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Norse-crafts-bib - 7/21/07

 

Bibliographies on books and references on Norse crafts.

 

NOTE: See also the files: V-Arts-and-A-art, N-drink-ves-msg, amber-buying-art, Norse-food-art, Norse-games-art, Norse-msg.

 

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NOTICE -

 

This file is a collection of various messages having a common theme that I have collected from my reading of the various computer networks. Some messages date back to 1989, some may be as recent as yesterday.

 

This file is part of a collection of files called Stefan's Florilegium. These files are available on the Internet at: http://www.florilegium.org

 

I have done a limited amount of editing. Messages having to do with separate topics were sometimes split into different files and sometimes extraneous information was removed. For instance, the message IDs were removed to save space and remove clutter.

 

The comments made in these messages are not necessarily my viewpoints. I make no claims as to the accuracy of the information given by the individual authors.

 

Please respect the time and efforts of those who have written these messages. The copyright status of these messages is unclear at this time. If information is published from these messages, please give credit to the originator(s).

 

Thank you,

    Mark S. Harris                  AKA:  THLord Stefan li Rous

                                          Stefan at florilegium.org

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From: PRIEST at vaxsar.vassar.EDU (THORA SHARPTOOTH)

Date: 8 Nov 91 13:28:00 GMT

Organization: The Internet

 

Unto the fishyfolk of the Rialto from Thora Sharptooth, greeting!

 

Brynjolfr asked:

> does anybody know of any decent references for 10th/11th century

> Scandinavian crafts? I've been looking but all I can find are political

> histories...

 

Start with the bibliographies of good books on Vikings, such as Gwyn Jones' THE

VIKINGS.  Read the bibliography and look up any books or articles on the things

that interest you.  When you find those references, read their footnotes and

bibliographies, and you'll probably discover more things that interest you.

Look them up, too.  (Be careful, though; by then you'll be doing RESEARCH,

which can get you into a lot of trouble in some circles!)

 

A really good place to look for information on the handicrafts of an era is

journals that deal immediately with period artifacts--archaeological journals,

museum bulletins, and so on.  Articles in these kinds of journals frequently

describe an artifact better than any other source, and they often contain

information (or speculation) on how the artifact was produced.  Depending on

the art or craft you're interested in, you may be able to find a journal which

is explicitly devoted it.  If you do, then make a habit of reading it as often

as it comes out, checking through the back issues, or (if you're lucky and it

HAS them) reading the indices for subjects that interest you.

 

Some of my favorite sources include:

 

-- MEDIEVAL ARCHAEOLOGY (an annual journal on British Isles finds which often

has Anglo-Scandinavian information)

 

-- TEXTILE HISTORY (biannual; not always useful because it covers the last two

thousand years or more)

 

-- ANTIQUITY (easier to find than the previous two, and not always as

technical)

 

-- the ARCHAEOLOGY OF YORK series (which consists mainly of monographs, only a

few of which have been published so far--but the full set covers a wide variety

of Anglo-Scandinavian crafts)

 

These are just a few of the many journals/series out there which touch on

Viking issues).  Happy hunting!

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Carolyn Priest-Dorman                   Thora Sharptooth

Poughkeepsie, NY                        Frosted Hills

priest at vassar.edu                       East Kingdom

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From: <removed because Gunnora was posting from another's account>

Date: 12 Nov 91 21:14:08 GMT

Organization: University of Texas at San Antonio

Newsgroups: rec.org.sca

 

To Brynjolfr, greetings from Gunnora Hallakarva.

 

There are lots of sources for Viking Age/Medieval Scandinavian crafts,

but they are often difficult to find if you are not an archaeology student or

serious historian.  Bibliographies of Old English studies etc. may be useful,

for instance I know the Mitchell and Robinson Bibliography of Old English lists

an article which I read and found to be excellent on what exactly the Anglo-

Saxons (and presumably other Germanic peoples) meant by certain color terms

in the Middle Ages.

 

Some specific books are:

 

N.B. Harte & K.G. Ponting, eds. Cloth and Clothing in Medieval Europe: Essays

     in Memory of Professor E.M. Carus-Wilson. Pasold Studies in Textile

     History 2. London: Heinemann Educational Books. 1983.

     pp. 80-99 Agnes Geijer "The Textile Finds from Birka"

     pp. 100-107 Margareta Nockert "A Scandinavian Haberget?"

     pp. 316-350 Inga Hogg "Viking Women's Dress at Birka"

     pp. 351-367 Marta Hoffman "Beds and Bedclothes in Medieval Norway"

 

Marta Hoffman. The Warp-Weighted Loom: Studies in the History and Technology

     of an Ancient Implement. Oslo: Universitetsforlaget. year??

     [Has everything you need to do Viking weaving... good diagrams of the

     looms, photos and descriptions of modern Lapps and Faroese using the

     loom (use has been continuous since the Viking Age...highly recommended.]

 

Margrethe Hald. Primitive Shoes: An Archaeological-Ethnological Study Based

     Upon Shoe Finds from the Jutland Peninsula. Archaeological-Historical

     Series I. Vol. 13. Copenhagen: National Museum Of Denmark. 1972.

     [Gives photos and line drawings of the flat pattern for virtually every

     shoe ever dug up in Denmark, also compares shoes from Celtic areas, modern

     handmade shoes from the Scandinavian countries etc. From the descriptions

     and diagrams, it's easy to make your own shoes (given a modicum of leather

     crafting ability). Very Highly Recommended.]

 

David M. Wilson and Ole Klindt-Jensen. Viking Art. London: George Allen & Unwin

     1966.

     [Along with a good art-history discussion, this book has lots of photos

     and line drawings of Viking art and artifacts. This is of invaluable

     assistance no matter what sort of craft you are doing. I tend to use this

     on connection with George Bain's Celtic Knotwork book. Highly recommended.

 

Nyelen. Swedish Handicraft.

     [Unfortunately, I don't have this one currently available as I'm in the

     process of moving.  This book covers modern (1700's to present) Swedish

     crafts, including many that are the same now as in the Viking Age such as

     working wood, horn and bone. While it doesn't get into methods much,

     there are so many large full color photos that it can serve as a great

     craftsman's "wish-list of stuff I want to make". Highly recommended.]

 

I hope you find this of help...

 

Gunnora Hallakarva

 

 

From: <removed because Gunnora was posting from another's account>

Date: 14 Nov 91 22:58:52 GMT

Organization: University of Texas at San Antonio

 

Greetings from Gunnora Hallakarva (again):

 

I have finished rummaging my boxes, and here are the remaining books I'd

reccomend for those wanting sources for Viking crafts.

 

The full information on Swedish Handicraft is:

 

Anna-Maja Nylen. Swedish Handicraft. trans. Anne-Charlotte Hanes Harvey.

    New York: Van Nostrand Reinhold. 1968.

 

Others of interest are:

 

Marta Kashammar. Skapa Med Halm. Halmstad, Sweden: Bokforlaget Spektra. 1985

    [Yes, unfortunately this one is in Swedish. It's about weaving with straw,

    wheat, grasses, etc. Even if you don't read Swedish this book can be useful

    as it has copious diagrams. I'm currently preparing an English translation]

 

Venetia Newall. An Egg at Easter: A Folklore Study. London: Routledge & Kegan

    Paul. 1971.

    [Decorating Easter eggs is a period activity, most especially for the

    Germanic and Slavonic peoples, however evidence of decorated eggs goes back

    to prehistory.  While this book is largely devoted to the folklore of the

    Easter Egg, it does describe several period techniques for decorating eggs.

    I like this one because it's an inexpensive craft, if you mess up you can

    still eat the egg, and even children can have fun with it.]

 

If anyone else out there finds sources I don't know about, I'd also love to

hear from you!

 

Gunnora Hallakarva

c/o Christie Ward

 

<the end>



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