IMC 2026: Sessions

The study of trauma and emotions in the Middle Ages allows us to engage with the past on a human level whilst appreciating the historically, culturally, and linguistically dependent nature of emotional expression. The three papers of this session explore how "hard times" were experienced by medieval people, and consider how trauma and emotions may be understood across the temporal gap which divides us from them. Therese Thuv challenges this temporal boundary by analysing the witchcraft trial of Ragnhild Tregagås in 1325 in comparison to mechanisms used to police transgressions in modern Jehovah’s Witness communities. Thuv’s analysis focuses especially on the operation of power as it relates to gender, religion, and psychology. Solveig Bollig’s paper analyses the expression of grief in saga literature, through somatic markers and linguistic expressions, with the goal of determining how the articulation of grief reflects how difficult emotions were conceptualised in Old Norse literature. Alex Beste explores the discussion of temptation by religious figures in medieval literature, investigating its relationship to suicidal feelings, gestures, and behaviours, and considering how confession could be used as a mechanic for alleviating suicidal inclinations.