Title: Norse-crafts-bib
Subject: Bibliographies on books and referances on Norse crafts.
Author: Edited by Mark S. Harris
Last saved by: Mark S. Harris
Keywords: medieval, bibliography, Norse, crafts, book, referance

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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    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

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