Eiderdown

by Edward Posnett

Over the centuries eiderdown has been coveted by the Vikings, Russian tsars and medieval tax collectors who accepted it as revenue. The plumage of a fat sea duck, eiderdown – treasured for its extraordinary lightness and insulation – now joins cocaine as an instrument of globalisation and commodity of the super-rich.

In this revelatory essay, Edward Posnett travels to the Westfjords region of Iceland to explore the fragile relationship between Icelanders and the duck. Eiderdown harvesting began with the arrival of Norse settlers in the 9th century, and it is now stuffed into pillows, duvets and clothing which sell for thousands of pounds in Japan, China, Germany and Russia. What might at first appear an idyllic pastime becomes a story of compromise and exploitation. Posnett’s finely spun prose and his fascinating encounters open up this seldom seen trade, one which hangs in the balance.

Genres: Essays, Birds, Nonfiction

14 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 20, 2015

Reviews

[Christine]

This kindle freebie is nice short essay about the harvesting of Eiderdown. It is a very interesting and lovely essay. Quite nice.

[Collette Lauzau]

Interesting but short. I didn't realize it was so short since I got it on Kindle and it was done way before I was done learning from it.

[Nostalgia Reader]

Well-written but was expecting something more substantial that dove a bit more into the history of eiderdown.

[Susan]

Clearly not a book, but an essay and not a long essay at that, nevertheless this is a fascinating look at the world of the eider duck whose down is world famous for its warmth factor and insulating properties. So much valued that it has its own market in the Russian, Chinese and Japanese arenas.

[Kailey Campbell]

I knew it was only a short essay when I started it (free kindle version) but was still disappointed at the brevity of it. It is just enough to whet your appetite! It was almost like a magazine article in tone. 4 stars because it was well written and interesting.

[Angela Maher]

An interesting and engaging insight into a product most people would have heard of but probably know next to nothing about.