Arendse

@arend

Author · Stories in Analog, Ellery Queen, The Fabulist & more · Marie Curie Postdoc @ Arnamagnaean Institute · Winner of the 2021 Staunch Prize · PhD medieval law · Contact me through my website www.arend.se

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Arendse@arend· 25d

A feather-winged dragon biting its own neck to form the letter 'A'

A yellow dragon above a tangle of knots forming the letter A in AM 45 fol., f. 84r

Arendse@arend· 26d

Now here's a dragon with a long tongue!

A small dragon with a curling tongue and a tail like a leaf in AM 429 12mo, f. 35r

Arendse@arend· 27d

Two is better than one ― when it comes to dragon heads decorating your medieval throne?

Saul sitting on a throne with dragon heads in AM 226 fol., f. 79r. The figure forms the shape of an inhabited initial.

Arendse@arend· 28d

Today's medieval dragon has a collar and a star because why not?

A collared dragon-like creature under a star in the margins of AM 304 fol., f.23r.

Arendse@arend· 29d

Good morning to everyone from this medieval Icelandic manuscript. I'm starting my week working with dragons.

A red-haired woman stands atop a dragon with its tail tied into a knot, her sword stuck in its back. From AM 428 a 12mo, f.1r

Arendse@arend· Mar 17

Today's gem is the summary of this research paper on sibling rivalry in piglets. The authors wrote it as a POEM. I'm in porcine awe: A piglet's most precious possession Is the teat that he fattens his flesh on. He fights for his teat with tenacity Against any sibling's audacity...

Poem that reads:
A piglet's most precious possession
Is the teat that he fattens his flesh on.
He fights for his teat with tenacity
Against any sibling's audacity.
The piglet, to arm for this mission,
Is born with a warlike dentition
Of eight tiny tusks, sharp as sabres,
Which help in impressing the neighbors;
But to render these weapons less harrowing,
Most farmers remove them at farrowing.
We studied pig sisters and brothers
When some had their teeth, but not others.
We found that when siblings aren't many,
The weapons help little if any,
But when there are many per litter,
The teeth help their owners grow fitter.
But how did selection begin
To make weapons to use against kin?

Arendse@arend· Mar 3

Admiring Thiebaud’s paintings, abstract expressionist painter Barnett Newman told him that “[t]hose European surrealists are boys compared to what you can do with a gumball machine. That’s a real surreal object in you.” daily.jstor.org/wayne-thieba...

Three gumball machines filled with brightly colored candies

Arendse@arend· Feb 18

When you've cycled to work and now have to cycle home again too

A heavily bundled cyclist pedals through the white landscape

Arendse@arend· Feb 16

A wild week at the Olympics in Milan! The figure skating was incredible, but I'm about ready to drop everything and take up speed skating now. Just...wow.

The arch in milan with some sort of ball of light sculpture in the middle that would rhythmically open to music

Arendse@arend· Feb 5

More snow! Now I just need somebody to throw this at...

A gloved hand holding a very flimsy snowball on a snowy backdrop

Arendse@arend· Feb 3

I just found out that British Fantasy Society published my award-winning story "The Toll Bridge" at the end of 2025, so I'm sneaking one more story in here for award consideration!

Wet or drooling sea servants stare at the viewer. The page says BFS Horizons #18.

The opening sentences of The Toll Bridge by Arendse Lund
"I saw him first."
"But look at him -- you know he's just my type."
"You hooked the last one."
"That was ages ago."
"Oh please," followed by a wistful sigh. "He was a good one, wasn't he?"

Arendse@arend· Feb 3

Copenhagen harbour has completely frozen over! That shiny surface in the distance? That's just smooth ice 🥶

An icy expanse, with a wooden dock for the ferry, and the sun glinting off the buildings on the other side of the harbor.

Arendse@arend· Jan 30

And a magician troll who, by pulling a rabbit out of hat, is clearly trying to trick you into thinking he's not magical at all. Won't fool me!

A slender wooden troll with a long beard pulls a rabbit out of a hat

Arendse@arend· Jan 30

Having a nice meander through Bergen's troll forest. Look at this friendly guy I met!

A wooden cyclops stares, friendly, at you. He wants to be your friend.

Arendse@arend· Jan 29

Good morning from the icy hills of Bergen, where the sun rises delightfully late, meaning I can sneak a hike in at a reasonable hour.

Arendse@arend· Jan 27

Yes, I am in Norway. How did you guess?

Sign that says "Naa er det tid for Lutefisk"

Arendse@arend· Jan 21

I'm enjoying how the frost emphasizes all the divots and folds of the landscape. I have the prettiest walk to work!

Arendse@arend· Jan 14

The Sutton Hoo helmet! I visit it every time I go in. Did you see the Franks Casket next to it? It's so inconspicuous and yet the more you look at it, the more intricate and impressive the carvings appear.

A delicately carved box with runes and scenes

Arendse@arend· Dec 26

Late to the game but someone just sent me this and I'm all 🥹 about seeing my name up on the @reactorsff.bsky.social "Best Of" list -- and in such great company! @analogsf.bsky.social reactormag.com/readers-pick...

Favorite Short Stories of 2025 from Reactor (Tor.com):
“Rapport: Friendship, Solidarity, Communion, Empathy” by Martha Wells (Reactor)
“The Emergency Contact” by Arendse Lund (Analog)
“The Girl That My Mother Is Leaving Me For” by Cameron Reed (Reactor)
“The Knight and the Butcherbird” by Alix E. Harrow (Amazon Original Stories)

Arendse@arend· Nov 27

I couldn't stand pumpkin pie when I was little. Now I'm out here baking it for myself — please enjoy my little swirl action in the middle!

Close up of a pumpkin pie, with a swirl of filling in the center

Arendse@arend· Nov 24

Flash Fiction (340 words): "A Page Out Of Her Own Book" in Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine [Sept/Oct] A woman contemplates the beauty of the archives as she commits an egregious crime.

Cover of EQMM with a pigeon looking out a window

Arendse@arend· Nov 24

Here's my award eligibility post(s) for 2025! Short Story: “The Emergency Contact” in Analog SF&F [March/April] An elderly lady accidentally ☎️ the 👽🛸 emergency services. This is my 🎉 pro-market debut 🎉 & I'm eligible for newcomer awards!

The cover of Analog's March/April issue with a man in an apocalyptic world standing on a load of rubbish and pointing a gun.

Arendse@arend· Nov 24

Today I'm decorating for the holidays. Maybe this man is too? #MondayMarginalia

A man dusting a letter S with a leaf in a manuscript: AM Rask 74, f. 14v

Arendse@arend· Nov 21

*gasp* There are more!

One blue dragon and one fire-breathing red dragon in glass bottles.

Arendse@arend· Nov 21

Look at these tiny alchemical dragons! They're so cute!

Two fire breathing dragons in bottles from The Black Diamond's current exhibition.

Arendse@arend· Nov 17

Please enjoy this 16th-century sunflower caterpillar monster for Marginalia Monday #MedievalMarginalia

A long worm-like creature with flower petals on each end, and two legs with feet. From AM 321 fol. Rear (r)

Arendse@arend· Nov 14

Fellow medievalists! What do you call this swirly ink ribbon (Danish "sløjfe") that often concludes sections in manuscripts? An ink bow? Pen bow? Pen ribbon? #MedievalManuscript

a swirly ink ribbon decorates AM 5 4to, f. 102r

Arendse@arend· Nov 9

The contestants for this year's Oddest Book Title are, as usual, superb. I had a tough time picking my favorite, which is a good predicament to be in: www.thebookseller.com/dynamic-form...

The contestants are: 1) Killing the Dead: Vampire Epidemics from Mesopotamia to the New World; 2) The Pornographic Delicatessen: Mid-century Montreal's Erotic Art, Media, and Spaces; 3) Self-Recognition in Fish: Exploring the Mind in Animals; 4) Whack Job: A History of Axe Murder; 5) Whiskerology: The Culture of Hair in Nineteenth Century America; 6) Why the Hindenburg Had a Smoking Lounge: Essays in Unintended Consequences

Arendse@arend· Nov 9

What a good looking alpine chough! #Dolomites

black bird with yellow bill and red talons stares directly at the camera

Arendse@arend· Oct 3

I was always particularly entranced by this lobster decanter, which seems impractical to use and impossible to clean once you've done so. I once saw it on a list of "what to get for someone who has everything": gallettishop.com/products/mas...