06 February 2012
05 February 2012
Blog Transition
This will be my last post on blogger.
I have now moved all this blog's archive to Wordpress. It was a cinch thanks to all the posts I read on how other people did it. I haven't found any blatant errors or problems with the import either. Victory!
Please join me tomorrow at www.cynthiaravinski.com/blog for the launch party for Darlene Jones' novel EMBATTLED. I've interviewed the author and will share her comments on self publishing. Come see what she has to say!
I have now moved all this blog's archive to Wordpress. It was a cinch thanks to all the posts I read on how other people did it. I haven't found any blatant errors or problems with the import either. Victory!
Please join me tomorrow at www.cynthiaravinski.com/blog for the launch party for Darlene Jones' novel EMBATTLED. I've interviewed the author and will share her comments on self publishing. Come see what she has to say!
03 February 2012
New Blog
I'm exited to say that I'll be moving my blog next week to a new location, and to a new host.
You can find my blog as of February 6th at cynthiaravinski.com where I will continue to talk about Vikings and my adventures in wandering around the words.
There will be a bit of a transition period starting tonight. Wish me luck as I move to Wordpress!
You can find my blog as of February 6th at cynthiaravinski.com where I will continue to talk about Vikings and my adventures in wandering around the words.
There will be a bit of a transition period starting tonight. Wish me luck as I move to Wordpress!
31 January 2012
One Viking in Ardnamurchan
Viking Discovery of the MONTH
10/18/2011 Port an Eilean Mhòir, Ardnamurchan, Scotland
Unearthed:
A full boat burrial. Perhaps the most complete ever found in the UK.
Contents:
1 Viking Boat's worth of rivets
1 Viking, whole
1 Sword with decorated hilt
1 Axe head
1 Boss from a Shield
1 Spear
1 Irish Bronze ring pin
1 Norse Whetstone
Viking Pottery
Remnants from what could be a drinking horn
Several bits of as-yet unidentified iron
Image Jon Haylett
Image: University of Manchester
Historical Importance:
This particular discovery is amazing: An untouched boat burial. But it doesn't stop there. The contents of the grave were preserved very well, which allows archeologists to learn a great deal from the excavated materials. What few other boat burials archeologists have found in the past were subject to sub-par, older excavation methodologies and much potential information was forever lost. This will be different.
Already, archaeologists can tell by the artifacts found with the Viking that this individual was high ranking and well respected in his community.
And the significance of this find reaches beyond this one man. Dr Oliver Harris, project co-director from the University of Leicester’s School of Archaeology and Ancient History said: “This [excavation/research] project examines social change on the Ardnamurchan Peninsula from the first farmers 6000 years ago to the Highland Clearances of the eighteenth and nineteenth century.
The international nature of the artefacts already identified at the Ardnamurchan boat grave also suggests further evidence for strong links between the Vikings that occupied Ireland, Scotland and north west England at that time.
And they will only learn more!
10/18/2011 Port an Eilean Mhòir, Ardnamurchan, Scotland
Unearthed:
A full boat burrial. Perhaps the most complete ever found in the UK.
Contents:
1 Viking Boat's worth of rivets
1 Viking, whole
1 Sword with decorated hilt
1 Axe head
1 Boss from a Shield
1 Spear
1 Irish Bronze ring pin
1 Norse Whetstone
Viking Pottery
Remnants from what could be a drinking horn
Several bits of as-yet unidentified iron
Image Jon Haylett
Image: University of Manchester
Historical Importance:
This particular discovery is amazing: An untouched boat burial. But it doesn't stop there. The contents of the grave were preserved very well, which allows archeologists to learn a great deal from the excavated materials. What few other boat burials archeologists have found in the past were subject to sub-par, older excavation methodologies and much potential information was forever lost. This will be different.
Already, archaeologists can tell by the artifacts found with the Viking that this individual was high ranking and well respected in his community.
And the significance of this find reaches beyond this one man. Dr Oliver Harris, project co-director from the University of Leicester’s School of Archaeology and Ancient History said: “This [excavation/research] project examines social change on the Ardnamurchan Peninsula from the first farmers 6000 years ago to the Highland Clearances of the eighteenth and nineteenth century.
The international nature of the artefacts already identified at the Ardnamurchan boat grave also suggests further evidence for strong links between the Vikings that occupied Ireland, Scotland and north west England at that time.
And they will only learn more!
26 January 2012
Viking Comings and Goings
Historical Revelation of the Week:
May 2011 Rhode Island, USA -- Brown University
Discovery:
Image: William D'Andrea/Brown University
Revelation:
Historical Importance:
The less friendly the climate, the more mobile its people. It's something I've noticed in my wanderings through history. Look at the denizens of the African deserts, and let's say the Eskimos. Before modern technology found them, they wandered around and spent a few generations, or maybe only a season where they could eke out a living.
In the more stable parts of the globe, small climate changes still made a big difference. One generation, a land was welcoming and comfortable, but in the next? "Just what was pops thinking when he decided to live in this godforsaken place?"
No one is quite sure what exactly drove the Vikings to Greenland, as the Viking Age began as Europe came out of a "little ice age," but this study seems to have discovered what drove them out. Weather, the great herder of life.
In the late 10th century, the Norse Viking'ed over to Greenland. At that time the weather was fair and accommodating settlers. However, the honeymoon ended soon enough, driving the Norse yet again to search out new homes. But by the 15th century there were plenty of other opportunities, and they knew of better ways to find a place to live. Maybe they did learn from history...
The next post will be the last post of 2011 Viking Discoveries. I've saved the best for last!
May 2011 Rhode Island, USA -- Brown University
Discovery:
This "finding comes from the first reconstruction of 5,600 years of climate history from two lakes in Kangerlussuaq, near the Norse “Western Settlement.” Unlike ice cores taken from the Greenland ice sheet hundreds of miles inland, the new lake core measurements reflect air temperatures where the Vikings lived..."
Image: William D'Andrea/Brown University
Revelation:
"An extended cold snap, called the Little Ice Age, gripped Greenland beginning in the 1400s. This has been cited as a major cause of the Norse’s disappearance. Now researchers led by Brown University show the climate turned colder in an earlier span of several decades, setting in motion the end of the Greenland Norse."
"Beginning around 1100, the climate [in Greenland] began an 80-year period in which temperatures dropped 4 degrees Celsius (7 degrees Fahrenheit), Brown scientists concluded from lake readings. While that may not be considered precipitous, especially in the summer, the change could have ushered in a number of hazards, including shorter crop-growing seasons, less available food for livestock and more sea ice that may have blocked trade."
Historical Importance:
The less friendly the climate, the more mobile its people. It's something I've noticed in my wanderings through history. Look at the denizens of the African deserts, and let's say the Eskimos. Before modern technology found them, they wandered around and spent a few generations, or maybe only a season where they could eke out a living.
In the more stable parts of the globe, small climate changes still made a big difference. One generation, a land was welcoming and comfortable, but in the next? "Just what was pops thinking when he decided to live in this godforsaken place?"
No one is quite sure what exactly drove the Vikings to Greenland, as the Viking Age began as Europe came out of a "little ice age," but this study seems to have discovered what drove them out. Weather, the great herder of life.
In the late 10th century, the Norse Viking'ed over to Greenland. At that time the weather was fair and accommodating settlers. However, the honeymoon ended soon enough, driving the Norse yet again to search out new homes. But by the 15th century there were plenty of other opportunities, and they knew of better ways to find a place to live. Maybe they did learn from history...
The next post will be the last post of 2011 Viking Discoveries. I've saved the best for last!
24 January 2012
Magic of the Viking Sunstones Unlocked?
Historical Viking Revelation of the Week
November 2011 University of Rennes, France
Discovery:
Norse legends (let's face it, there aren't many stories out of Scandinavia that aren't legends-but that's another post) tell of mariners holding up stones to the sky, sólarsteinn, to discern the direction of the sun on a cloudy day. How could this be? How could a stone tell them where the sun was when people couldn't see the sun--and this in the Dark Ages? It must have been sorcery! And, that may have been what they thought... But, think they may have solved the mystery with a clear calcite stone native to Iceland called Iceland spar. I've seen these referenced online as sunstone, however the gem sunstone is a feldspar (like moonstone or labradorite), and is not calcite.
Haidinger's Brush, image-Daniel P. B. Smith
Here is the science of how it works:
Historical Importance:
With the magnetic compass not reaching Europe until the 13th Century, and the astrolabe not until the 15th Century what was a Viking who wanted to explore far and wide to do on a cloudy day, or when land was no longer visible?
Well, many researchers are saying that if the Vikings had this kind of "technology" available, it lends plausibility to the Vikings sailing across the Atlantic to North America, well before Columbus did.
Yes, archaeologists have found distinctly Viking artifacts in Canada and the US, but this new discovery helps us piece together the puzzle left by these people who did not record their history.
Further, it appears they shared their secret with someone else because a sunstone had been found "in the wreck of a ship the Spanish Armada sunk [at Alderney] in 1592. Magnetic compasses had been common in Europe for some 300 years by then, but Ropars and La Floch have reason to think an optical compass...might still have been useful in these later times. 'We have verified that even only one of the cannons excavated from the ship is able to perturb a magnetic compass orientation by 90 degrees'," which would render it useless for navigation.
November 2011 University of Rennes, France
Discovery:
Norse legends (let's face it, there aren't many stories out of Scandinavia that aren't legends-but that's another post) tell of mariners holding up stones to the sky, sólarsteinn, to discern the direction of the sun on a cloudy day. How could this be? How could a stone tell them where the sun was when people couldn't see the sun--and this in the Dark Ages? It must have been sorcery! And, that may have been what they thought... But, think they may have solved the mystery with a clear calcite stone native to Iceland called Iceland spar. I've seen these referenced online as sunstone, however the gem sunstone is a feldspar (like moonstone or labradorite), and is not calcite.
"Iceland spar behaves theoretically and experimentally like a perfect depolarizer.” In other words, with the crystal held up to the sky, there is one specific angle of rotation, called the isotropy point, at which the crystal eliminates all polarization of the light passing through it...if you look through the crystal in its depolarizing position and then pull it away suddenly from your line of sight, you can catch a glimpse of a faint, elongate yellowish pattern known as a Haidinger’s Brush. The key here is that the ends of that yellow shape point directly toward the sun."
Haidinger's Brush, image-Daniel P. B. Smith
Here is the science of how it works:
"They would have relied upon the sun's piercing rays reflected through a piece of the calcite. The trick is that light coming from 90 degrees opposite the sun will be polarised so even when the sun is below the horizon it is possible to tell where it is."
"They used the double refraction of calcite to pinpoint the sun by rotating the crystals until both sides of the double image are of equal intensity."
Historical Importance:
With the magnetic compass not reaching Europe until the 13th Century, and the astrolabe not until the 15th Century what was a Viking who wanted to explore far and wide to do on a cloudy day, or when land was no longer visible?
Well, many researchers are saying that if the Vikings had this kind of "technology" available, it lends plausibility to the Vikings sailing across the Atlantic to North America, well before Columbus did.
Yes, archaeologists have found distinctly Viking artifacts in Canada and the US, but this new discovery helps us piece together the puzzle left by these people who did not record their history.
Further, it appears they shared their secret with someone else because a sunstone had been found "in the wreck of a ship the Spanish Armada sunk [at Alderney] in 1592. Magnetic compasses had been common in Europe for some 300 years by then, but Ropars and La Floch have reason to think an optical compass...might still have been useful in these later times. 'We have verified that even only one of the cannons excavated from the ship is able to perturb a magnetic compass orientation by 90 degrees'," which would render it useless for navigation.
19 January 2012
A Viking Conference
Modern Viking Event of the Week
Dundalk, Ireland October 21, 2011
Event:
"Raiders, Traders and Innovators: The Vikings and County Louth" Exhibition and Viking Conference
Historical Importance:
These folks are taking their roots seriously. To kick off the museum exhibition, the city is hosting a landmark Viking Conference. Unlike the annual Annagassan Viking Festival, which I'm taking to be similar to the Rennaissance festivals I've been to, this was an academic affair coinciding with the confirmation of the "Vikingness" of their discovered settlement. They are focusing on what this discovery means in a global context; how Ireland fit into the westward expansion/exploration of the Scandinavians. "Amongst those scheduled to contribute include Dr. Donnchadh Ó Corráin (UCC); Dr. Eamonn Kelly; Dr. Howard Clark, Dr. Cathy Swift (University of Limerick), Dr. John Sheehan (UCC), Dr. Mark Clinton, Dr. Gareth Williams (British Museum) and Linzi Simpson."
The Viking exhibition runs until mid-February 2012. If I were in Ireland, I'd make a point to see this.
The significance of this conference is obvious. These locals have pride in their past. Pride in being a part of Viking history. Not too long ago, the word Viking brought to mind ruthless invaders. However, all we've learned about them in the last few years have brought them into a different light. Despite the violence they brought with them, they brought other important things with them too.
We'll take a look at some of these things in coming posts.
Dundalk, Ireland October 21, 2011
Event:
"Raiders, Traders and Innovators: The Vikings and County Louth" Exhibition and Viking Conference
Historical Importance:
These folks are taking their roots seriously. To kick off the museum exhibition, the city is hosting a landmark Viking Conference. Unlike the annual Annagassan Viking Festival, which I'm taking to be similar to the Rennaissance festivals I've been to, this was an academic affair coinciding with the confirmation of the "Vikingness" of their discovered settlement. They are focusing on what this discovery means in a global context; how Ireland fit into the westward expansion/exploration of the Scandinavians. "Amongst those scheduled to contribute include Dr. Donnchadh Ó Corráin (UCC); Dr. Eamonn Kelly; Dr. Howard Clark, Dr. Cathy Swift (University of Limerick), Dr. John Sheehan (UCC), Dr. Mark Clinton, Dr. Gareth Williams (British Museum) and Linzi Simpson."
The Viking exhibition runs until mid-February 2012. If I were in Ireland, I'd make a point to see this.
The significance of this conference is obvious. These locals have pride in their past. Pride in being a part of Viking history. Not too long ago, the word Viking brought to mind ruthless invaders. However, all we've learned about them in the last few years have brought them into a different light. Despite the violence they brought with them, they brought other important things with them too.
We'll take a look at some of these things in coming posts.
17 January 2012
Here there be Vikings, Not Just Legends
Historical Revelation
October 2011 Annagassan, Ireland
Unearthed September 17, 2010
Viking Fortified Settlement dated at 841 AD
Image: Luke Torris
Historical Importance:
Five years of hard work by archeologists and geophysicists, and a year's time to study (and secure funding), has proven a legend lay under a barley field in Northern Ireland. Linn Duchaill was a Viking settlement, a base where they repaired ships and hunkered down between raids, almost the oldest in Ireland and has been lost to history until now. Ned Kelly, keeper of Irish Antiquities at a local museum says,
According to Irish history, no longer legend, from Linn Duchaill the Vikings plundered the christian monastaries in County Louth, traveled 60 miles north to Armagh, and 100 miles west into Longford on multiple raids during their occupation of Linn Duchaill.
This is a fortunate find as few Viking bases have been excavated, and this will only tell us more about its inhabitants in time to come.
October 2011 Annagassan, Ireland
Unearthed September 17, 2010
Viking Fortified Settlement dated at 841 AD
Image: Luke Torris
Historical Importance:
Five years of hard work by archeologists and geophysicists, and a year's time to study (and secure funding), has proven a legend lay under a barley field in Northern Ireland. Linn Duchaill was a Viking settlement, a base where they repaired ships and hunkered down between raids, almost the oldest in Ireland and has been lost to history until now. Ned Kelly, keeper of Irish Antiquities at a local museum says,
"There's been a bit of a mystery about where exactly the site was located or what exactly the site consisted of, and antiquarians and historians and archaeologists have been trying to sort that mystery since about 1750."Things like this always make me wonder how exactly landmarks and cities are completely forgotten. All the people just left, and no one saw it again until, thousands of years later someone digs up something "old" and history is made, again.
According to Irish history, no longer legend, from Linn Duchaill the Vikings plundered the christian monastaries in County Louth, traveled 60 miles north to Armagh, and 100 miles west into Longford on multiple raids during their occupation of Linn Duchaill.
This is a fortunate find as few Viking bases have been excavated, and this will only tell us more about its inhabitants in time to come.
12 January 2012
History, as Written by the Victors
Historical Revelation of the Week:
August 2011 Oxford, England
Unearthed January 2008:
Grave Site
Contents:
35 male skeletons, aged 16 to 25
Historical Importance:
So, who were all these corpses?
While most stories may paint the most brutal picutures of these northern warriers, don’t be fooled. Remember, when Einstein said everything is relative, he meant it. What the English, or Anglo Saxons did to the Vikings in their own turn was equally atrocious. History is written by the winners and England is not called Vikingland. Keep reading to find out how this one discovery shows how true this is.
I particularly love it when we find physical evidence of old legends and lift them off the page, even if they be gruesome...
And this too, is very interesting for a number of reasons. Read on and I will tell you why.
And that's all England had in Vikings for 2011. Next week we are on to Ireland.
August 2011 Oxford, England
Unearthed January 2008:
Grave Site
Contents:
35 male skeletons, aged 16 to 25
Historical Importance:
So, who were all these corpses?
"The bodies buried at Oxford were those of vigorous males of fighting age, most between 16 and 35 years old. Most were unusually large; an examination of the muscle-attachment areas of their bones revealed extremely robust physiques. Some victims had suffered serious burns to their heads, backs, pelvic regions and arms."That just might be a good way to tell if you may have found a Viking burial site. However, that wasn't a good day to be a Viking.
While most stories may paint the most brutal picutures of these northern warriers, don’t be fooled. Remember, when Einstein said everything is relative, he meant it. What the English, or Anglo Saxons did to the Vikings in their own turn was equally atrocious. History is written by the winners and England is not called Vikingland. Keep reading to find out how this one discovery shows how true this is.
"It was obvious at the time of excavation that many of the skulls had been fractured or crushed, but after piecing these skulls back together, she found that many of them were covered in blade and puncture wounds mostly to the back of the head."
I particularly love it when we find physical evidence of old legends and lift them off the page, even if they be gruesome...
"It is possible that the Oxford skeletons were victims of an event called the St Brice's Day Massacre, recorded in a number of historical sources.
In AD 1002, the Saxon king Ethelred the Unready recorded in a charter that he ordered 'a most just extermination' of all the Danes in England.
He made the decision after he was told of a Danish plot to assassinate him."
And this too, is very interesting for a number of reasons. Read on and I will tell you why.
"The charter also recorded how on that day, the Danes in Oxford fled to St Fridewides church expecting to find refuge, but instead were pursued by the townspeople, who then set the church on fire."Vikings seeking refuge in a church? They get burned out by the English locals? On how many occasions were Vikings and other Scandinavian peoples accused of doing the same thing? Many! In fact, I think that was the favorite accusation of the Vikings from their victims. Funny how the people who accused Norse the most of sacrilegious acts burn a church at the first word of their king.
And that's all England had in Vikings for 2011. Next week we are on to Ireland.
10 January 2012
A Link in the Viking Chain
Viking Discovery of the Week:
July 1, 2011 Furness England
Unearthed: Treasure Horde
All those folks with metal detectors might be onto something...Another metal detecorist landed on Cumbria's largest to-date (always hope for more) treasure hoard, ruled as such by the local coroner and valued at over tens of thousands of pounds.
Contents:
90 silver coins and artifacts
2 Arabic Dirham coins
Several ingots
1 nearly complete bracelet
Historical Importance:
A wallet without ID makes it hard to place the person who dropped it. But this is different, this person thought they would be coming back for it, and didn't think to leave a note. Even without any identifying contents, this hoard still gives some clues about north-western England at this time. For instance, Viking expert at the British Museum, Dr. Gareth Williams sums it up nicely: "By the mid-950s, most of England had become integrated into a single kingdom, with a regulated coinage, but this part of the north-west was not integrated into the English kingdom until much later, and the hoard reflects that." And this discovery proves the Vikings were there to stir things up.
I wonder what else this discovery will tell us down the road...
July 1, 2011 Furness England
Unearthed: Treasure Horde
All those folks with metal detectors might be onto something...Another metal detecorist landed on Cumbria's largest to-date (always hope for more) treasure hoard, ruled as such by the local coroner and valued at over tens of thousands of pounds.
Contents:
90 silver coins and artifacts
2 Arabic Dirham coins
Several ingots
1 nearly complete bracelet
Historical Importance:
A wallet without ID makes it hard to place the person who dropped it. But this is different, this person thought they would be coming back for it, and didn't think to leave a note. Even without any identifying contents, this hoard still gives some clues about north-western England at this time. For instance, Viking expert at the British Museum, Dr. Gareth Williams sums it up nicely: "By the mid-950s, most of England had become integrated into a single kingdom, with a regulated coinage, but this part of the north-west was not integrated into the English kingdom until much later, and the hoard reflects that." And this discovery proves the Vikings were there to stir things up.
I wonder what else this discovery will tell us down the road...
05 January 2012
A Viking Mystery
Historical Viking Revelation of the Week
July 2011 Dorset, England
Unearthed 2009 Weymouth:
54 skeletons
51 skulls
all male and in their late teens to about 25
1 individual with intentional dental modification
Image: Oxford Archaeology
Historical Importance:
This 10th or 11th century find in Weymouth has indicated that Vikings participated in tooth filing like other Scandinavian cultures. "Teeth with neat parallel grooves have been found in Viking graves in Sweden, Denmark and England, and farther afield"
The purpose behind such an uncomfortable practice is still being sorted out by
experts. However, some pose that it was to frighten, or intimidate opponents.
Image: Oxford Archaeology
I like this idea in an amusing sort of way:
To show their furrows, the individuals would have had to smile quite broadly and to be visible from any distance they would need to be ‘coloured’. However, this would have disappeared when they ate and drank, so they would have had to reapply regularly. Their "dental bling" would have needed to be applied after meals, like lipstick, and really, how intimidating is the look of rotten teeth?
Image: Hans Splinter, Flickr.
July 2011 Dorset, England
Unearthed 2009 Weymouth:
54 skeletons
51 skulls
all male and in their late teens to about 25
1 individual with intentional dental modification
Image: Oxford Archaeology
Historical Importance:
This 10th or 11th century find in Weymouth has indicated that Vikings participated in tooth filing like other Scandinavian cultures. "Teeth with neat parallel grooves have been found in Viking graves in Sweden, Denmark and England, and farther afield"
The purpose behind such an uncomfortable practice is still being sorted out by
experts. However, some pose that it was to frighten, or intimidate opponents.
Image: Oxford Archaeology
I like this idea in an amusing sort of way:
To show their furrows, the individuals would have had to smile quite broadly and to be visible from any distance they would need to be ‘coloured’. However, this would have disappeared when they ate and drank, so they would have had to reapply regularly. Their "dental bling" would have needed to be applied after meals, like lipstick, and really, how intimidating is the look of rotten teeth?
Image: Hans Splinter, Flickr.
03 January 2012
The Truth About Vikings
Viking Discovery of the Week:
October 27, 2011 Lancashire England
Unearthed: Treasure Horde
What treasure hunter hasn’t dreamed of stumbling across the find of a lifetime? Maybe a source of not only his, but local pride? What Darren Webster found in Lancashire was not only those things, but also was once the very dear belongings of a Viking leader from around 900 AD.
Contents:
200 pieces of jewelry
Engraved Bracelets
Rings
27 coins
Hack silver
Ingots
Historical Importance:
"Big hoards such as this paint a new picture of what Vikings were doing in England," says anthropologist Stephen Oppenheimer from Oxford University, "Burying large amounts like this indicates they were settling here."
One coin, of a type never seen before, could prove that Vikings were not all just heathen, bloodthirsty invaders raping and pillaging their way across the countryside. They were, in fact, looking for a place more hospitable to settle than the frozen wastes of the North.
On one side, this coin may carry the name of Viking ruler in Northern England, one that no one has heard of before. The name Airdeconut may be a representation of the Scandinavian name Harthacnut.
On the other, it features the words DNS, abbreviation of "Dominus" and REX arranged to form a cross. This is a reminder that many Norse converted to Christianity when in England.
October 27, 2011 Lancashire England
Unearthed: Treasure Horde
What treasure hunter hasn’t dreamed of stumbling across the find of a lifetime? Maybe a source of not only his, but local pride? What Darren Webster found in Lancashire was not only those things, but also was once the very dear belongings of a Viking leader from around 900 AD.
Contents:
200 pieces of jewelry
Engraved Bracelets
Rings
27 coins
Hack silver
Ingots
|  |
Historical Importance:
"Big hoards such as this paint a new picture of what Vikings were doing in England," says anthropologist Stephen Oppenheimer from Oxford University, "Burying large amounts like this indicates they were settling here."
One coin, of a type never seen before, could prove that Vikings were not all just heathen, bloodthirsty invaders raping and pillaging their way across the countryside. They were, in fact, looking for a place more hospitable to settle than the frozen wastes of the North.
On one side, this coin may carry the name of Viking ruler in Northern England, one that no one has heard of before. The name Airdeconut may be a representation of the Scandinavian name Harthacnut.
On the other, it features the words DNS, abbreviation of "Dominus" and REX arranged to form a cross. This is a reminder that many Norse converted to Christianity when in England.
31 December 2011
2011 Reading List
Wizardry and Wild Romance: A Study of Epic Fantasy - Michael Moorcock
Red Seas Under Red Skies - Scott Lynch
Storm Glass - Maria V. Snyder
Sea Glass - Maria V. Snyder
Spy Glass - Maria V. Snyder
The Hour of the Dragon - Robert E. Howard
The Blade Itself - Joe Abercrombie
*The Iron Dragon's Daughter - Michael Swanwick
The Brotherhood of the Wolf - David Farland
The Lair of Bones - David Farland
Soulless - Gail Carriger
Changeless - Gail Carriger
*All Time Favorite Authors
Red Seas Under Red Skies - Scott Lynch
Storm Glass - Maria V. Snyder
Sea Glass - Maria V. Snyder
Spy Glass - Maria V. Snyder
The Hour of the Dragon - Robert E. Howard
The Blade Itself - Joe Abercrombie
*The Iron Dragon's Daughter - Michael Swanwick
The Brotherhood of the Wolf - David Farland
The Lair of Bones - David Farland
Soulless - Gail Carriger
Changeless - Gail Carriger
*All Time Favorite Authors
January is Viking Month
2011 was a good year for the Vikings. In pop-culture itself, they found themselves featured in the video game Skyrim and the movie Thor. I’ve also noticed an influx of Viking books and music over the last few years. Perhaps that is why I am writing this now. Historically, three discoveries were unearthed and four revelations came to light from studying former discoveries, these and their importance are what I’ll be focusing on during my month long blog dedication.
With each new discovery and revelation, we understand the Vikings a little better. In 2011 alone, we’ve learned much more about their presence in the lands they so ruthlessly, or maybe desperately invaded.
Hopefully by the end of January as we learn what the dirt reveals to us about the oft misunderstood Norse-Cultural-offshoot that are the Vikings, you’ll also have learned something new about these magnificent warriors.
With each new discovery and revelation, we understand the Vikings a little better. In 2011 alone, we’ve learned much more about their presence in the lands they so ruthlessly, or maybe desperately invaded.
Hopefully by the end of January as we learn what the dirt reveals to us about the oft misunderstood Norse-Cultural-offshoot that are the Vikings, you’ll also have learned something new about these magnificent warriors.
28 December 2011
03 December 2011
Back Again updates and news
Been really busy with a new job lately.
But I'm proud to say I've finished the 10th book of the year. That is the number of books I read last year. So, this year will be better!
Also note that I'm starting a couple new hashtag series on twitter. #
In #notmyline I'll share the worst lines I’ve found in published fiction. Some never consider how their words sound out of context, and I'll show them!
In #wishIwrotethat I'll share the best lines from published fiction that I've found. It is likely that these will come from authors I worship.
Scribings is now available!
But I'm proud to say I've finished the 10th book of the year. That is the number of books I read last year. So, this year will be better!
Also note that I'm starting a couple new hashtag series on twitter. #
In #notmyline I'll share the worst lines I’ve found in published fiction. Some never consider how their words sound out of context, and I'll show them!
In #wishIwrotethat I'll share the best lines from published fiction that I've found. It is likely that these will come from authors I worship.
Scribings is now available!
31 October 2011
Some thoughts on Revision
I'm revising. It's something I do a lot, and I like it. But with every revision, that's more time not spent either being read by editors or fandom. And more time spent further diluting the original "genius" that brought the story to life. (I guess the answer to that problem is to write more stories that I can revise.)
I'm working on this story I pulled out of the dust because I found a good publishing opportunity for it. I'd workshopped it a couple of times over a year ago, but unsatisfied with it, decided to park it for a while. When I pulled it out, I examined it thoroughly with fresh eyes and "fixed" it and workshopped it again. Now I'm making yet another pass.
While I feel like I am finally drawing the story together and polishing up to a high-shine, I am so sick of looking at it. They say that means you've read it enough. But I have my suspicions about that.
For one, I find that it just draws out the process--I'm board with it. Is it because I'm not looking at the story, which I like, as much, but making sure all the underlying technical bits are there? Going through check lists is not very exciting business (ok, I'll admit I do love crossing things off to-do lists), it's not what I love about creating stories and I wish I didn't have to do it.
What I do like about the revision process is that it is where most of my background world building takes place. It makes me ask why is it like that? And I need to explain it. I guess that's the pantser in me, because I will never know these things before I write a story. So instead of sticking to the technical stuff, I get lost in the story again. And that dilutes the original story further. Sometimes this is good, and sometimes, I just want to write yet another novel, which does not help me get the story into print.
Scribings is now available!
I'm working on this story I pulled out of the dust because I found a good publishing opportunity for it. I'd workshopped it a couple of times over a year ago, but unsatisfied with it, decided to park it for a while. When I pulled it out, I examined it thoroughly with fresh eyes and "fixed" it and workshopped it again. Now I'm making yet another pass.
While I feel like I am finally drawing the story together and polishing up to a high-shine, I am so sick of looking at it. They say that means you've read it enough. But I have my suspicions about that.
For one, I find that it just draws out the process--I'm board with it. Is it because I'm not looking at the story, which I like, as much, but making sure all the underlying technical bits are there? Going through check lists is not very exciting business (ok, I'll admit I do love crossing things off to-do lists), it's not what I love about creating stories and I wish I didn't have to do it.
What I do like about the revision process is that it is where most of my background world building takes place. It makes me ask why is it like that? And I need to explain it. I guess that's the pantser in me, because I will never know these things before I write a story. So instead of sticking to the technical stuff, I get lost in the story again. And that dilutes the original story further. Sometimes this is good, and sometimes, I just want to write yet another novel, which does not help me get the story into print.
Scribings is now available!
05 October 2011
Things Authors Can do...
19 September 2011
Joe Abercrombie's The Blade Itself
I’m one of those people who likes to make lists to keep track of things I want to do, things I want to get, books I should read etc... (and sometimes I even just add things to lists so I can cross them off). So, I had this list of books that have really great action scenes, because my action scenes need a lot of work, and completely forgot about it, like I usually do. But I recently I found and reviewed it and a funny thing happened. Coincidence? Fate’s sarcastic ways? Who knows? The book I just finished reading, Joe Abercrombie’s THE BLADE ITSELF, was on there.
Here I was just about ready to write a mostly unsavory review for it, but then all of a sudden, I realized that yeah, I had some issues with the book, but the action scenes were not on that list. That’s what I can learn from Joe Abercrombie.
The book starts with an action scene, which are usually good hooks. I can see why Abercrombie would do this as it is one of his strengths and is known as an effective kick off. In the first lines of the book we have:
What a way to kick off a story. I got sucked right into this. What is going to happen to this dude?
Every step of the way is in very close POV. Things happen as a person would see them unfold.
I wonder if Abercrombie spent hours coming up with that one, had to revise it twenty times, or if it just fell out of his fingers into the keyboard.
Especially with Logen, all the action scenes painted him kind of a clumsy old washout who really wouldn’t survive without a lot of help or the similar ineptitude of his fellow men. This makes him feel more human by our standards, and helps us relate to him. But we also wonder how the hell he got his badass reputation. All the characters, too, when put in tight situations were very worried and not sure of what to do next. This is very human and relatable. No one knows the future or can be 100% sure of the result of their actions. Surprise is a frequent result of the action=reaction equation, at least for this girl.
So that was the beginning. Let’s quickly look at a fencing match in the middle.
Hmm ok, not too much action in this one at first glance…but it creates a sense of suspense, and we know that it is fencing, so that’s action right? I think that’s another of his tricks. He gets so down to the detail, using them to make readers see the concerns and holding off on the actual action, which is what makes the story move forward (ya know, people actually doing things). I also really like the description “fished around in the air with his long steel.” It’s a good action verb and imagery all in one.
And bear with me. One more action scene from the end. And this one really kicks ass! (spoiler haters be warned)
The talk was done. Stone-Splitter came at him with axe in one hand and mace in the other, great heavy weapons, though he used them quick enough. The mace swung across, smashed a great hole through the glass in one of the windows. The axe came down, split one timber of the table in half, made the plates jump in the air, the candlesticks topple. The Bloody-Nine twitched away, frog hopping, waiting for his time.
The mace missed his shoulder by an inch as he rolled across the table, cracked one of the big flat stones on the floor, split it down the middle, chips flying through the air. Stone-Splitter roared, swinging his weapons, smashing a chair in half, knocking a chunk of stone out of the fireplace, chopping a great gash in the wall. His axe stuck fast in the wood for a moment and the Bloody-Nine’s sword flashed over, broke the haft into splintered halves, leaving the Stone-Splitter with a broken stick in his paw. He flung it away and hefted the mace, came on even harder, swinging it round with furious bellows.
The biggest thing here? SHOWING. The strength of the enemy-risk. The effects of weapons on things other than people-risk and tension. Weapons breaking, building destruction-this is intense! “a broken stick in his paw,” the imagery again. Step by step unfolding of the mortal dance.
However, here, as it is the end of the book, it is less holding back and examining the details and more the full tilt ahead desperation of the time to win or die. It is just as rough and intense if not more so than at the beginning. Abercrombie’s energy does not flag. I think he wrote this entire book just so he could write this fight scene (I did not include all of it, and it does get better).
Aside from the action, I did learn a couple more things from this book. The way he handled his six main POVs (heh, you think this is an epic fantasy?) is rather interesting. All but one of them were usually in the same place at the same time. They were all overlapping witnesses to the same events, sometimes simultaneously, or from different times with different insights. It allows build up of tension and suspense as well as a sense of intrigue and gives the story a feel of space in a small setting. I like this, but haven’t seen it a lot in my reading and wish I could see it more than the usual display of all the different POV characters in a different part of the world as the story goes.
And then, there was always that POV thread out in the world letting us know what was on the horizon for the main clutch of characters.
This book is representative of a new voice who doesn’t follow all the rules, but at the same time you can tell this was his first work, or an early work, as it has an “unpolished” feel along with, or maybe because of, the newness. (But who am I to say anything about this?) It also works for the book’s noir, gritty feel.
I noticed a problem with hissing speakers. This word showed up numerous times as a speech tag, and not when any words ended in “s.”
There were a lot of exclamation points, but for some reason they didn’t bother me. Point for Abercrombie there.
The enemy-out-of-sight, the Shanka, are never really described very well, other than having the nickname “flatheads.” And as Abercrombie obviously has good imagery skills, I don’t know why he didn’t do this.
There was also a major reveal about a main character in the last twenty-or-so pages (totally done on purpose and I’m not sure I like it-maybe it just needed to be done more artfully) and the whole book was a set up for...the next one. Usually in epic fantasy, the first book in a trilogy resolves at least one semi-major plot arc. Nope, not here...“sorry, go buy the next book...” Good thing Borders is in its last weeks. Organization like this may be what makes me feel that this book is unpolished, or written by an inexperienced writer.
But in the end, the story is there and I cared about the characters, and of course, the action is full tilt all the way through.
Now how about you go and see if what I discovered above helps you improve your action scenes. I know it’s going to help mine.
Scribings is now available!
Submissions out (Sheesh... I don't even know what those are anymore!)
Flash: 0
Short: 0
Agent: 0
Here I was just about ready to write a mostly unsavory review for it, but then all of a sudden, I realized that yeah, I had some issues with the book, but the action scenes were not on that list. That’s what I can learn from Joe Abercrombie.
The book starts with an action scene, which are usually good hooks. I can see why Abercrombie would do this as it is one of his strengths and is known as an effective kick off. In the first lines of the book we have:
Logen plunged through the trees, bare feet slipping and sliding on the wet earth, the slush, the wet pine needles, breath rasping in his chest, blood thumping in his head. He stumbled and sprawled onto his side, nearly cut his chest open with his own axe, lay there panting, peering through the shadowy forest.
The Dogman had been with him until a moment before, he was sure, but there wasn’t any sign of him now. As for the others, there was no telling. Some leader, getting split up from his boys like that. He should’ve been trying to get back, but the Shanka were all around. He could feel them moving between the trees, his nose was full of the smell of them. Sounded as if there was some shouting somewhere on his left, fighting maybe. Logen crept slowly to his feet, trying to stay quiet. A twig snapped and he whipped round.
There was a spear coming at him. A cruel-looking spear, coming at him fast with a Shanka on the other end of it.
What a way to kick off a story. I got sucked right into this. What is going to happen to this dude?
Good action verbs: Plunged, slipped, stumbled
Imagery: wet pine needles
What’s going on in the body: blood thumping, air rasping
Risk/loss: stumbling almost kills himself,
Uncertainty: doesn’t know where his friends are, doesn’t know where his enemies are
Every step of the way is in very close POV. Things happen as a person would see them unfold.
I wonder if Abercrombie spent hours coming up with that one, had to revise it twenty times, or if it just fell out of his fingers into the keyboard.
Especially with Logen, all the action scenes painted him kind of a clumsy old washout who really wouldn’t survive without a lot of help or the similar ineptitude of his fellow men. This makes him feel more human by our standards, and helps us relate to him. But we also wonder how the hell he got his badass reputation. All the characters, too, when put in tight situations were very worried and not sure of what to do next. This is very human and relatable. No one knows the future or can be 100% sure of the result of their actions. Surprise is a frequent result of the action=reaction equation, at least for this girl.
So that was the beginning. Let’s quickly look at a fencing match in the middle.
“Begin!”
They closed quickly this time, and exchanged a cut or two.
Jezal could hardly believe how slowly his opponent was moving, it was as if his swords weighed a ton each. Broya fished around in the air with his long steel, trying to use his reach to pin Jezal down. He had barely used his short steel yet, let alone coordinated the two. Worse still, he was starting to look out of breath, and they’d barely been fencing two minutes.
Hmm ok, not too much action in this one at first glance…but it creates a sense of suspense, and we know that it is fencing, so that’s action right? I think that’s another of his tricks. He gets so down to the detail, using them to make readers see the concerns and holding off on the actual action, which is what makes the story move forward (ya know, people actually doing things). I also really like the description “fished around in the air with his long steel.” It’s a good action verb and imagery all in one.
And bear with me. One more action scene from the end. And this one really kicks ass! (spoiler haters be warned)
The talk was done. Stone-Splitter came at him with axe in one hand and mace in the other, great heavy weapons, though he used them quick enough. The mace swung across, smashed a great hole through the glass in one of the windows. The axe came down, split one timber of the table in half, made the plates jump in the air, the candlesticks topple. The Bloody-Nine twitched away, frog hopping, waiting for his time.
The mace missed his shoulder by an inch as he rolled across the table, cracked one of the big flat stones on the floor, split it down the middle, chips flying through the air. Stone-Splitter roared, swinging his weapons, smashing a chair in half, knocking a chunk of stone out of the fireplace, chopping a great gash in the wall. His axe stuck fast in the wood for a moment and the Bloody-Nine’s sword flashed over, broke the haft into splintered halves, leaving the Stone-Splitter with a broken stick in his paw. He flung it away and hefted the mace, came on even harder, swinging it round with furious bellows.
The biggest thing here? SHOWING. The strength of the enemy-risk. The effects of weapons on things other than people-risk and tension. Weapons breaking, building destruction-this is intense! “a broken stick in his paw,” the imagery again. Step by step unfolding of the mortal dance.
However, here, as it is the end of the book, it is less holding back and examining the details and more the full tilt ahead desperation of the time to win or die. It is just as rough and intense if not more so than at the beginning. Abercrombie’s energy does not flag. I think he wrote this entire book just so he could write this fight scene (I did not include all of it, and it does get better).
Aside from the action, I did learn a couple more things from this book. The way he handled his six main POVs (heh, you think this is an epic fantasy?) is rather interesting. All but one of them were usually in the same place at the same time. They were all overlapping witnesses to the same events, sometimes simultaneously, or from different times with different insights. It allows build up of tension and suspense as well as a sense of intrigue and gives the story a feel of space in a small setting. I like this, but haven’t seen it a lot in my reading and wish I could see it more than the usual display of all the different POV characters in a different part of the world as the story goes.
And then, there was always that POV thread out in the world letting us know what was on the horizon for the main clutch of characters.
This book is representative of a new voice who doesn’t follow all the rules, but at the same time you can tell this was his first work, or an early work, as it has an “unpolished” feel along with, or maybe because of, the newness. (But who am I to say anything about this?) It also works for the book’s noir, gritty feel.
I noticed a problem with hissing speakers. This word showed up numerous times as a speech tag, and not when any words ended in “s.”
There were a lot of exclamation points, but for some reason they didn’t bother me. Point for Abercrombie there.
The enemy-out-of-sight, the Shanka, are never really described very well, other than having the nickname “flatheads.” And as Abercrombie obviously has good imagery skills, I don’t know why he didn’t do this.
There was also a major reveal about a main character in the last twenty-or-so pages (totally done on purpose and I’m not sure I like it-maybe it just needed to be done more artfully) and the whole book was a set up for...the next one. Usually in epic fantasy, the first book in a trilogy resolves at least one semi-major plot arc. Nope, not here...“sorry, go buy the next book...” Good thing Borders is in its last weeks. Organization like this may be what makes me feel that this book is unpolished, or written by an inexperienced writer.
But in the end, the story is there and I cared about the characters, and of course, the action is full tilt all the way through.
Now how about you go and see if what I discovered above helps you improve your action scenes. I know it’s going to help mine.
Scribings is now available!
Submissions out (Sheesh... I don't even know what those are anymore!)
Flash: 0
Short: 0
Agent: 0
21 August 2011
Can you find me in Grit City today?
Today, I'm blogging at The Gritty Blog, Grit City Serial's blog, about why I decided to publish an ebook.
Currently Reading The Blade Itself by Joe Abercrombie
Scribings is now available!
Submissions out
Flash: 0
Short: 0
Agent: 0
Currently Reading The Blade Itself by Joe Abercrombie
Scribings is now available!
Submissions out
Flash: 0
Short: 0
Agent: 0
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