Children of Ash and Elm : A History of the Vikings
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4.3 • 35 Ratings
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- $22.99
Publisher Description
The definitive history of the Vikings—from arts and culture to politics and cosmology—by a distinguished archaeologist with decades of expertise
The Viking Age—from 750 to 1050—saw an unprecedented expansion of the Scandinavian peoples into the wider world. As traders and raiders, explorers and colonists, they ranged from eastern North America to the Asian steppe. But for centuries, the Vikings have been seen through the eyes of others, distorted to suit the tastes of medieval clerics and Elizabethan playwrights, Victorian imperialists, Nazis, and more. None of these appropriations capture the real Vikings, or the richness and sophistication of their culture.
Based on the latest archaeological and textual evidence, Children of Ash and Elm tells the story of the Vikings on their own terms: their politics, their cosmology and religion, their material world. Known today for a stereotype of maritime violence, the Vikings exported new ideas, technologies, beliefs, and practices to the lands they discovered and the peoples they encountered, and in the process were themselves changed. From Eirík Bloodaxe, who fought his way to a kingdom, to Gudrid Thorbjarnardóttir, the most traveled woman in the world, Children of Ash and Elm is the definitive history of the Vikings and their time.
Customer Reviews
Glad I didn’t listen to the other reviewers
Really glad I didn’t listen to the other reviewers here. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and found it quite interesting! I feel I’ve learned a lot about the archaeological findings and what they may tell us about the people from the Viking age. I would point out that the reviewer complaining about all the archaeology talk is ridiculous- the author is a professor of archaeology and a simple look into who wrote the book could’ve given you that heads up, and isn’t that who you’d want to tell you about an ancient group of peoples? An archaeologist studies the clues left behind by ancient peoples. So that immediately tells me that that reviewer is not very educated. The second complaint about the author explaining the archaeological finds that suggest that gender may have been thought of in less binary terms is also a ridiculous complaint. You asked to learn about the Vikings, that means you agreed to hear about how they saw their world including how they viewed gender. You’re clearly mad that it doesn’t align with your own personal views which tells us what we need to know about your ability to tolerate other peoples having other views from your own. I recommend this book, & I enjoyed learning from it. Please endeavor to make up your own mind about it. I’m glad I did.
Narration of Facts vs a Story
History should be interesting and this book was not, primarily driven by the dry recitation of archeological finds and facts. Also agreed with another reviewer that the mid book transgender thing was out of place and weird.
Skip
Most of this book is well written and interesting. However, adding a chapter in the middle of the book attempting to apply queer and transgender ideologies is blatant virtue signaling at its worst.