: Valkyries, berserkers and wolf-skins |
| Discussion 2: Discussion about Lecture 2 material | |
| Week 3 | Lecture 3: Battle sorcery in Norse literature |
| Discussion 3: Discussion about Lecture 3 material | |
| Week 4 | Lecture 4: Valhalla and the afterlife |
| Discussion 4: Discussion about Lecture 3 material |
Viking Hogwarts: Shamanistic World Views in Norse Magic
Mixed Lecture/Discussion • Low intensity
In this module we will attempt to integrate the evidence from literary and archaeological sources into a broader context of shamanistic northern religions.
In the Icelandic sagas in particular, there are indications about the operative magical practices of the Sámi - one famous queen, Gunnhild (the wife of Eric Bloodaxe) is even said to have travelled to the Finns to get sorcerous instruction. In Norse myth, cosmology dwells on the world pillar, the ash tree Yggdrassil, while Odin's horse Sleipnir has the power to cross between worlds.
Shamanism as a means of accessing supernatural forces through ecstasy may have enhanced the Viking mind with challenging ideas about gender, shapeshifting, or violence that are well worth our attention.
In the Icelandic sagas in particular, there are indications about the operative magical practices of the Sámi - one famous queen, Gunnhild (the wife of Eric Bloodaxe) is even said to have travelled to the Finns to get sorcerous instruction. In Norse myth, cosmology dwells on the world pillar, the ash tree Yggdrassil, while Odin's horse Sleipnir has the power to cross between worlds.
Shamanism as a means of accessing supernatural forces through ecstasy may have enhanced the Viking mind with challenging ideas about gender, shapeshifting, or violence that are well worth our attention.
Viking Hogwarts: The World Of Old Norse Sorcery Non-Sequential Series
Mixed Lecture/Discussion • Low intensity
This is the Landing Page for Prof. Irina Manea's Viking Hogwarts series exploring The World of Old Norse Sorcery.
In the first module, A Guide to Old Norse Magic, we will be critically exploring the sources for such powerful practices, the vocabulary of sorcery, as well as attempting to enter the Viking soul in search of its logic and manifestations through everyday witchcraft, while confronting the great hindrances in the study of an elusive phenomenon.
Next, in the Battle Magic and Mythology module, we will take a closer look at the most violent practices in Old Norse Sorcery. Beyond domestic practices, sorcerous aggression manifested e.g. through driving the enemy insane, sending spirits to attack, causing misfortune and on a much broader scale on the battlefield. The elements of sorcery buried deep in the often problematic sources might help us better understand the potential mindset of pre-Christian Northern peoples and illuminated the often too tightly defined warrior identity.
Finally, in the Shamanistic World Views in Norse Magic module, we will attempt to integrate the evidence from literary and archaeological sources into a broader context of shamanistic northern religions.
In the first module, A Guide to Old Norse Magic, we will be critically exploring the sources for such powerful practices, the vocabulary of sorcery, as well as attempting to enter the Viking soul in search of its logic and manifestations through everyday witchcraft, while confronting the great hindrances in the study of an elusive phenomenon.
Next, in the Battle Magic and Mythology module, we will take a closer look at the most violent practices in Old Norse Sorcery. Beyond domestic practices, sorcerous aggression manifested e.g. through driving the enemy insane, sending spirits to attack, causing misfortune and on a much broader scale on the battlefield. The elements of sorcery buried deep in the often problematic sources might help us better understand the potential mindset of pre-Christian Northern peoples and illuminated the often too tightly defined warrior identity.
Finally, in the Shamanistic World Views in Norse Magic module, we will attempt to integrate the evidence from literary and archaeological sources into a broader context of shamanistic northern religions.