|
Showing 1 - 4 of
4 matches in All Departments
Introduction to the use of runes as a practical script for a
variety of purposes in Anglo-Saxon England. Runes are quite
frequently mentioned in modern writings, usually imprecisely as a
source of mystic knowledge, power or insight. This book sets the
record straight. It shows runes working as a practical script for a
variety of purposes in early English times, among both indigenous
Anglo-Saxons and incoming Vikings. In a scholarly yet readable way
it examines the introduction of the runic alphabet (the futhorc) to
England in the fifth and sixth centuries, the forms and values of
its letters, and the ways in which it developed, up until its
decline at the end of the Anglo-Saxon period. It discusses how
runes were used for informal and day-to-day purposes, on formal
monuments, as decorative letters in prestigious manuscripts, for
owners' or makers' names on everyday objects, perhaps even in
private letters. For the first time, the book presents, together
with earlier finds, the many runic objects discovered over the last
twenty years, with a range of inscriptions on bone, metal and
stone, even including tourists' scratched signatures found on the
pilgrimage routes through Italy. It gives an idea of the immense
range of informationon language and social history contained in
these unique documents. The late R.I. PAGE was former Professor of
Anglo-Saxon in the University of Cambridge.
Of outstanding value to both runologist and Anglo-Saxonist alike.
EARLY MEDIEVAL EUROPE Discussion of the forms of the runic alphabet
and interpretations of individual inscriptions, with consideration
of wider matters on which runes throw light - magic, paganism and
literacy. How, where and why runes were used is still often
mysterious; they continue to set puzzles for those who study them,
among whom few are better known than the author of this book. Here
he investigates evidence from Anglo-Saxon runic coins to Manx
inscribed stones, including many of the known Anglo-Saxon runic
inscriptions (notably the Ruthwell cross and the Franks casket) and
manuscripts, and looks in passing at some Scandinavian material,
both in Great Britain and elsewhere. In addition to these detailed
descriptions of inscriptions, and of the runic futhorc, or
alphabet, on which they are based, Page also considers wider issues
on which runes throw light: magic, paganism and literacy.
Archaeologists, historians and others will find this a uniquely
useful and authoritative volume on Anglo-Saxon runes. The late R.I.
PAGE was a Fellow of Corpus Christi College, Cambridge, and
Emeritus Professor ofAnglo-Saxon, Cambridge University.
There have been many books about the Vikings, but few that see them
from their own point of view. Most accounts rely heavily on the
records of prejudiced observers (who saw the Vikings only as savage
raiders) or the archaeological record, which tells us much about
their material culture but little about their values. This classic
book reveals how the Vikings saw themselves: portrayed in their own
writings or in the reports of people who knew them closely. Using a
series of translations from primary sources including runic
inscriptions, literary works, rare historical accounts and
eye-witness reports, this book brings the Viking world to life.
|
|