Embers of the Hands: Hidden Histories of the Viking Age

Hnefatafl was the most popular board game in the Viking Age, literally translated “fist table” (236). The game was played on a grid with pieces like chess; the most important was the king piece, who started in the center of the board and had to make it out to the edge. The rules of the game are explained in saga riddles, and pieces appear frequently in burials and archaeological sites. Barraclough says a king piece placed in a dead man’s mouth was an intentional act of storytelling, emphasizing the significance of the game and the widespread understanding of its symbols in the Norse world.

A kenning was a metaphorical way of describing something, often including “word riddles full of unexpected imagery and mythological references” (230) that would have been familiar to listeners at the time. The phrase “embers of the hands” in the book’s title is a kenning for “gold.” Kennings appear frequently in the sagas and poems Barraclough quotes, and she interprets them to explain their contextual significance. For example: “A kenning for ‘battle’ might be ‘the furious rain of sword points,’ […]. Others are more complicated double kennings, such as the ‘white roof of the reindeer-sea’, which refers to the sky (for which you first must work out that the ‘reindeer-sea’ refers to the land)” (230).

Runes are characters in a Germanic alphabet used throughout the Norse world. Their origins are unknown; however, their similarities to the Latin alphabet indicate contact with the Roman Empire. They changed over time and take two forms: Older Futhark and Younger Futhark. Runes had both meanings and sounds, so they could be used to create messages with double meanings. Though runes might have been “originally reserved for a particular segment of society, an elite group” (7), eventually most people knew basic runes. 

Notably, many runes the author cites appear on everyday items and include a name followed by “owns this” or “made this,” conveying a sense of respect for property and craftsmanship. Since they were the only form of writing in the Norse world, Barraclough uses them to make inferences about the intangible elements of human experience, explaining, “through runes, we come within touching distance of the people of the past: a kaleidoscope of voices, experiences, emotions, relationships and beliefs” (42).

A saga is a prose narrative; the word “saga” comes from the Old Norse for an oral account. Written sagas tell the history of Scandinavia and include legendary figures related to its past. Most sagas come from Iceland. Sturluson’s Heimskringla blends historical facts and folklore to tell the history of Norway. Many sagas are named for the person they describe: Egils saga or Eriks saga. Barraclough cites these to draw inferences about culture and society.

Skaldic verse is a complex form of poetry that uses riddling wordplay and alliteration, hidden meanings, and kennings. The authors were called skalds, or poets. The names of elite skalds still survive along with the stories they told. Some rose to prominence as a result of their skill, while others were elites who had time to learn. The allusions and metaphors in skaldic verse must be carefully pulled apart to understand the whole, but they are troves of information about travel and exploration, legendary figures, and religious beliefs.