{"product_id":"alaric-hall-elves-in-anglo-saxon-england-9781843832942","title":"Elves in Anglo-Saxon England","description":"Anglo-Saxon elves [Old English 'ælfe'] are one of the best attested non-Christian beliefs in early medieval Europe, but current interpretations of the evidence derive directly from outdated nineteenth- and early twentieth-century scholarship. Integrating linguistic and textual approaches into an anthropologically-inspired framework, this book reassesses the full range of evidence. It traces continuities and changes in medieval non-Christian beliefs with a new degree of reliability, from pre-conversion times to the eleventh century and beyond, and uses comparative material from medieval Ireland and Scandinavia to argue for a dynamic relationship between beliefs and society. In particular, it interprets the cultural significance of elves as a cause of illness in medical texts, and provides new insights into the much-discussed Scandinavian magic of 'seidr'. Elf-beliefs, moreover, were connected with Anglo-Saxon constructions of sex and gender; their changing nature provides a rare insight into a fascinating area of early medieval European culture. \n\u003cbr\u003e\nShortlisted for the Katharine Briggs Folklore Award 2007\n\u003cbr\u003e\nALARIC HALL is a fellow of the Helsinki Collegium for Advanced Studies.","brand":"Boydell \u0026 Brewer Ltd","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":53761268089174,"sku":null,"price":0.0,"currency_code":"EUR","in_stock":false}],"url":"https:\/\/www.momoxbooks.com\/products\/alaric-hall-elves-in-anglo-saxon-england-9781843832942","provider":"momoxbooks","version":"1.0","type":"link"}