Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #74196 in Books
• Published on: 1994-07-04
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 64 pages

Customer Reviews

A nice little companion book
Only 55 pages long this is a little gem that i enjoyed reading but I can only recommend it as a companion to 'Gods and myths of northern europe' (see my reviews) or something similar. This is not suitable for a first time reader of the old Gods as it doesnt give you enough information.

Having read this for a second time recently i did find it very interesting and full of information, such as what the months were called in pre-christian times and events throughout the year. November was called Blotsmonath meaning blood month (or sacrifice month). And christmas was called Yule. This book doesnt talk about Gods much, but it is a very interseting book. Did you know that England was originally in southern Denmark. There is a map of it in this book. Its definitely worth a read for Anglo-Saxon enthusiasts.

Fascinating Study of Early English Paganism
This short book (approximately 55 pages) is a transcript of a talk given by the author, who is an expert in the field of pre-Norman-conquest England. The book is not a "New Age" pagan text, but a serious, academic, and properly sourced study of the pre-Christian beliefs which the very early English peoples brought with them to Britain from their continental Germanic homelands. However the author's style is direct, and there is an underlying tone of deep passion for her subject.

Particular and welcome attention is paid to the position and high degree of respect accorded to women in early Anglo-Saxon society, and how this was reflected in beliefs and stories surrounding goddesses and gods. There are many brief quotations from Old English sources, given in both the original form and modern translations. The text is straight forward and easy for the layperson to read, absorb and thoroughly enjoy. Highly recommended.