Sword in Early Medieval Northern Europe
Sword in Early Medieval Northern Europe A wide-ranging study of the significance of swords throughout the whole Anglo-Saxon period, offering valuable insights into the meaning of and attitude towards…
Specifikacia Sword in Early Medieval Northern Europe
Sword in Early Medieval Northern Europe
A wide-ranging study of the significance of swords throughout the whole Anglo-Saxon period, offering valuable insights into the meaning of and attitude towards swords.Swords were special in Anglo-Saxon England. Many were curated for generations, revealed by their worn and mended condition. Their names, deeds and pedigrees were enshrined in writing.
Contemporary sources leave no doubt that complex social meanings surrounded these weapons, transcending their use on the battlefield; but they have yet to transcend the traditional view that their primary social function was as status symbols. Few ended their lives as casual discards, placed instead in graves, hoards and watercourses as part of ritualised acts. Even now, half a century after the first major study of Anglo-Saxon swords, their wider significance within their world has yet to be fully articulated.This book sets out to