Eoforas AS

The EOFORAS grant: Enabling Opportunities For Original Research in Anglo-Saxon Studies (for BA and MA students)

This grant is meant for undergraduate (BA) and graduate (MA) students of Leiden University who want to participate in or organise a conference within the field of Anglo-Saxon studies (that is: the cultural and linguistic history of the Germanic speaking peoples in early medieval England). While there are a number of funding opportunities for postgraduate (PhD) students, this grant is specifically aimed at scholars of early medieval England at the earliest stage of their academic careers.  It is hoped that the grant will allow students in these fields to boost their CVs and, thus, increase their chances at getting into a PhD programme.

The EOFORAS grant hopes to stimulate original research into Old English language and literature, as well as the culture and history of early medieval England. Since the grant takes its name from the plural form of the Old English word eofor ‘boar’, grant applications for research into the boar in medieval culture (even beyond the early medieval period) are particularly encouraged.

The grant can be used to cover travel or organisational costs, as long as receipts are provided – your costs will be reimbursed after I have received the receipts. Grants are usually 100 or 250 EUR, depending on the nature of the project. If you receive the grant,  you should show the EOFORAS grant logo on the poster of your event and/or power point presentation of your paper. Grant applications are subject to an evaluation process and your application may be rejected.

Applications for the EOFORAS grant can be submitted throughout the year. Please send your CV, a brief description of your project and a budget to this e-mail address.

Previous Grant holders

  • Beowulf and Beyond: An Early Medieval Poem and Its Modern Adaptations, a graduate student conference at Leiden University (20 January, 2023) – poster
  • From the Top of that Tower: A Tolkien Symposium, a graduate student conference at Leiden University (21 January, 2022) – poster
  • Herbs, Charms and Bodily Fluids: Magic and Medicine in Early Medieval England, a graduate student conference at Leiden University (22 January, 2021) – poster.
  • Tracing Tolkien: Exploring the Sources for Middle-earth, a graduate student conference at Leiden University (24 January, 2020) – poster.
  • Holy Heroes: A Symposium on Saints’ Lives in Early Medieval England, a graduate student conference at Leiden University (3 June, 2019) – poster.
  • Berber Bossenbroek, “Hliste se þe wille: The Didactic Additions of the Old English Meters of Boethius“, Oxford Medieval Graduate Conference “Defiance”, University of Oxford (5-6 April, 2019) – title slide.
  • Perspectives on Beowulf: Of Monsters, Men and Other Musings, a graduate student conference at Leiden University (25 January, 2019) – poster.

In 2017 and 2018, the pre-cursor of the EOFORAS grant has helped organise the following events:

  • The Knights of the Round Table and the Quest for Knowledge, a graduate student conference at Leiden University, with a keynote lecture on the boar in Arthurian literature (1 June, 2018)
  • An Inkling of Middle-earth: Tolkien among Leiden Students, a graduate student conference at Leiden University (19 January, 2018)
  • Wisdom and Learning in Anglo-Saxon England, a graduate student conference at Leiden University (2 June, 2017)
Eoforas ASLOGO