Had the pleasure of examining a new runic inscription yesterday in the beautiful city of Lincoln. I can’t say anything more but once the PAS entry is out, I’ll share it!

It's Viking Camps #FindsFriday! I've had a few weeks away, with both the Jorvik Festival and half term, so we'll get back to it today... and in honour of yesterday's World Book Day (heavily norse-themed in this household) I thought we'd look at a find with some writing. This is Torksey DB 1620. /1

Here’s one of my favourite objects, the Harford Farm brooch. There’s a repair on the front, and the back has a runic inscription on it reading either ‘Luda repaired the brooch’ or ‘Luda makes amends by means of this brooch’. I was lucky enough to see this at Norwich Castle Museum in 2024. #runology

Happy to say that my report for TOEBI is featured in the 2025 newsletter!

Happy International Women’s Day to Þora, who owned this spindle-whorl sometime in the 14th century in Iceland. The inscription reads þo^ra:amig, ‘Þora owns me’. #runology #runes

"You wont find runes as interesting when you realise most inscriptions are thoroughly mundane or post conversion!" me looking at a comb that says comb:

I have written a bit about how to use runes when writing modern languages (in Norwegian). Overall, my approach is flexible because modern runic uses are adaptations. But I do give some advice e.g. regarding the use of older vs. younger runes. sprakprat.no/2026/02/19/h...

open.substack.com/pub/jasminhi... Why put runes on a little gaming piece? Come read to find out!

Finally saw All Saints, Brixworth, one of the most complete early medieval buildings in England. It had a fabulous little book stall inside, too!

A recent post from the BBC website: something fun for all my fellow runatics to read. www.bbc.com/future/artic...

Writing humorously about a brooch with runes on it open.substack.com/pub/jasminhi...

Happy National Handwriting Day! open.substack.com/pub/jasminhi...

OUP have published the first chapter of my Runes book (on the earliest period of runic writing) open access until 19 Feb. Do have a look if you're interested! academic.oup.com/book/61598/c...

Inspired by a colleague saying she’d like a lesson on how to read a runic inscription, here’s a lesson! open.substack.com/pub/jasminhi...

Over on Substack, I’ve written about this curious little runic inscription on a hanging bowl. Come read about it! open.substack.com/pub/jasminhi...

A replica of the Norwegian Alstad stone - a rune-stone and picture stone from the eleventh century - has been unveiled in Vytachiv in Ukraine. The copy was made by the well-known modern rune carver Erik Sandquist. www.regjeringen.no/en/whats-new... #runology

I did a podcast with @goingmedieval.bsky.social shows.acast.com/gone-medieva...

I got out of my comfort zone recently and gave an introductory short talk to the WI about women and runestones. I plan to follow it up soon with a foray into women and runic inscriptions on portable objects… come join me over on Substack to read about them ☺️ open.substack.com/pub/jasminhi...

One of the reasons I’ve done this is because there’s almost no actual runology on Substack, only nonsense magic-centred ‘information’ about runes… let’s hope I can change that!

open.substack.com/pub/jasminhi... Moving my runes blog over to Substack to see if it’s a better platform. If you’ve got Substack and want to learn about runes, then go give me a follow!

SSNS recently supported a visit for Dr Jasmin Higgs to the 36th Field Runologist Meeting in Orkney. A report on the conference (by Dr Jasmin Higgs) is now on our website. www.ssns.org.uk/featured/ssn...

3D scan of the Jelling 2 Stone, a Viking runestone erected by Harald Bluetooth in honour of his mother, Queen Thyra. Research in Antiquity from 2023 suggested women held more power in Viking Denmark than previously believed 🏺 #Archaeology 🆓 doi.org/10.15184/aqy... 📷 Laila Kitzler Åhfeldt

Good #runic news for the New Year: Futhark vol. 14 is now published: journals.uu.se/futhark/issu...

Pleased to say that my book review of ‘Runes Across the North Sea from the Migration Period and Beyond’ has finally been published in Futhark 14-15. You can read it here: uu.diva-portal.org/smash/record...

A while ago I had the pleasure of attending the 36th Field Runologists Meeting, held on the Orkney Islands 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 . It was good to be back in my favourite place doing my favourite activity… figuring out what those pesky runes say #runes #runology

Next week I'm on the brilliant #BBCCountryfile Plodcast with Fergus Collins (out 2nd Dec). For now, here's a teaser--a soundscape episode recorded there. Big up the Essex marshes! link.chtbl.com/8j_GMQQa @essexbirdnews.bsky.social @esbr-essex.bsky.social #EssexMarshes #birdsandplace

Delighted to say I’ll be presenting in session 1348 at @imc-leeds.bsky.social IMC 2026! #imc2026

A tiny starter pack of #runology: go.bsky.app/2GTwP8M

Lovely to give a talk at Southwell Women’s Institute with @jaztherunologist.bsky.social and Francesca Squitieri on Women in the Viking Age. A very kind and enthusiastic audience!

Linguist friends… any help with script identification and possible interpretation? #mystery #mysteryscript #icon #orthodoxicon

Gorgeous glass gaming pieces from the Late British Iron Age. This unique set of 24 coloured glass domes with a flattened base and spiral decoration may have been used for a game similar to ludo some 2,000 years ago. British Museum 📷 by me #Archaeology

Very delighted to say that I graduated with my PhD in English on Monday.

In usual IMC fashion, now that #IMC25 has concluded we are searching for papers exploring New Perspectives on the Viking Diaspora. Please get in touch if you are interested and share widely! #IMC26 @imc-leeds.bsky.social

Great to be in Düsseldorf for #ISSEME , where I’ve presented on my PhD topic. Lovely to see old friends and make new ones!

Ooh, this month's #ogham #ogam has a possible #rune and apparently #viking connections. #runology

Happens all the time

Exciting Early Medieval news! A new inscription of Wittiza, one of the very last Gothic kings of Spain (c. 694-710), has been discovered.

Cat in a finds tray. 1997.

In the seventh century, it became a thing for women across the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms to wear pieces of old Roman glass framed in gold settings as pendants on necklaces. Top left is a new find recorded this week on @findsorguk.bsky.social with others on PAS & the necklace from Sarre.

Delighted to announce that I passed my viva with minor corrections! #runes #runology #phd

Good to see #Wardruna again after a few years 🙏

Five days without being able to check words and facts on Wikipedia and Wiktionary is excruciating

My article/note, ‘A Modern Runic Inscription from York’, Apardjón Journal for Scandinavian Studies 3: 56-63 is out now! #runes #runology #modernrunes

I have my PhD viva in two weeks. What advice would you give me? 📚 #phdviva #viva #phd #medievalbluesky

I’m delighted to be presenting at the 17th Annual Midlands Viking Symposium in May #mvs17 . Come join us for academic talks, panel discussions and a creative writing workshop! #vikings

We should just come back to old tested academic traditions. Articles should have titles like "Some More Thoughts on Medieval Kingship" (87 pages), "Merovingian Gaul. A History" (3 pages, no footnotes), and "An Interesting Pendant from Paris" (unknown pagination, published in village-based journal).

The last big 'reveal' of the Unwrapping the Galloway Hoard AHRC-funded project: the reading of the long runic inscription. Proud to say I played a small part in cracking it by spotting the two puncts around the final rune. The Hoard has now begun its worid tour! www.theguardian.com/science/2025...

Office vs WFH 👩🏼‍💻 🐈