{"product_id":"elves-in-anglo-saxon-england-alaric-hall-9781843832942","title":"Elves in Anglo-Saxon England: Matters of Belief, Health, Gender and Identity","description":"Anglo-Saxon elves [Old English ' lfe'] 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non-Christian beliefs in early medieval Europe, but current interpretations of the evidence derive directly from outdated nineteenth- and early twentieth-century scholarship.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. Shortlisted for the Katharine Briggs Folklore Award 2007 ALARIC HALL is a fellow of the Helsinki Collegium for Advanced Studies.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e Alaric Hall\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-10:\u003c\/b\u003e 1843832941\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-13:\u003c\/b\u003e 9781843832942\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Boydell Press\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eLanguage:\u003c\/b\u003e English\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 03\/15\/2007\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 238\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eFormat:\u003c\/b\u003e Hardcover\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 1.13lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 9.49h x 6.43w x 0.91d","brand":"Alaric Hall","offers":[{"title":"Hardcover","offer_id":48088869568767,"sku":"9781843832942","price":120.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0662\/2982\/9887\/files\/img_d727a622-8b6f-42e5-9830-45f8dbb4b50c.jpg?v=1769106989","url":"https:\/\/www.whiterainbookhouse.com\/products\/elves-in-anglo-saxon-england-alaric-hall-9781843832942","provider":"WR Book House","version":"1.0","type":"link"}