Sagas on the web: The use of information technology to introduce cultural history

Abstract

The paper is a presentation of our project, an upcoming website on Icelandic medieval manuscripts and cultural history. The sagas and the Eddic-poems are the product both of European culture and of Icelandic social conditions. The website will contain both a general historical discussion of the manuscripts and a detailed presentation of matters connected with their production. The website will be ideal teaching-material but can also provide useful information for the general public and tourists. The project’s aims To publish a website with information about the origin, history and preservation of Icelandic manuscripts, as well as their contents and their role in Icelandic cultural history To utilize the latest technology to make this cultural history available to those without special knowledge of the field Target users Students in Icelandic elementary and secondary schools The interested public and tourists The website can also be translated and modified for: Cultural tourism Elementary and secondary students in other Nordic countries Students of Icelandic or Old Norse studies in universities Distance teaching Other web projects