Embers of the hands : hidden histories of the Viking Age / Eleanor Barraclough.
"A "brilliantly written, brilliantly conceived" (Tom Holland) history of the Viking Age, from mighty leaders to rebellious teenagers, told through their runes and ruins, games and combs, trash and treasure. In imagining a Viking, a certain image springs to mind: a barbaric warrior, leaping ashore from a longboat, and ready to terrorize the hapless local population of a northern European town. Yet while such characters define our imagination of the Viking Age today, they were in the minority. Instead, in the time-stopping soils, water, and ice of the North, Eleanor Barraclough excavates a preserved lost world, one that reimagines a misunderstood society. By examining artifacts of the past--remnants of wooden gaming boards, elegant antler combs, doodles by imaginative children and bored teenagers, and runes that reveal hidden loves, furious curses, and drunken spouses summoned home from the pub--Barraclough illuminates life in the medieval Nordic world as not just a world of rampaging warriors, but as full of globally networked people with recognizable concerns. This is the history of all the people--children, enslaved people, seers, artisans, travelers, writers--who inhabited the medieval Nordic world. Encompassing not just Norway, Denmark, and Sweden, but also Iceland, Greenland, the British Isles, Continental Europe, and Russia, this is a history of a Viking Age filled with real people of different ages, genders, and ethnicities, as told through the traces that they left behind. "Embers of the hands" is a poetic kenning from the Viking Age that referred to gold. But no less precious are the embers that Barraclough blows back to life in this book--those of ordinary lives long past"-- Dust jacket flap.
Record details
- ISBN: 9781324089230
- ISBN: 1324089237
- Physical Description: 373 pages, 8 unnumbered pages of plates : illustrations , maps ; 24 cm
- Edition: First American edition.
- Publisher: New York, NY : W. W. Norton & Company, Inc., 2025.
- Copyright: ©2024
Content descriptions
- Bibliography, etc. Note:
- Includes bibliographical references (pages 327-348) and index.
- Formatted Contents Note:
- Prologue: Kindling -- Introduction -- Beginnings -- Love -- Travel -- Belief -- Bodies -- Home -- Play -- Unfreedom -- Endings -- Endnotes -- Further Reading -- Bibliography -- List of Illustrations -- Acknowledgements -- Index.
Search for related items by subject
- Subject:
- Vikings > History.
Northmen > History.
Civilization, Viking.
Vikings > Social life and customs.
Scandinavia > History > To 1397. - Genre:
- Informational works.
Available copies
- 16 of 17 copies available at NC Cardinal.
- 1 of 1 copy available at Madison County Public Library. (Show)
Holds
- 1 current hold with 17 total copies.
Show Only Available Copies
| Location | Call Number / Copy Notes | Barcode | Shelving Location | Status | Due Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mars Hill Library | 948 BAR (Text) | 30229101379880 | Adult Nonfiction | Available | - |
| Albemarle Main Library | 948.022 Bar (Text) | 31010000879108 | Adult Nonfiction | Available | - |
| Braswell Memorial Main Library | 948.022 Bar (Text) | 37807000062675 | Adult Nonfiction | Available | - |
| Goldsboro Library | 948.022 BAR (Text) | 900005000273842 | Adult Nonfiction | Available | - |
| Henderson Main Branch | 948.022 B (Text) | 33258009638748 | Adult Nonfiction | Available | - |
| High Point Library | 948.022 Barraclough (Text) | 30519010962549 | Adult Nonfiction | Checked out | 08/21/2026 |
| Hocutt-Ellington Memorial Library | 948 Barraclough (Text) | 39523000414462 | Adult Nonfiction | Available | - |
| Hope Mills Library | 948.022 BAR (Text) | 31781069040259 | Adult Nonfiction | Available | - |
| Jackson County Public Library | 948.022 B (Text) | 39493109536971 | Adult Nonfiction | Available | - |
| Mocksville | 948.022 BARRACLOUGH (Text) | 39872002104583 | Adult Nonfiction | Available | - |
Accessibility Features
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| 245 | 1 | 0. | ‡aEmbers of the hands : ‡bhidden histories of the Viking Age / ‡cEleanor Barraclough. |
| 250 | . | ‡aFirst American edition. | |
| 264 | 1. | ‡aNew York, NY : ‡bW. W. Norton & Company, Inc., ‡c2025. | |
| 264 | 4. | ‡c©2024 | |
| 300 | . | ‡a373 pages, 8 unnumbered pages of plates : ‡billustrations , maps ; ‡c24 cm | |
| 336 | . | ‡atext ‡btxt ‡2rdacontent | |
| 337 | . | ‡aunmediated ‡bn ‡2rdamedia | |
| 338 | . | ‡avolume ‡bnc ‡2rdacarrier | |
| 504 | . | ‡aIncludes bibliographical references (pages 327-348) and index. | |
| 505 | 0 | 0. | ‡tPrologue: Kindling -- ‡tIntroduction -- ‡tBeginnings -- ‡tLove -- ‡tTravel -- ‡tBelief -- ‡tBodies -- ‡tHome -- ‡tPlay -- ‡tUnfreedom -- ‡tEndings -- ‡tEndnotes -- ‡tFurther Reading -- ‡tBibliography -- ‡tList of Illustrations -- ‡tAcknowledgements -- ‡tIndex. |
| 520 | . | ‡a"A "brilliantly written, brilliantly conceived" (Tom Holland) history of the Viking Age, from mighty leaders to rebellious teenagers, told through their runes and ruins, games and combs, trash and treasure. In imagining a Viking, a certain image springs to mind: a barbaric warrior, leaping ashore from a longboat, and ready to terrorize the hapless local population of a northern European town. Yet while such characters define our imagination of the Viking Age today, they were in the minority. Instead, in the time-stopping soils, water, and ice of the North, Eleanor Barraclough excavates a preserved lost world, one that reimagines a misunderstood society. By examining artifacts of the past--remnants of wooden gaming boards, elegant antler combs, doodles by imaginative children and bored teenagers, and runes that reveal hidden loves, furious curses, and drunken spouses summoned home from the pub--Barraclough illuminates life in the medieval Nordic world as not just a world of rampaging warriors, but as full of globally networked people with recognizable concerns. This is the history of all the people--children, enslaved people, seers, artisans, travelers, writers--who inhabited the medieval Nordic world. Encompassing not just Norway, Denmark, and Sweden, but also Iceland, Greenland, the British Isles, Continental Europe, and Russia, this is a history of a Viking Age filled with real people of different ages, genders, and ethnicities, as told through the traces that they left behind. "Embers of the hands" is a poetic kenning from the Viking Age that referred to gold. But no less precious are the embers that Barraclough blows back to life in this book--those of ordinary lives long past"-- ‡cDust jacket flap. | |
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| 650 | 0. | ‡aNorthmen ‡xHistory. | |
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| 650 | 0. | ‡aVikings ‡xSocial life and customs. | |
| 651 | 0. | ‡aScandinavia ‡xHistory ‡yTo 1397. ‡0(CARDINAL)587415 | |
| 655 | 7. | ‡aInformational works. ‡2lcgft ‡0(CARDINAL)351103 | |
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