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Embers of the Hands: Hidden Histories of the Viking Age
Win a free print copy of this book!
5 days and 13:06:04
10 copies available
U.S. only
A Kirkus Reviews Best Nonfiction Book of 2024
A Kirkus Reviews Editor's Pick
A “brilliantly written, brilliantly conceived” (Tom Holland) history of the Viking Age, from mighty leaders to rebellious teenagers, told through their runes and ruins, games and combs, trash and treasure.
In imagining a Viking, a certain image springs to a barbaric warrior, leaping ashore from a longboat, and ready to terrorize the hapless local population of a northern European town. Yet while such characters define our imagination of the Viking Age today, they were in the minority.
Instead, in the time-stopping soils, water, and ice of the North, Eleanor Barraclough excavates a preserved lost world, one that reimagines a misunderstood society. By examining artifacts of the past—remnants of wooden gaming boards, elegant antler combs, doodles by imaginative children and bored teenagers, and runes that reveal hidden loves, furious curses, and drunken spouses summoned home from the pub—Barraclough illuminates life in the medieval Nordic world as not just a world of rampaging warriors, but as full of globally networked people with recognizable concerns.
This is the history of all the people—children, enslaved people, seers, artisans, travelers, writers—who inhabited the medieval Nordic world. Encompassing not just Norway, Denmark, and Sweden, but also Iceland, Greenland, the British Isles, Continental Europe, and Russia, this is a history of a Viking Age filled with real people of different ages, genders, and ethnicities, as told through the traces that they left behind.
“Embers of the hands” is a poetic kenning from the Viking Age that referred to gold. But no less precious are the embers that Barraclough blows back to life in this book—those of ordinary lives long past.
A Kirkus Reviews Editor's Pick
A “brilliantly written, brilliantly conceived” (Tom Holland) history of the Viking Age, from mighty leaders to rebellious teenagers, told through their runes and ruins, games and combs, trash and treasure.
In imagining a Viking, a certain image springs to a barbaric warrior, leaping ashore from a longboat, and ready to terrorize the hapless local population of a northern European town. Yet while such characters define our imagination of the Viking Age today, they were in the minority.
Instead, in the time-stopping soils, water, and ice of the North, Eleanor Barraclough excavates a preserved lost world, one that reimagines a misunderstood society. By examining artifacts of the past—remnants of wooden gaming boards, elegant antler combs, doodles by imaginative children and bored teenagers, and runes that reveal hidden loves, furious curses, and drunken spouses summoned home from the pub—Barraclough illuminates life in the medieval Nordic world as not just a world of rampaging warriors, but as full of globally networked people with recognizable concerns.
This is the history of all the people—children, enslaved people, seers, artisans, travelers, writers—who inhabited the medieval Nordic world. Encompassing not just Norway, Denmark, and Sweden, but also Iceland, Greenland, the British Isles, Continental Europe, and Russia, this is a history of a Viking Age filled with real people of different ages, genders, and ethnicities, as told through the traces that they left behind.
“Embers of the hands” is a poetic kenning from the Viking Age that referred to gold. But no less precious are the embers that Barraclough blows back to life in this book—those of ordinary lives long past.
379 pages, Kindle Edition
First published August 29, 2024
477 people are currently reading
12245 people want to read
About the author
Eleanor Barraclough
5 books133 followersDr Eleanor Barraclough is a historian, broadcaster and author. Her latest book is EMBERS OF THE HANDS: HIDDEN HISTORIES OF THE VIKING AGE. It was shortlisted for the Wolfson History Prize, longlisted for the Women's Prize for Non-Fiction, chosen as a Times History Book of the Year, and selected as a New York Times Editor's Choice.
Eleanor is a BBC New Generation Thinker (although quite an old one now). She has made BBC documentaries on everything from apocalypses to zombies. She has jammed with viking musicians, cast spells with forest witches, and bathed in a frozen lake in search of immortality. She was once knighted with a walrus penis bone in Arctic Norway and inducted into the Royal and Ancient Polar Bear Society.
In her academic life, Eleanor is Reader in Public History at Bath Spa University. She previously held positions at the universities of Oxford and Durham, and studied at the University of Cambridge. She is a Fellow of the Royal Society of History, a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts, and a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries.
You can find her on Instagram @eleanorbarraclough
Eleanor is a BBC New Generation Thinker (although quite an old one now). She has made BBC documentaries on everything from apocalypses to zombies. She has jammed with viking musicians, cast spells with forest witches, and bathed in a frozen lake in search of immortality. She was once knighted with a walrus penis bone in Arctic Norway and inducted into the Royal and Ancient Polar Bear Society.
In her academic life, Eleanor is Reader in Public History at Bath Spa University. She previously held positions at the universities of Oxford and Durham, and studied at the University of Cambridge. She is a Fellow of the Royal Society of History, a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts, and a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries.
You can find her on Instagram @eleanorbarraclough
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 222 reviews
June 11, 2025
👉 Check out my 2025 Women's Prize reads on BookTube. 📚🐛
Highly informative but not as lyrical as the opening pages suggest. This would make a great reference book for anyone studying the Viking Age, especially if they're interested in learning about previously overlooked people like women, children, and the enslaved. (More info below.)👇
Welcome to my ARCHEOLOGICAL DIG through this book. 🔍 Here are the fun facts I dug up while reading:
PROLOGUE
Eleanor Rosamund Barraclough makes bogs sound like the prettiest places in the world. She writes of mosses changing from lime green to rusty orange. Mirrored pools with feathery white cotton grass and the yellow flowers of bog asphodel. And cherry red lingonberries and tawny brown mushrooms. Honestly, if she wrote an entire book about bogs, I'd read it. 🥰
CHAPTER 01
We have Vikings to thank for about 700 English words, including knife, skull, window, egg, and glitter. ✨
Thanks to advances in DNA research, two Viking Age bodies on either side of the North Sea were determined to be related and have now been reunited. I can't help but wonder: What if they hated each other? Like, imagine if you loathed a relative so much that you crossed the North Sea to get away from them and centuries later scientists reunited you. Forever. 💀😂
CHAPTER 02
Vikings practiced medical magic and believed protective charms (inscribed with runes) would keep them safe from sickness or pain seemingly caused by supernatural dwarves. (I know that sounds made up, but I swear it's in the book.)
Stellar quote:
CHAPTER 03
Vikings enjoyed lewd humor so much that they carved crude jokes into wood.
There's a holy figure associated with birth named St. Margaret, and the story goes that she was once swallowed by a dragon and then ripped her way out of its belly like a chestburster from Aliens. 🩸
CHAPTER 04
Two of the most valuable collections of pagan mythological stories are a thirteenth-century Icelandic text called Prose Edda and a collection of poems called Poetic Edda. ✍️
CHAPTER 05
According to Viking myth, the mischievous god Loki once transformed himself into a sexy mare and lured a giant's horse into the woods for a quickie. 🐴
Vikings believed that a lava-dwelling giant named Surt would one day raze the earth with a flaming sword. This info is accompanied by more beautiful writing from Barraclough, this time about a volcano 🌋 (the spatter and dance of molten earth, hissing lava scorching the moss, etc.). Honestly, she needs to write a nature book because I would gobble that up!
CHAPTER 06
Vikings only bathed once a week (on Saturdays).
One day during the ninth century, a Viking took a poo that later fossilized. At 20 cm long and 5 cm wide, it's the largest piece of fossilized human feces ever discovered. 💩 (It's called the Lloyds Bank Coprolite if you care to Google it.)
CHAPTER 07
There's an old Norse legend that says a man peeps inside the women's quarters on the eve of battle and sees a group of Valkyries weaving on a grotesque loom made of swords and arrows and human entrails, and with severed human heads as warp weights. They use this loom to decide who will live and die in the coming battle.
On the important role women played in daily life, Barraclough notes that women did all the weaving of sails and clothing.
CHAPTER 08
Wordplay, poetry, and storytelling were central to Viking culture. Wordsmiths were held in high esteem, especially if they wrote skaldic verse, a "fiendishly complex type of poetry [...] of riddling wordplay where surreal imagery and twisty ambiguities must be unpicked before the meanings reveal themselves." For example:
Vikings enjoyed solving riddles and playing board games. 🎲
CHAPTER 09
This whole chapter on enslaved people is terribly sad, so these aren't fun facts, just interesting ones...
During the Viking Age, people found themselves enslaved for myriad reasons: some were kidnapped and enslaved, others were born into slavery, and some people who had fallen on hard times surrendered their freedom to pay off a debt.
Some provincial law codes discuss the penalties for impregnating another person's slave. But these clauses didn't protect the enslaved woman; rather, they were meant to protect the person who benefitted from her labor. 😡 The person who impregnated the enslaved woman was responsible for her until she was able to go back to working for the person who enslaved her.
CHAPTER 10
Close to the southernmost tip of Greenland is a Norse settlement where a treasure trove of European medieval clothing was found. The clothes belonged to everyday, ordinary people (as opposed to the clothes of the rich and powerful) and can be viewed at the National Museum of Denmark.
Highly informative but not as lyrical as the opening pages suggest. This would make a great reference book for anyone studying the Viking Age, especially if they're interested in learning about previously overlooked people like women, children, and the enslaved. (More info below.)👇
Welcome to my ARCHEOLOGICAL DIG through this book. 🔍 Here are the fun facts I dug up while reading:
PROLOGUE
Eleanor Rosamund Barraclough makes bogs sound like the prettiest places in the world. She writes of mosses changing from lime green to rusty orange. Mirrored pools with feathery white cotton grass and the yellow flowers of bog asphodel. And cherry red lingonberries and tawny brown mushrooms. Honestly, if she wrote an entire book about bogs, I'd read it. 🥰
CHAPTER 01
We have Vikings to thank for about 700 English words, including knife, skull, window, egg, and glitter. ✨
Thanks to advances in DNA research, two Viking Age bodies on either side of the North Sea were determined to be related and have now been reunited. I can't help but wonder: What if they hated each other? Like, imagine if you loathed a relative so much that you crossed the North Sea to get away from them and centuries later scientists reunited you. Forever. 💀😂
CHAPTER 02
Vikings practiced medical magic and believed protective charms (inscribed with runes) would keep them safe from sickness or pain seemingly caused by supernatural dwarves. (I know that sounds made up, but I swear it's in the book.)
Stellar quote:
"For most of human history, great women have stood in the shadows of great men (and mediocre men, and bad men)."
CHAPTER 03
Vikings enjoyed lewd humor so much that they carved crude jokes into wood.
There's a holy figure associated with birth named St. Margaret, and the story goes that she was once swallowed by a dragon and then ripped her way out of its belly like a chestburster from Aliens. 🩸
CHAPTER 04
Two of the most valuable collections of pagan mythological stories are a thirteenth-century Icelandic text called Prose Edda and a collection of poems called Poetic Edda. ✍️
CHAPTER 05
According to Viking myth, the mischievous god Loki once transformed himself into a sexy mare and lured a giant's horse into the woods for a quickie. 🐴
Vikings believed that a lava-dwelling giant named Surt would one day raze the earth with a flaming sword. This info is accompanied by more beautiful writing from Barraclough, this time about a volcano 🌋 (the spatter and dance of molten earth, hissing lava scorching the moss, etc.). Honestly, she needs to write a nature book because I would gobble that up!
CHAPTER 06
Vikings only bathed once a week (on Saturdays).
One day during the ninth century, a Viking took a poo that later fossilized. At 20 cm long and 5 cm wide, it's the largest piece of fossilized human feces ever discovered. 💩 (It's called the Lloyds Bank Coprolite if you care to Google it.)
"Usually, historical human faeces are preserved in a big communal mush, such as at the bottom of a latrine. So the survival of a lone turd is actually a marvellous opportunity to find out something about a single individual from the past."
CHAPTER 07
There's an old Norse legend that says a man peeps inside the women's quarters on the eve of battle and sees a group of Valkyries weaving on a grotesque loom made of swords and arrows and human entrails, and with severed human heads as warp weights. They use this loom to decide who will live and die in the coming battle.
"The existence of these stories is important. They are about women as complex, rounded humans: as friends sharing confidences, as spurned and vengeful lovers, as figures with the ultimate power of life and death."
On the important role women played in daily life, Barraclough notes that women did all the weaving of sails and clothing.
"Take away the textiles and the women, and you have some naked men in a rowing boat."
CHAPTER 08
Wordplay, poetry, and storytelling were central to Viking culture. Wordsmiths were held in high esteem, especially if they wrote skaldic verse, a "fiendishly complex type of poetry [...] of riddling wordplay where surreal imagery and twisty ambiguities must be unpicked before the meanings reveal themselves." For example:
"...'the dark betrayer of wood-bear of old walls' feels like it might refer to some grim and ancient mythological being, but it turns out that the creature is only a cat (the 'wood-bear of old walls' is a mouse, betrayed by the feline that wishes to kill it.)"
Vikings enjoyed solving riddles and playing board games. 🎲
CHAPTER 09
This whole chapter on enslaved people is terribly sad, so these aren't fun facts, just interesting ones...
During the Viking Age, people found themselves enslaved for myriad reasons: some were kidnapped and enslaved, others were born into slavery, and some people who had fallen on hard times surrendered their freedom to pay off a debt.
Some provincial law codes discuss the penalties for impregnating another person's slave. But these clauses didn't protect the enslaved woman; rather, they were meant to protect the person who benefitted from her labor. 😡 The person who impregnated the enslaved woman was responsible for her until she was able to go back to working for the person who enslaved her.
CHAPTER 10
Close to the southernmost tip of Greenland is a Norse settlement where a treasure trove of European medieval clothing was found. The clothes belonged to everyday, ordinary people (as opposed to the clothes of the rich and powerful) and can be viewed at the National Museum of Denmark.
May 19, 2025
As an avid history lover, I recognize the vital role archaeology plays in illuminating stories which can't be found in books. That said, books which rely extensively on archaeology generally bore me to tears. It's nothing personal, but I just find it hard to get emotionally invested when there isn't a fully fleshed out story I can connect with. At least, this was true until I read Embers of the Hands (even my 10 year old thought this is an awesome title!) by Eleanor Barraclough.
Barraclough combines two powerful forces in this book. The first is extensive research with a clear intent. Barraclough is telling the story of everyday Vikings/Northmen/Norsemen/take your pick. Yes, you will get famous Vikings like Erik the Red mentioned, but Barraclough quickly moves on from the big names to look at a board game a farmer might play on those bitterly cold nights in Greenland. Yes, with many books of this ilk, there are holes in the story because we will just never know. However, Barraclough sidesteps this issue with a secret weapon.
The second powerful force and secret weapon is unbridled fun! Yes, I said fun. Barraclough's passion for the material is palpable. She's also wickedly funny. Here's a random snippet with no context:
"More likely they were thinking 'my head hurts, how do I get rid of those bloody dwarves'."
Not enough? Okay, one more.
"He came from a long line of individuals with excellent nicknames, being the grandchild of Bjorn Butter-Box, the great-grandchild Hroald Spine, the great-great-grandchild of Bjorn Ironside, and the great-great-great-grandchild of Ragnar Hairy-Breeches."
Seriously, don't you want an author who provides you with this type of literary gold while also telling you about the largest frozen human poo ever found? (Not an invented example, that is actually in this book.)
In the end, what you are left with is a book stuffed to the gills with interesting facts and an author who loves the material while also having fun. I don't see a way this could have been done any better.
(This book was provided as a review copy by the publisher.)
Barraclough combines two powerful forces in this book. The first is extensive research with a clear intent. Barraclough is telling the story of everyday Vikings/Northmen/Norsemen/take your pick. Yes, you will get famous Vikings like Erik the Red mentioned, but Barraclough quickly moves on from the big names to look at a board game a farmer might play on those bitterly cold nights in Greenland. Yes, with many books of this ilk, there are holes in the story because we will just never know. However, Barraclough sidesteps this issue with a secret weapon.
The second powerful force and secret weapon is unbridled fun! Yes, I said fun. Barraclough's passion for the material is palpable. She's also wickedly funny. Here's a random snippet with no context:
"More likely they were thinking 'my head hurts, how do I get rid of those bloody dwarves'."
Not enough? Okay, one more.
"He came from a long line of individuals with excellent nicknames, being the grandchild of Bjorn Butter-Box, the great-grandchild Hroald Spine, the great-great-grandchild of Bjorn Ironside, and the great-great-great-grandchild of Ragnar Hairy-Breeches."
Seriously, don't you want an author who provides you with this type of literary gold while also telling you about the largest frozen human poo ever found? (Not an invented example, that is actually in this book.)
In the end, what you are left with is a book stuffed to the gills with interesting facts and an author who loves the material while also having fun. I don't see a way this could have been done any better.
(This book was provided as a review copy by the publisher.)
January 13, 2025
This was fascinating. My maternal grandmother was born in Norway, and so the history of the Viking Age has always held interest for me. Of course, the viking age doesn't just hail from Norway or even Scandinavia. Viking age culture is part of a much larger and richer history than has been conveyed thus far.
This author divided the history by chapters such as: love, beginnings, unfreedom, travel, etc. This format allowed this historian to really maximize Viking age history and tell a very human, everyday story of this period using relatable items like combs or other grooming tools. This method helped the subject matter feel applicable to today and familiar to the casual reader of history.
I saw in the posted reviews that some reviewers found this style a bit dry but I actually found it to be quite easily accessible. History is full of lists and other less exciting details. Historians are writing for and with accuracy, not pacing. If readers are unaccustomed to this kind of history text, I highly recommend the audiobook. I think it maintains the research integrity but balances that with faster pacing.
I truly loved the style and layout of this book. I think the layout helped to give such a personal view of folks who were alive during this time period. This is not like the TV show Vikings or common Hollywood depictions of the viking age.
This audiobook is narrated by the author, Eleanor Barraclough. This is a nonfiction history book and I enjoyed hearing the authors own excitement conveyed in the narration.
Thank you to Eleanor Barraclough, HighBridgeAudio, and NetGalley for the opportunity to listen to and review this audiobook. All opinions and viewpoints expressed in this review are my own.
This author divided the history by chapters such as: love, beginnings, unfreedom, travel, etc. This format allowed this historian to really maximize Viking age history and tell a very human, everyday story of this period using relatable items like combs or other grooming tools. This method helped the subject matter feel applicable to today and familiar to the casual reader of history.
I saw in the posted reviews that some reviewers found this style a bit dry but I actually found it to be quite easily accessible. History is full of lists and other less exciting details. Historians are writing for and with accuracy, not pacing. If readers are unaccustomed to this kind of history text, I highly recommend the audiobook. I think it maintains the research integrity but balances that with faster pacing.
I truly loved the style and layout of this book. I think the layout helped to give such a personal view of folks who were alive during this time period. This is not like the TV show Vikings or common Hollywood depictions of the viking age.
This audiobook is narrated by the author, Eleanor Barraclough. This is a nonfiction history book and I enjoyed hearing the authors own excitement conveyed in the narration.
Thank you to Eleanor Barraclough, HighBridgeAudio, and NetGalley for the opportunity to listen to and review this audiobook. All opinions and viewpoints expressed in this review are my own.
January 7, 2025
This was rather dull although there is informative information as well.I enjoyed the photos and the more personal stories told through various items found in long ago Viking age settlements and graveyards.I liked how the author specifically picked items I could relate to and I also was completely fascinated by one particular clothing accessory.It was kinda of a slog to get to the gems but it was nicely researched and organized and could be worth a read depending where your interests lie within the Viking age.
Much thanks to Netgalley for providing me a copy in exchange for my honest review
Much thanks to Netgalley for providing me a copy in exchange for my honest review
July 24, 2025
One of the best books on the Vikings (and history in general) that I've read. Beautifully written, it really brings the people of the Viking Age to life through the objects, remains, and words that they left behind. I particularly enjoyed the sections on Surtshellir, and Onfim (because who doesn't love Onfim?!)
September 7, 2025
Embers of the Hand by Eleanor Barraclough – 4 Stars
Eleanor Barraclough is such a fresh voice in history. A young historian and archaeologist, she keeps her exploration of Viking history and lore moving at a brisk pace while still providing real depth. This was my first book on Norse history, and I learned a lot!
I especially enjoyed the format she followed, explaining the cultural significance of Viking objects found at dig sites across the Nordic world. Who knew the Vikings were early board game players? Those games would come in handy on those long winter nights. The discovery of game pieces and hand-carved birds on many sites was fascinating. I also appreciated that she didn’t just focus on rulers and warriors but also gave a sense of the lives of everyday people. The Vikings got around. Viking history and Anglo Saxon history were so intertwined.
I read the book digitally and also listened to the audiobook, and her enthusiastic narration was a real plus. I’ll admit I got a bit lost in a few sections, but overall the book remained engaging and informative.
A wonderful introduction to Viking history—accessible, vivid, and full of surprising insights.
Eleanor Barraclough is such a fresh voice in history. A young historian and archaeologist, she keeps her exploration of Viking history and lore moving at a brisk pace while still providing real depth. This was my first book on Norse history, and I learned a lot!
I especially enjoyed the format she followed, explaining the cultural significance of Viking objects found at dig sites across the Nordic world. Who knew the Vikings were early board game players? Those games would come in handy on those long winter nights. The discovery of game pieces and hand-carved birds on many sites was fascinating. I also appreciated that she didn’t just focus on rulers and warriors but also gave a sense of the lives of everyday people. The Vikings got around. Viking history and Anglo Saxon history were so intertwined.
I read the book digitally and also listened to the audiobook, and her enthusiastic narration was a real plus. I’ll admit I got a bit lost in a few sections, but overall the book remained engaging and informative.
A wonderful introduction to Viking history—accessible, vivid, and full of surprising insights.
July 7, 2025
"Dark flames drives the spit,
split the mountain range,
harshly rumble round
the swarthy treasure-strewer.
Embers shoot, I say,
rushing, black, straight-upward.
Round Hrungnir's hall is heard
the roaring of the spark-storm,
the roaring of the spark-storm"
-fragmentary of a 14th century manuscript
"Embers of the Hands" is not the book for you if your background on Norse history and culture is lacking. It is meant for those with a very solid background in the Viking era to appreciate the finds and how they may increase their understanding. I add this caveat so that none may be misled.
This is a book about archeology and, through the use of these different objects, the history of a certain aspect of the Viking age is explored in further detail. These objects can be as varied as combs to weapons, to even the corpses of slaves.
Each chapter has a title like "Belief", "Love", or "Travel". Then within each section we will be introduced to a certain find, such as a hearthstone dedicated to Loki from Denmark, circa 1000 CE. This mix of finds is then woven into some very detailed and in-depth background on whatever the topic may be, from belief systems to matters of the heart.
While I found this book to be fascinating, others may not view the material as fondly, and this isn't an easy, rollicking history. It's a slow, measured approach and analysis of the Viking age as seen from different perspectives.
If you love the Viking Age and have a good background, then this book will supplement your knowledge and that is the true value of any history book-to add to your knowledge of a topic.
split the mountain range,
harshly rumble round
the swarthy treasure-strewer.
Embers shoot, I say,
rushing, black, straight-upward.
Round Hrungnir's hall is heard
the roaring of the spark-storm,
the roaring of the spark-storm"
-fragmentary of a 14th century manuscript
"Embers of the Hands" is not the book for you if your background on Norse history and culture is lacking. It is meant for those with a very solid background in the Viking era to appreciate the finds and how they may increase their understanding. I add this caveat so that none may be misled.
This is a book about archeology and, through the use of these different objects, the history of a certain aspect of the Viking age is explored in further detail. These objects can be as varied as combs to weapons, to even the corpses of slaves.
Each chapter has a title like "Belief", "Love", or "Travel". Then within each section we will be introduced to a certain find, such as a hearthstone dedicated to Loki from Denmark, circa 1000 CE. This mix of finds is then woven into some very detailed and in-depth background on whatever the topic may be, from belief systems to matters of the heart.
While I found this book to be fascinating, others may not view the material as fondly, and this isn't an easy, rollicking history. It's a slow, measured approach and analysis of the Viking age as seen from different perspectives.
If you love the Viking Age and have a good background, then this book will supplement your knowledge and that is the true value of any history book-to add to your knowledge of a topic.
August 22, 2025
obsessed with the Everyday Viking book. can't stop sharing with people my new go-to fun fact about how the english thought the vikings were clean freaks (and were horrified) and then the guys from the abbasid caliphate were writing letters home like the vikings are SICK NASTY FUCKS, horrible hygiene, vile habits, disgusting beings, avoid
love to listen to an author narrate her own audiobook while at times failing to entirely hide the smile in her voice as she shares the next piece of information she's gleefully excited about (I WAS RIGHT THERE ON HER LEVEL)
love to listen to an author narrate her own audiobook while at times failing to entirely hide the smile in her voice as she shares the next piece of information she's gleefully excited about (I WAS RIGHT THERE ON HER LEVEL)
January 26, 2025
Most of what I’ve read about the Vikings has focused on the their scorched earth raiding and plundering. In “Embers of the Hands,” Eleanor Barraclough takes a different approach. Her interests lie in searching out the everyday lives of the Viking people, seeking answers and patterns in far flung archaeological evidence, in runes, sagas and other historical accounts.
The book is organized around a variety of topics of domestic life, such as love, travel, slave-holding, religious beliefs, and play. It’s filled with illustrations of artifacts like rune sticks, chess pieces, game boards, combs, and other evidence of Viking culture, habits, lifestyle and beliefs. It covers the range of what we think of as the Viking era, usually considered to be from the 800s to 1050 (from an English perspective) or the 1400s when looking at the Northern Isles and Greenland. Barraclough’s thesis is that historical beginnings and endings are more fluid than the fixed dates of major events would let us believe, and that the lived experiences of the people probably changed much more gradually. I especially liked her discussion of religion and the mash-up of Pagan and Christian beliefs. I found it fascinating and right on target.
This is an extensively researched and documented book that is written in a very engaging and accessible style.
The book is organized around a variety of topics of domestic life, such as love, travel, slave-holding, religious beliefs, and play. It’s filled with illustrations of artifacts like rune sticks, chess pieces, game boards, combs, and other evidence of Viking culture, habits, lifestyle and beliefs. It covers the range of what we think of as the Viking era, usually considered to be from the 800s to 1050 (from an English perspective) or the 1400s when looking at the Northern Isles and Greenland. Barraclough’s thesis is that historical beginnings and endings are more fluid than the fixed dates of major events would let us believe, and that the lived experiences of the people probably changed much more gradually. I especially liked her discussion of religion and the mash-up of Pagan and Christian beliefs. I found it fascinating and right on target.
This is an extensively researched and documented book that is written in a very engaging and accessible style.
March 18, 2025
Well written history and enjoyable to read. A fascinating study of the Viking legacy, from which most of people with European ancestry have some genetic roots, because of the many raids, conquests, and settlements.
Read
August 4, 2025Longlisted for the 2025 Women’s Prize, Nonfiction
“The Viking Age is a glittering thing.”
enjoyed this well-written & pretty engaging book, but the subject matter is something I’m honestly not that interested in nor familiar with, so glad it was nominated for the longlist, but relatively low on my personal rankings of the longlist so far…
rankings (shortlisted books numbered)
2025 Women’s Prize—Nonfiction
* Why Fish Don't Exist: A Story of Loss, Love, and the Hidden Order of Life by Lulu Miller
* By the Fire We Carry: The Generations-Long Fight for Justice by Rebecca Nagle
1. Story of a Heart: Two Families, One Heart, and a Medical Miracle by Rachel Clarke
2. What the Wild Sea Can Be: The Future of the World's Ocean by Helen Scales
3. A Thousand Threads: A Memoir by Neneh Cherry
4. Agent Zo: The Untold Story of a Fearless World War II Resistance Fighter by Clare Mulley
5. Raising Hare by Chloe Dalton
* Autocracy, Inc. by Anne Applebaum
* Sister in Law: Fighting for Justice in a System Designed by Men by Harriet Wistrich
* Wild Thing: A Life of Paul Gauguin by Sue Prideaux
* Embers of the Hands: Hidden Histories of the Viking Age by Eleanor Rosamund Barraclough
* The Eagle and the Hart: The Tragedy of Richard II and Henry IV by Helen Castor
6. Private Revolutions: Four Women Face China's New Social Order by Yuan Yang
[14/16 read, & calling it; saving two in our library for later: Tracker by Alexis Wright & Ootlin by Jenni Fagan]
“The Viking Age is a glittering thing.”
enjoyed this well-written & pretty engaging book, but the subject matter is something I’m honestly not that interested in nor familiar with, so glad it was nominated for the longlist, but relatively low on my personal rankings of the longlist so far…
rankings (shortlisted books numbered)
2025 Women’s Prize—Nonfiction
* Why Fish Don't Exist: A Story of Loss, Love, and the Hidden Order of Life by Lulu Miller
* By the Fire We Carry: The Generations-Long Fight for Justice by Rebecca Nagle
1. Story of a Heart: Two Families, One Heart, and a Medical Miracle by Rachel Clarke
2. What the Wild Sea Can Be: The Future of the World's Ocean by Helen Scales
3. A Thousand Threads: A Memoir by Neneh Cherry
4. Agent Zo: The Untold Story of a Fearless World War II Resistance Fighter by Clare Mulley
5. Raising Hare by Chloe Dalton
* Autocracy, Inc. by Anne Applebaum
* Sister in Law: Fighting for Justice in a System Designed by Men by Harriet Wistrich
* Wild Thing: A Life of Paul Gauguin by Sue Prideaux
* Embers of the Hands: Hidden Histories of the Viking Age by Eleanor Rosamund Barraclough
* The Eagle and the Hart: The Tragedy of Richard II and Henry IV by Helen Castor
6. Private Revolutions: Four Women Face China's New Social Order by Yuan Yang
[14/16 read, & calling it; saving two in our library for later: Tracker by Alexis Wright & Ootlin by Jenni Fagan]
March 9, 2025
3.5 stars rounded up to 4. I have a weird obsession with Vikings so I didn’t find a whole lot that was new here. Which is not the books fault. I think for someone with a casual interest it’s a great book to pick up.
It has tons of pictures which I loved. Pictures of artifacts really help in a book like this. I thought the writing was fine. The author often circles back to examples she’s already used and makes them relevant through out the book. I like the way the chapters were divided. Each chapter dissects a different topic and then sub chapters existed within them. Examples include: Love, Unfreedom (about slaves), Travel, Belief, etc.
I think the chapter on Love was my favorite. I don’t know why but something about finding all these ancient love notes scratched into reindeer antlers a thousand years later just made me sort of giddy. I also liked the chapter on Play with little Ofrim’s drawings. It was a good reminder that for all the things that have changed over time, some things remain the same.
It pulls from diverse sources and areas and time period. We start I think around the raid on Lindisfarne and go all the way forward in time to the 1400s where one of the last Norse settlements existed (I think on the Isle of Man if I’m remembering correctly.)
Very well researched. Accessibly written, if a little dense for my taste at times. A worthy pick from the Women’s Prize for NonFiction Longlist.
It has tons of pictures which I loved. Pictures of artifacts really help in a book like this. I thought the writing was fine. The author often circles back to examples she’s already used and makes them relevant through out the book. I like the way the chapters were divided. Each chapter dissects a different topic and then sub chapters existed within them. Examples include: Love, Unfreedom (about slaves), Travel, Belief, etc.
I think the chapter on Love was my favorite. I don’t know why but something about finding all these ancient love notes scratched into reindeer antlers a thousand years later just made me sort of giddy. I also liked the chapter on Play with little Ofrim’s drawings. It was a good reminder that for all the things that have changed over time, some things remain the same.
It pulls from diverse sources and areas and time period. We start I think around the raid on Lindisfarne and go all the way forward in time to the 1400s where one of the last Norse settlements existed (I think on the Isle of Man if I’m remembering correctly.)
Very well researched. Accessibly written, if a little dense for my taste at times. A worthy pick from the Women’s Prize for NonFiction Longlist.
March 16, 2025
This was well written and researched. I enjoyed the exploration of sources and how archaeology and DNA science have layered evidence over written testimony through the sagas and other historical accounts. I appreciated the explanation that a lot of our written sources come through a later Christian lens giving a bias we must bear in mind when examining Viking beliefs and ways of life. But this wasn't as compelling as I would have liked and didn't hold my interest that well.
November 17, 2025
This history had some fascinating tidbits and stories gleaned about the Viking Age through artifacts. Rather than the Viking warrior, this focuses on the everyday people behind the remnants that history has left behind - wronged lovers, musicians, children, farmers, enslaved workers - the people who made these societies who they were.
I did really like that this was organized. Each chapter focuses loosely on a different subject area. Some of the stories really grabbed my attention. I loved the descriptions of recovered love letters preserved on runes. It's so interesting to see that, even in the absence of paper, people were still communicating through the written word and also still being jilted and wronged by their love interest at times. The descriptions of remote farms that were eventually abandoned as climate change made them uninhabitable were eerie to read! It was haunting to imagine them having less and less productive harvests and struggling to survive increasingly cold winters, forced to eat their domestic animals. I also liked the descriptions of instruments that have been found.
I did feel a bit dissatisfied with parts of this. It is very much just a description of a collection of artifacts and what they tell us and not at all a comprehensive history. As someone who has not read a lot of Viking history, it didn't give me a ton of context and felt almost too sweeping and rambling in its scope. Some of the artifact stories were absolutely fascinating but I don't know that I walked away with a very distinct picture of Viking history but instead a collection of neat stories based off of assorted archeological finds.
This was read by the author herself, and she did an incredible job!
3.5 stars rounded up
I did really like that this was organized. Each chapter focuses loosely on a different subject area. Some of the stories really grabbed my attention. I loved the descriptions of recovered love letters preserved on runes. It's so interesting to see that, even in the absence of paper, people were still communicating through the written word and also still being jilted and wronged by their love interest at times. The descriptions of remote farms that were eventually abandoned as climate change made them uninhabitable were eerie to read! It was haunting to imagine them having less and less productive harvests and struggling to survive increasingly cold winters, forced to eat their domestic animals. I also liked the descriptions of instruments that have been found.
I did feel a bit dissatisfied with parts of this. It is very much just a description of a collection of artifacts and what they tell us and not at all a comprehensive history. As someone who has not read a lot of Viking history, it didn't give me a ton of context and felt almost too sweeping and rambling in its scope. Some of the artifact stories were absolutely fascinating but I don't know that I walked away with a very distinct picture of Viking history but instead a collection of neat stories based off of assorted archeological finds.
This was read by the author herself, and she did an incredible job!
3.5 stars rounded up
April 21, 2025
Far out ! A dense but beautifully written book. Incredibly well researched wowwweeeee. V cool to learn more about the histories and whakapapa of Vikings and what day to day life was like esp. as we travel thru Norway & Denmark!!!!!!! Made today’s trip to the museum way more meaningful seeing the Viking exhibitions & artifacts w this information on board !
January 18, 2025
This book really touched on a lot of things I love about history. It focuses not on the big names or the history everyone knows, but attempts to shed light on the lives of average people in the Viking age. It covers the little things, not the big things, and I found it quite effective.
The book follows different themes rather than a chronological structure, and skips about different time periods. I enjoyed this structure, and found it a very effective way of telling this story. The author’s voice is easy and flows well, it was engaging and kept my interest till the very end. There was also a sense of humour to it I quite enjoyed.
I found the chapters focusing on the home and relationships to be the most interesting, as well as the concluding chapters which focused on the decline of the Viking world. The book lost me a little bit in certain areas where I didn’t feel like the evidence was being used as effectively, but overall I really enjoyed this book.
It really brought home that people are the same, ultimately; whilst there are huge differences in our lifestyles, the Viking people that this book focuses on had similar wants and interests as us. They loved and lost, they played board games, they kept pets, they drew silly little drawings and left graffiti on church walls. I enjoyed reading a book that focused on this instead of all the usual things we hear about this time period, and overall I found it a very interesting read.
Content Notes:
Warnings: .
The book follows different themes rather than a chronological structure, and skips about different time periods. I enjoyed this structure, and found it a very effective way of telling this story. The author’s voice is easy and flows well, it was engaging and kept my interest till the very end. There was also a sense of humour to it I quite enjoyed.
I found the chapters focusing on the home and relationships to be the most interesting, as well as the concluding chapters which focused on the decline of the Viking world. The book lost me a little bit in certain areas where I didn’t feel like the evidence was being used as effectively, but overall I really enjoyed this book.
It really brought home that people are the same, ultimately; whilst there are huge differences in our lifestyles, the Viking people that this book focuses on had similar wants and interests as us. They loved and lost, they played board games, they kept pets, they drew silly little drawings and left graffiti on church walls. I enjoyed reading a book that focused on this instead of all the usual things we hear about this time period, and overall I found it a very interesting read.
Content Notes:
Warnings: .
February 1, 2025
This is a book about the Vikings - who they were, when they were, and what they did. It is a study of the Vikings focusing on how the Norse movements of people got started and how long they lasted. This is a highly informative book and Barraclough’s analysis seems to be defensible.
A MORE DETAILED REVIEW TO FOLLOW.
A MORE DETAILED REVIEW TO FOLLOW.
February 16, 2025
An interesting read on everyday life in the Viking world.
July 15, 2025
This book is a great addition to the general literature of an historically important people who were pre-literate or partially literate at the time of their flourishing in roughly the 7th through the 10th centuries. The back cover has some great endorsements from Prof. Neil Price, author of "Children of Ash and Elm" and from Rebecca Wragg Sykes, author of "Kindred". Both of these books are of a very high quality. Therefore, the endorsements are not mere fluff, but the opposite.
Ms. Barraclough's theme for exploration is vast. It spans a population that underwent truly significant cultural changes over several centuries. The main cultural change was the conversion eventually of the entire population to Christianity. But, additionally, the population was divided among different areas from Greenland to Russia. Clearly, there was a strong connection in the post-conversion period to the earlier identity of the population. This connection is most strongly shown, in my opinion, by the preservation of the early Icelandic sagas and other writings deriving from the population's self-expression before the conversion.
All this and more makes it clear that, despite changes, a "Viking" identity, at the least in the sense of nostalgia and reverence for the past, must have existed strongly up until about 1500. Ms. Barraclough does well with this. So far so good. What was harder for me was Ms. Barraclough's hope to show the "life of the regular people" as opposed to our classic vision of the Viking sailor and warrior. I'm not sure this is a fair distinction in reality rather than an artificial construct. Here she has to rely on archaeology which is a complex science and also subject to romance if one is trying to find 0ut about everyday attitudes like the remnants of pagan belief post-Christianity.
In sum, I'd say this book could have been much bigger -- more detailed, more orderly. Though it's fun, it needed, for me, a little more rigor. But I'd say also that its size was probably compressed by the demands of popular publishing. It is nonetheless full of wonderful facts -- like the existence of medieval rune sticks on which people inscribed funny and scurrilous and touching comments, rather like notes passed secretly in class.
Ms. Barraclough's theme for exploration is vast. It spans a population that underwent truly significant cultural changes over several centuries. The main cultural change was the conversion eventually of the entire population to Christianity. But, additionally, the population was divided among different areas from Greenland to Russia. Clearly, there was a strong connection in the post-conversion period to the earlier identity of the population. This connection is most strongly shown, in my opinion, by the preservation of the early Icelandic sagas and other writings deriving from the population's self-expression before the conversion.
All this and more makes it clear that, despite changes, a "Viking" identity, at the least in the sense of nostalgia and reverence for the past, must have existed strongly up until about 1500. Ms. Barraclough does well with this. So far so good. What was harder for me was Ms. Barraclough's hope to show the "life of the regular people" as opposed to our classic vision of the Viking sailor and warrior. I'm not sure this is a fair distinction in reality rather than an artificial construct. Here she has to rely on archaeology which is a complex science and also subject to romance if one is trying to find 0ut about everyday attitudes like the remnants of pagan belief post-Christianity.
In sum, I'd say this book could have been much bigger -- more detailed, more orderly. Though it's fun, it needed, for me, a little more rigor. But I'd say also that its size was probably compressed by the demands of popular publishing. It is nonetheless full of wonderful facts -- like the existence of medieval rune sticks on which people inscribed funny and scurrilous and touching comments, rather like notes passed secretly in class.
August 25, 2025
This is a history book, but not in the traditional "In 900 this happened, then in 950 this happened." (If you're looking for that, may I suggest Children of Ash and Elm, which this book also recommends.)
Instead, it's a description of the Viking world through artifacts, and it's just marvelous. Describing things in that way does a great job of putting things into context. It's like, we found this thing, and the thing actually came from the Muslim world a hundred years earlier, so it was probably stolen on a raid and made into a piece of jewelry and the person it was found with in Iceland actually had genes from Ireland so she was probably a slave that was stolen on a raid there 30 years earlier, and so on and so forth.
I'd actually been to several Viking museums and was familiar with some of the artifacts mentioned, and it made me wish I had the book with me then. ("Oh yes! The mice who had to have stowed away from Norway because it was a species not found in Greenland!")
It was just wonderful, and now I wish I could read a book just like it for every historical age.
Instead, it's a description of the Viking world through artifacts, and it's just marvelous. Describing things in that way does a great job of putting things into context. It's like, we found this thing, and the thing actually came from the Muslim world a hundred years earlier, so it was probably stolen on a raid and made into a piece of jewelry and the person it was found with in Iceland actually had genes from Ireland so she was probably a slave that was stolen on a raid there 30 years earlier, and so on and so forth.
I'd actually been to several Viking museums and was familiar with some of the artifacts mentioned, and it made me wish I had the book with me then. ("Oh yes! The mice who had to have stowed away from Norway because it was a species not found in Greenland!")
It was just wonderful, and now I wish I could read a book just like it for every historical age.
January 8, 2025
My husband takes his Viking heritage rather seriously so I thought I’d read this book to learn more about it
I had no idea Vikings had such meticulous grooming habits. I thought the well manicured beards and elaborate braids were “Hollywood” on the various shows around Vikings but this book and the artifacts suggests otherwise. This is just one example from the book.
I found it all rather fascinating and would recommend to anyone who enjoys history, anthropology, archeology, Vikings etc
The book is a bit of a slog and felt like a textbook at times. It is informative and I’m not sure I would have gotten far without the audio. Or perhaps I would have just flipped around looking for interesting bits.
Thanks netgalley
I had no idea Vikings had such meticulous grooming habits. I thought the well manicured beards and elaborate braids were “Hollywood” on the various shows around Vikings but this book and the artifacts suggests otherwise. This is just one example from the book.
I found it all rather fascinating and would recommend to anyone who enjoys history, anthropology, archeology, Vikings etc
The book is a bit of a slog and felt like a textbook at times. It is informative and I’m not sure I would have gotten far without the audio. Or perhaps I would have just flipped around looking for interesting bits.
Thanks netgalley
June 4, 2025
Embers of the Hands: Hidden Histories of the Viking Age by Eleanor Rosamund Barraclough is a fascinating history with a lot of detail. I liked that we get some personal elements in this as well. I appreciated that it included pictures, but I wish they would have been in color rather than black and white only aside from the book's cover. While it is well worth the time if you're interested in the subject, it definitely reads more like a textbook than anything.
March 2, 2025
An interesting book that endeavors to expand readers' knowledge of Vikings beyond the raiders and kings. I especially appreciated Barraclough's careful acknowledgement of what we *know* vs. what we *think.* Pure gold in 2025, that.
March 4, 2025
I've always been curious about my ancestors from Britain and Norway/Sweden, and this gives a nice glimpse into what their lives may have been like.
Though the author has a good sense of humor, i did find this a bit of a slog. But lots of great information too.
Though the author has a good sense of humor, i did find this a bit of a slog. But lots of great information too.
February 24, 2025
A good selection of images and information from the Viking era
February 26, 2025
Such an interesting read. I would recommend to anyone that is interested in vikings.
July 19, 2025
I could tell how passionate the author is about the Vikings from the way she wrote and narrated the story, which I really admired. Unfortunately, I just don’t think Vikings are really my thing (except for those on Berk). This book really made me realize how little we know about them.
November 22, 2025
Świetna, napisana wciągająco, przystępnym językiem, idealna dla fanatyków historycznych smaczków. Nic dziwnego,że autorka zaliczana jest do najwybitniejszych naukowców popularyzujących naukowe koncepcje szerszej publiczności.
December 19, 2025
This was an excellent read. Well crafted and educational. Gives a great look deeper into the Viking age.
March 12, 2025
Very interesting especially for someone like me with a great deal of Nordic roots! Learned some new nordic terms and concepts- yeah!
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