Thursday Open Thread ~ "booking through Thursday" edition
Children of Ash and Elm (2020) is a new book published by professor of archaeology at the University of Uppsala, Neil Price. The book is new in its approach to telling the story of the Viking Age in the sense that Price is actually narrating an experience for the reader, more so than simply describing the Viking Age. Price uses Nordic mythology as a narrative frame for explaining the complex societies in Scandinavia in the period 750–1050 AD. This is also what the title hints at: the names Ash and Elm are the English translations of Askr and Embla, the first human beings that the gods created according to Old Norse mythology. Whether Askr and Embla actually mean “Ash” and “Elm,” now that’s another story.
Full review by The Nordic Mythology Channel
Scholars, like Vikings, can be a belligerent crowd. As Neil Price notes in the opening pages of Children of Ash and Elm, the field of Viking studies is “occasionally convulsed by … squabbles”, particularly between those specialising in textual sources and their colleagues who focus on material evidence. While Price the archaeologist falls into the latter camp, the beauty of his book is his ability to move across the disciplines. An expert synthesiser, he brings together much of the latest historical and archaeological research in order to illuminate the Viking world in all its chronological and geographical expanse.
If the merits of the book ended here, it would still be well worth the read as the latest word in Viking age history. However, Price’s aim is more ambitious: to present the Vikings on their own terms, through their sense of self and their psychological relationship to the world. This is no easy task, but he is a past master of getting inside the Norse mind: a previous book, The Viking Way, was a groundbreaking study of Scandinavian paganism in the late iron age. As well as the what and when of the Viking phenomenon, Price seeks to understand the how and why.
Children of Ash and Elm by Neil Price review – the Vikings on their own terms
Comments
Wow. Interesting
How did you happen across this book?
@Granma Letters and Politics [on
Letters and Politics [on KPFA radio and at KPFA.org] is a continuing goldmine. In depth author interviews and coverage of significant events make the program a great source of reading material
Highly recommended!
Few are guilty, but all are responsible.”
― Abraham Joshua Heschel, The Prophets
That's a great source
thanks Philly!
Just finished Woods-Woman by Anne LaBastille circa 1976.
Starting a new one by Andy Weir Project Hail Mary
mostly just getting the veggies in the ground
and pushing the boats in the water ..
cheers!
How Vikings became Scandinavians
The guy goes on about the Vikings for an hour without talking about their boats. This is incredible because without the longboats, there is no Viking age. Moreover, because these boats were so difficult to build, there had to be a significant subset of Viking culture devoted exclusively to inventing and maintaining the skills necessary to produce them. They had to be expensive to buy and maintain (ask anyone who has ever owned a boat.)
My pet theory is that those who went raiding often came to violent ends. Those that stayed behind to build the boats wound up with the pick of the widows. Over time, the violent strain of the Vikings were replaced by the master builders of Scandinavia. Just got done reading a review of the Polestar 2. The Nordics are still master builders even though Nordic hockey players are the most civilized of all those who play the game.
I can dig it
boatbuilders tend to live longer than sailors
except now while we use toxic chemicals to build them
so the race to death is getting more equal
Amen to the toxic chemicals
I had a friend who built a 26' trimaran from plans (THREE hulls.) He wound up lining the hulls with carbon fiber embedded in epoxy. So even though he technically built the boat of wood...
But the winners are the boat owners. The guy who taught me to sail lived to be 95. Kind of sailor who had at least 400 books on sailing and had read at least 3/4 of them. A Ph D electrical engineer (MIT). His tool kit for maintaining his 38' Alden was breath-taking. So even though he had pure Viking blood, he was, like the modern Swedes, a real pacifist—gave money to our anti-war efforts during those dark days from 1967-74. He was a BIG fan of Olaf Palme.
What a unique and impressive
politician and individual Olof Palme is. Reading about his policies and views was inspirational. Thank you for the mention, and lucky you to have known and learned from such a talented and accomplished sailor and human.
Aren't you from New Zealand?
Every time I see your countrymen sail, I am astonished by their competence—even if they are only just youngsters. Sailing teaches many profound lessons—good activity for a country's youth.
When I first arrived in NZ,
24 years ago I learned that there were more boats than cars here. Judging from the greatly increased roading and growing population since then, I assume that's changed.
As close to the sea that I live, I’ve only been out to sea on commercial ferries to destinations that are not further than 58 miles from Auckland. As someone who almost immediately gets sick after boarding a boat, I have had little experience of a sport and pastime that is widely enjoyed by many here.
"Auckland is known as the "city of sails" with more boats per capita than anywhere else in the world
New Zealand has nearly 16,000km (10,000 miles) of coastline so nowhere is far from the sea"
https://media.newzealand.com/en/story-ideas/fact-file-new-zealand-a-sail...
Being a builder, you must have a great appreciation for the beauty and function of any construction that is refined and efficient in its form.
I have a close friend, and have met others who have sailed the world on tall ships and other sailboats, with large crews or as single families.
The original people to settle here came on Wakas.
I've been reading mysteries
Lately, when I've had time to read. A lot of the authors I enjoy are no longer writing. I've been getting books from the Internet Archive mostly.
After warm, sunny weather, we are now having cool, gray days. Unfortunately, we're getting very little rain from all those gray clouds, and we need rain badly.
I'll dig out the White Goddess
I wouldn't be surprised if there are references to Ash and Elm in there. Graves is very much into trees and mythology, as well as linguistics. We can't help but notice that Askr and Embla remind us of Adam and Eve. Thanks for the tip on this book. I'm going to see if the library has it.
[EDIT] yep, now on order from the Multnomah County Library
Pirates!!
Just what I think about USA now.
The Viking culture, warriors and shield maidens all fascinate me. Not all of them were warriors, of course. Norway, as the writer says, had insufficient arable land so raiding and occupying made some sense. What is our f-----g excuse.
Warfare as the highest pursuit and an okay for horrible behavior seems to be where we are today. Enslavement? fine. The Kings got the spoils.
Still listening.
NYCVG
With insufficient agriculture
I would think fishing would be a major industry as it is today in Norway,
Perhaps the fishing boats started hijacking and raiding like modern "Cod Wars".
Of course when christian monasteries in Ireland and Angleland started stockpiling gold and silver plate and crucifixes...
Not to mention that monks and nuns probably made more docile slaves than warriors.
EDIT:
Ireland not Norway. The raiders came from Norway.
I've seen lots of changes. What doesn't change is people. Same old hairless apes.
Hi Philly
I wasn’t sure I would be interested in the subject, but I watched the Mitch Jeserich program with Neil Price and was completely captivated. Thank you.
Neil Price has such a comprehensive knowledge of the Viking period and such an accessible and interesting way of presenting the subject. The Mitch Jeserich program looks very interesting.