Seeking the lives of “ordinary people” in the Viking Age (750 CE to 1100 CE), Eleanor Barraclough clearly loves her subject, and she shares it with scholarship, zest, and humor. She takes a comprehensive look at almost three centuries of beliefs, travels, and home, as well as grooming and play, slavery and even how one measures history.

Her goal is to show the lives of everyday people, and so she focuses on artefacts such as combs, clothes, games, purses, amulets, jewelry – anything that can be used to suggest what people valued and did. Especially intriguing are runes – ancient writing on wood and stone – often written about heroes, but also by people telling jokes and making common place, even rude, comments.

Overall, she does a compelling yet light exploration of language and its many meanings, both figuratively and for what it reflects about Viking life. One example that I found moving: how the same Norse word meant “home” as well as “world.”

There is much spirited speculation, as “ordinary” people did not leave the kinds of records and objects that those above them in the hierarchy did. But Barraclough makes cogent and creative connections that give a sense of how life may have been.

Some of the chapters are too long, especially the “Introduction,” which describes many details of Viking life, that are elaborated in later chapters, and “Beliefs,” where many Norse myths and gods are introduced and attempts made to disentangle their relationships and powers. Some charts, maps and/or diagrams would have been helpful. (None were included in my advanced e-book copy.)

While her touch remains light, one does need to work to see how the many threads of topics and times come together. Fortunately, her exuberance for her subject, and delight in sharing it, carry the reader forward with knowledge and insight.

I loved this excellent history of early Nordic peoples told through materials. Barraclough does a terrific job of presenting information in ways that will captivate general readers, providing facts, insight, and carefully considered speculation about the so-called Vikings' languages, travels, joys, sorrows, grooming habits, possessions, sex lives, raiding practices, and much much more. She carries readers across seas and into graves, painting detailed, intimate portraits of everyone of the age from bored children and exhausted farmers to board game enthusiasts and enslaved people. Highly recommended.

A really great resource for taking a closer look at Norseman, or Vikings. I really enjoyed the depth of information included. I enjoyed the photos that were included as well.

We all think we know who the Vikings were, but most of us only know anything about them because we read that they raided the coasts of Britain and Ireland sometime before the year 1000. This book is an accessible expansion of that knowledge base. Barraclough delves into both archaeology and semi-mythical writings such as the Icelandic sagas to talk about the Norse by way of subject-focused chapters (play, death, travel). Once you give in to that approach and stop trying to perceive chronology, it's very informative and accessibly written.
There was only one thing about which I went -??- and it had to do with the Carolingian rulers of France, who were there before the Norse moved into Normandy and became the "Normans". I would have appreciated a small clarification of who the Carolingians/Franks were, instead of having to look it up to remind myself that they were a Germanic tribe. That in itself is an interesting resonance, because so many of the Norse language words and phrases quoted are clearly related to modern German, and as Barraclough points out they have essentially the same mythic pantheon, the one that ended up burning up in Valhalla at the end of the Ring operas....
All in all a very enjoyable book, if you can avoid trying to hang onto chronology. It was especially interesting to read about the settlements in Greenland, about which I never really knew anything beyond the fact that they existed.

When we strip away the mythology of Viking warriors and seafarers, what remains of the people who lived, loved, and died during this remarkable period? Eleanor Barraclough addresses this question in "Embers of the Hands: Hidden Histories of the Viking Age," reconstructing the lives of ordinary people through their material remains. Rather than focusing on raids and rulers, Barraclough examines artifacts like combs, toys, and runic inscriptions to reveal the experiences of those traditionally overlooked in historical accounts.

Barraclough challenges the conventional narrative of Viking history by highlighting the lives of women, children, enslaved people, and others who held no positions of power. Through careful analysis of everyday objects, Barraclough demonstrates how material culture can illuminate the complexities of Viking Age society and its social structures.

Barraclough's methodology is particularly effective in examining runic inscriptions, which provide direct insight into personal relationships, beliefs, and daily concerns. These sources reveal everything from love notes to political intrigue, demonstrating the literacy and expressiveness of a broader segment of society than previously assumed. Her analysis of artifacts like the "Hostage Stone" from the Isle of Inchmarnock and various runic amulets provides concrete evidence of the violence and vulnerability that characterized the period.

Barraclough excels in her treatment of religious transition, using material evidence to demonstrate how pagan and Christian beliefs coexisted and merged. The discovery of Thor's hammer pendants in Christian burials and coins featuring Christian crosses and pagan symbols illustrates the gradual and complex nature of religious change in Viking society.

While Barraclough's writing is academic, it remains accessible to a general audience. Barraclough integrates archaeological findings, sagas, chronicles, and legal codes to create a multifaceted view of Viking Age life. This approach gives readers a nuanced understanding of how ordinary people navigated their world.

"Embers of the Hands" significantly contributes to Viking studies by shifting focus from exceptional individuals to the broader population. Through careful analysis of material culture, Barraclough reveals how everyday objects can illuminate the lives of those who left few written records. This work will interest scholars seeking fresh perspectives on the Viking Age and general readers curious about the daily lives of people in medieval Scandinavia.

This review is of an advance reader copy provided by W.W. Norton & Company and NetGalley. The publication date is January 7, 2025.

An interesting look at the Scandinavian world of the raiders known as the Vikings and what recent archaeology can tell us about how they lived.

I've always been fascinated by the Vikings. Much of what we know from pop culture isn't accurate, and some is totally false. This book dives into the history of the Vikings and the Viking age. We have found many Viking items from the past buried deep in the dirt. This book illuminates those items to tell us a story of the real Vikings. Sure, they were raiders, but they were also human. They enjoyed board games, they took hygiene seriously, and the Viking children did what children today do when they're bored, they doodled.

Overall, author Eleanor Barraclough did a great job at writing this as a sort of poetic love letter to the Vikings. It's full of information that can give you a good insight into what the Vikings truly were like.