The article is open access! Sara looks at alchemical metaphors and their vagueness as one marker of alchemists' in-group language use, using a single alchemical work as a case study. #titaraproject #konefoundation #koneensäätiö #bjhsthemes #alchemy @koneensaatio.fi
04.08.2025 12:41 — 👍 3 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
Screen cap of the BJHS Themes page with Sara Norja's journal article "Nourishing the alchemical child: metaphors of family life as textual cohesion in the fifteenth-century The Gracious Work".
New TiTaRa article out! Sara's "Nourishing the alchemical child: metaphors of family life as textual cohesion in the fifteenth-century The Gracious Work" is out in first view in BJHS Themes: doi.org/10.1017/bjt....
04.08.2025 12:41 — 👍 7 🔁 2 💬 1 📌 1
We tested our project’s tabletop role-playing game Written in the Stars @ Ropecon. It focuses on alchemists, astrologers and magic practitioners – and their communities – in medieval and early modern England. Launch in Finnish & English in 2026. @koneensaatio.fi @utu.fi @titaraproject.bsky.social
30.07.2025 17:05 — 👍 6 🔁 2 💬 0 📌 0
Muita symposiumin aiheita olivat mm. englannin sanaston historian opettaminen, uudet todisteet eräässä (historiallisessa) sanakirjan plagiointitapauksessa, keskienglannin lakitermistö, sekä Akanin-kielisten nimien ensyklopedian koostaminen.
#titaraproject #konefoundation #koneensäätiö #hellex8
16.06.2025 11:54 — 👍 1 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
💐 Tapahtumien kevät/kesä 2025, osa 2 💐
Viime viikolla Ida osallistui kahdeksanteen kansainväliseen History of English Lexicography and Lexicology symposiumiin Tallinnassa. Ida puhui meneillään olevasta muinaisenglannin ja latinan magianharjoittajasanastoa käsittelevästä tutkimuksestaan.
16.06.2025 11:54 — 👍 1 🔁 0 💬 1 📌 0
Other topics of the symposium ranged from teaching the history of English vocabulary and new evidence for a case of dictionary plagiarism to making legal agreements in Middle English and compiling an encyclopedia of Akan personal names.
16.06.2025 11:54 — 👍 1 🔁 0 💬 1 📌 0
Closeup photo of the ICEHL conference programme and a notebook on a desk.
💐 Event season of spring/summer 2025, part 2
Ida attended the 8th international symposium on history of English lexicography and lexicology in Tallinn, Estonia, last week. She presented her research on Old English and Latin words for magical practitioners (& what they have to do with each other). +
16.06.2025 11:54 — 👍 1 🔁 2 💬 1 📌 0
While working on TiTaRa, our researchers Mari-Liisa and Sara have also found time to edit a special issue of Renaissance Studies!
08.05.2025 11:43 — 👍 2 🔁 1 💬 0 📌 0
Konferenssin järjesti EModGral-hanke, jossa TiTaRan Mari-Liisa on myös ollut mukana. Päivät olivat niin täynnä innostavia esitelmiä, että Sara muisti ottaa valokuvia vain konferenssi-illallisella! #titaraproject #koneensäätiö #konefoundation #readingvisualdevices #emodgral
28.05.2025 07:43 — 👍 1 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
🌸 Tapahtumien kevät/kesä 2025, osa 1 🌸
Viime viikolla Sara puhui alkemististen käsikirjoitusten visuaalisista piirteistä Turussa järjestetyssä Reading Visual Devices in Early Books -konferenssissa.
28.05.2025 07:43 — 👍 1 🔁 0 💬 1 📌 0
The days were full of such fascinating presentations that Sara only slowed down enough for photos at the conference dinner! #titaraproject #koneensäätiö #konefoundation #readingvisualdevices #emodgral
28.05.2025 07:43 — 👍 2 🔁 0 💬 1 📌 0
Photos of the delicious food at the Reading Visual Devices conference: an avocado starter, risotto, and a coconut pannacotta.
🌸 Event season of spring/summer 2025, part 1 🌸
Last week, Sara gave a talk on alchemical manuscripts' visual features at the Reading Visual Devices in Early Books conference, held in Turku. The conference was organised by @emodgral.bsky.social, which TiTaRa's Mari-Liisa is also part of.
28.05.2025 07:43 — 👍 2 🔁 1 💬 1 📌 1
While working on TiTaRa, our researchers Mari-Liisa and Sara have also found time to edit a special issue of Renaissance Studies!
08.05.2025 11:43 — 👍 2 🔁 1 💬 0 📌 0
Last week our doctoral researcher Ida visited Cambridge to present a paper at the Cambridge Colloquium in Anglo-Saxon Norse and Celtic. Her paper dealt with Old English words for witches in contexts of healing and sickness. #titaraproject #konefoundation #koneensäätiö #ccasnc
27.02.2025 14:06 — 👍 2 🔁 2 💬 0 📌 0
A photo (by Ida Meerto) of King's College, Cambridge, with a parked line of bicycles in the foreground.
Viime viikolla väitöskirjatutkijamme Ida vieraili Cambridgessa ja osallistui Cambridge Colloquium in Anglo-Saxon, Norse and Celtic -konferenssiin. Ida puhui muinaisenglantilaisesta noita-sanastosta parantamisen ja sairauden yhteyksissä. #titaraproject #konefoundation #koneensäätiö #ccasnc
27.02.2025 14:06 — 👍 3 🔁 1 💬 1 📌 0
✨TiTaRa toivottaa kaikille hyvää talvipäivänseisausta, rauhallista joulua ja onnellista uutta vuotta ✨
Kulunut vuosi on ollut ohjelmaa ja työtä täynnä ja on aika rauhoittua hetkeksi. Ensi vuosi onkin projektin viimeinen kokonainen vuosi!
/explicit
20.12.2024 09:30 — 👍 1 🔁 1 💬 0 📌 0
Exciting things are ahead - creating the RPG will commence in full force, for instance! // Jänniä asioita on luvassa, kun esimerkiksi roolipelin suunnittelu pyörähtää toden teolla käyntiin. +
20.12.2024 09:30 — 👍 1 🔁 1 💬 1 📌 0
Photograph of Turku Cathedral in the dark. The red-brick cathedral can be seen on the left, its stairs descending to a snowy square where a brightly lit Christmas tree stands. The sky is the calm, dark blue of a winter evening.
✨TiTaRa wishes everyone a lovely winter solstice, merry Yuletide and a happy New Year ✨
The past year has been full of activities & work and it's now time to quiet down for a bit. Next year will be the last full year of the project! +
#titaraproject @koneensaatio.fi
20.12.2024 09:30 — 👍 4 🔁 1 💬 1 📌 0
Introduction to European Medieval Manuscripts (2025) – CalRBS
I'll be teaching at the California Rare Book School next summer. If you'd like an intro to medieval manuscripts, please consider applying. And if you know anyone who would be interested, please spread the word. www.calrbs.org/introduction...
11.12.2024 20:47 — 👍 39 🔁 29 💬 0 📌 1
Important dates:
• November 30, 2024: Deadline for abstracts
• December 18, 2024: Authors notified of acceptance
• May 18, 2025: First deadline for full article
• November/December 2025: Issue will be published
#titaraproject #koneensäätiö #konefoundation #cfp #medieval #earlymodern
25.11.2024 14:43 — 👍 2 🔁 1 💬 0 📌 0
CALL FOR PAPERS
Between Science and Magic
A special issue of Mirator
This special issue stems from the Between Science and Magic Symposium, held 10-11 October 2024 at the University of Turku and jointly organized by the project TiTaRa: Between Science and Magic and the Finnish network of magic studies.
The special issue (Mirator 2/25) will explore the themes of the symposium and the TiTaRa project: the practices and worldviews of people operating between science and magic, as well as those engaging in practices of witchcraft and esotericism. The TiTaRa project explores questions of identity through English historical linguistics and book history, and the Between Science and Magic symposium’s papers dealt with a variety of materials and languages using methods ranging from folklore studies to archaeology.
Mirator (https://journal.fi/mirator) is a multilingual, peer reviewed open access journal published by Glossa, the Society for Medieval Studies in Finland. Mirator’s open access policy means that all texts published in the journal are freely available (to read, download, distribute, or link). The journal publishes texts in Finnish, Swedish, and English.
Submissions
We welcome submissions on all topics related to Western esotericism, magic, witchcraft, and early sciences bordering them such as astrology and alchemy. Submissions on the intersections of magic and science are especially welcome. The special issue will focus on the medieval period, but submissions related to the early modern period will be considered as well. While the special issue is related to the Between Science and Magic Symposium, we welcome article proposals by non-participants as well.
Please send a 250-word abstract and a brief biographical statement by 30 November 2024 to idwira@utu.fi. Submitted manuscripts must comply with the journal’s author guidelines (https://journal.fi/mirator/about/submissions) and will be subject to a double-blind peer review.
There's still time to submit an abstract for the Between Science and Magic special issue! 🔮📚⚗️
Proposals are welcome from all, whether you presented a paper at our symposium or not, and on all topics related to the themes of the special issue (see CfP in photo). Send us your proposals!
25.11.2024 14:43 — 👍 2 🔁 1 💬 1 📌 1
Our postdoc @saranorja.bsky.social spent Hilary Term this year as a Bodleian Visiting Fellow. It was a wonderful opportunity to delve deep into @bodleianlibraries.bsky.social alchemical manuscripts! Our PI @mlvarila.bsky.social has also been a Bodleian Visiting Fellow. Recommended!
20.11.2024 11:31 — 👍 3 🔁 3 💬 0 📌 0
The top of the Radcliffe Camera, Bodleian Libraries, Oxford University pictured with a dusting of snow and snowflakes falling in front of the camera.
Possibly our favourite snow pic from yesterday, showing the Rad Cam. Taken by our very own librarian www.instagram.com/spiralling_oxford.
Please do share any photos you snapped and we'll repost our favourites.
20.11.2024 10:34 — 👍 202 🔁 20 💬 1 📌 4
TiTaRa: Between Science and Magic Symposium Through the Eyes of an Assistant ← EnglanTY
🖋️ Our intern Maija wrote about her experience as a symposium assistant for the U of Turku English Department blog! You can check out her musings at blogit.utu.fi/englishturku...
#titaraproject #konefoundation #koneensäätiö
20.11.2024 11:23 — 👍 1 🔁 1 💬 0 📌 0
We had a great team day last week!
13.11.2024 12:00 — 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
Getting ready to kick off our Between Science and Magic symposium! It's pouring with rain here in Turku, but we'll be cosy listening to fascinating talks 🔮 #betweenscienceandmagic #titaraproject #koneensäätiö #konefoundation
10.10.2024 04:51 — 👍 1 🔁 1 💬 0 📌 0
Kävimme erityisen antoisia keskusteluita astrologeja ja alkemisteja koskevan esitelmämme jälkeen - kiitos konferenssikansalle mainioista kommenteista!
Akateemisen ohjelman lisäksi ehdimme myös nauttia Aarhusin nähtävyyksistä, ja pääsimme konferenssiretkelle tanskalaiseen linnaan. Erinomainen reissu!
04.10.2024 09:15 — 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
Working on my PhD on the history of theosophy & anthroposophy in Finland at University of Helsinki. Research interests: history of esotericism & occultism.
Associate professor (PhD) French, writing fluency and profiles, #KISUVI @UniTurku @koneensaatio
https://www.utu.fi/fi/ihmiset/maarit-mutta
Yliopistonlehtori, TY / University Lecturer, UTU. Docent, ÅA. Writes about words past, talks about clauses present.
Locker no. 50 at the British Library.
Research Council of Finland's Centre of Excellence in the History of Experiences (HEX) is hosted by the Faculty of Social Sciences (SOC), Tampere University, Finland.
We’re the national library of the UK.
Lecturer in the Study of Religion. University of Turku. Research interests: esotericism and occultism, gender, non-religion, civil religion, academic creative writing. Interested in knitting, photography, reading and writing. https://tituma.wordpress.com/
Doctoral researcher (History, Uni. Helsinki): medieval book history, manuscript studies, DH. Views own. He/him.
Väitöskirjatutkija (historia, Helsingin yliopisto): keskiajan kirjahistoria, käsikirjoitustutkimus, digitaaliset ihmistieteet. Näkemykset omia.
Kone Foundation. Independent Finnish foundation fostering academic and artistic freedom. Annual grant call 1–15 Sept. https://koneensaatio.fi
PhD in history focusing on Middle Ages, Early Modern, social & cultural history, public history, and history of drinking 🍻. Currently working with Viabundus Finland 1350-1650 HGIS database & map at Tampere University | IG: jenni__lares
The Material Text Research Forum: bringing together researchers from different disciplines to discuss the materiality of text. #materialtext #universityofturku
Multidisciplinary research centre for languages and cultures, Tampere University, Finland
https://research.tuni.fi/plural-en/
Historian; cultural & social history of 19th c. history writing, archives & book history. Obsessed with academic geekiness. Academy Research Fellow at the U. of Helsinki. Author of Reimagining the Historian in Victorian England cliosfootnotes.wordpress.com
Linguist, dog lover, coffee drinker, into gardening, native of Utah, home is now Helsinki.
Associate Professor in English Language, University of Helsinki. Corpus linguistics, digital humanities, historical sociolinguistics, linguistic productivity, English lexis & morphology. Also into tea, papercraft, speculative fiction. https://tanjasaily.fi
Artist, translator, and doctoral researcher.
Vasemmistoliiton kuntavaaliehdokas Helsingissä 2025.
Special collections library at Corpus Christi College, University of Cambridge
https://www.corpus.cam.ac.uk/parker-library
Parker Library On the Web - our medieval and early modern MSS digitised
https://parker.stanford.edu/parker
Medieval and early modern manuscripts and libraries
Sub-Librarian / Special Collections Librarian at The Parker Library, Corpus Christi College, Cambridge
@parkerlibcccc.bsky.social
My posts, my views and interests - not my employer's
PhD in Religious Studies, Postdoctoral Researcher at the University of Oulu, Finland / SKS.
Main fields of interest include vernacular healing, beliefs, witchcraft, ghost stories, and magic. A nonfiction author, lover of metal music and Italian cuisine
