Feasting the Dead: Food and Drink in Anglo-Saxon Burial Rituals (Anglo-Saxon Studies)

193 Pages·2007·1.57 MB·English

by  Christina Lee

spine 20 A db
15/04/07
Anglo-Saxon Studies
Elves in Anglo-Saxon England
Matters of Belief, Health, Gender and Identity
Anglo-Saxons were not only frequently
ALARIC HALL
buried with material artefacts ranging from
Anglo-Saxon elves (Old English ælfe) are one of the best attested non-
pots to clothing to jewellery, they were also
Christian beliefs in early medieval Europe. Integrating linguistic and
often buried with items of food; the funeral
textual approaches, this book reassesses the full range of evidence. It
ritual itself was sometimes marked by
traces continuities and changes in medieval non-Christian beliefs, from
pre-conversion times to the eleventh century and beyond, and uses feasting, even at the graveside.
comparative material from medieval Ireland and Scandinavia to argue for a Christina Lee examines the place of
dynamic relationship between beliefs and society. It interprets the cultural food and feasting in funeral rituals from
significance of elves as a cause of illness in medical texts, and provides new the earliest period to the eleventh century,
insights into the much-discussed Scandinavian magic of seiðððrr;; elf-beliefs
considering the changes and transformations
were also connected with Anglo-Saxon constructions of sex and gender, and
that occurred during this time. She
their changing nature provides a rare insight into a fascinating area of early
draws on a wide range of sources, from
medieval European culture.
archaeological evidence to the existing texts;
she is concerned particularly to look at
The Art of the Anglo-Saxon Goldsmith
representations of funeral feasting and how
it functioned as a tool for memory, shedding
ELIZABETH COATSWORTH, MICHAEL PINDER
light on the relationship between the living
In its sharp observation, lucid presentation, and masterful synthesis of information,
and the dead.
[this book] represents a significant and most welcome contribution to early medieval
archaeology, art history, and history of science. TECHNOLOGY & CULTURE CHRISTINA LEE is a lecturer in the School
Throughout the Anglo-Saxon period, goldsmiths produced work of a high of English Studies at the University of
standard in both design and craftsmanship. This book is the first to look at Nottingham.
the goldsmiths’ products through the eyes of both a specialist in the period
and a practical craftsman, combining close examination of the surface and Jacket: Feasting, from the Cotton Julius A vi.
structure of the objects with analysis of inscriptions and evidence for design, Calendar, f.4 v (British Library).
and with literary and visual sources of evidence for smiths and their work.
Evidence for workshops, tools and working processes is assessed, and tech-
nical information on materials and techniques throws light on manufacturing
and decorative processes, and gives a fresh idea of the position of the
goldsmith in society.
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Anglo-Saxon Studies 9
FEASTING THE DEAD
Food and Drink in
Anglo-Saxon Burial Rituals
Anglo-Saxon Studies
ISSN 1475–2468
General Editors
John Hines
Catherine Cubitt
‘Anglo-SaxonStudies’aimstoprovideaforumforthebestscholarship
ontheAnglo-SaxonpeoplesintheperiodfromtheendofRomanBritain
totheNormanConquest,includingcomparativestudiesinvolvingadja-
cent populations and periods; both new research and major re-
assessments of central topics are welcomed.
OriginallyfoundedbyProfessorDavidDumvilleas‘StudiesinAnglo-
SaxonHistory’,theserieshasnowbroadenedinscopeunderneweditor-
ship to take in any one of the principal disciplines of archaeology, art
history,history,languageandliterature,andinter-ormulti-disciplinary
studies are encouraged.
Proposals or enquiries may be sent directly to the editors or the
publisher at the addresses given below; all submissions will receive
prompt and informed consideration.
Professor John Hines, Cardiff School of History and Archaeology,
Cardiff University, Colum Drive, Cardiff, Wales, UK CF10 3EU
Dr Catherine Cubitt, Centre for Medieval Studies, University of York,
The King’s Manor, York, England, UK YO1 7EP
Boydell&Brewer,POBox9,Woodbridge,Suffolk,England,UKIP12
3DF
Previously published titles are listed at the back of this volume
FEASTING THE DEAD
Food and Drink in
Anglo-Saxon Burial Rituals
Christina Lee
THE BOYDELL PRESS
© Christina Lee 2007
All Rights Reserved.Except as permitted under current legislation
no part of this work may be photocopied, stored in a retrieval system,
published, performed in public, adapted, broadcast,
transmitted, recorded or reproduced in any form or by any means,
without the prior permission of the copyright owner
The right of Christina Lee to be identified
as the author of this work has been asserted in accordance with
sections 77 and 78 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988
First published 2007
The Boydell Press, Woodbridge
ISBN 1 84383 142 2
ISBN 978 1 84383 142 6
The Boydell Press is an imprint of Boydell & Brewer Ltd
PO Box 9, Woodbridge, Suffolk IP12 3DF, UK
and of Boydell & Brewer Inc.
668 Mt Hope Avenue, Rochester, NY 14620, USA
website: www.boydellandbrewer.com
A catalogue record of this publication is available
from the British Library
This publication is printed on acid-free paper
Typeset by Pru Harrison, Hacheston, Suffolk
Printed in Great Britain by
Antony Rowe Ltd, Chippenham, Wiltshire
Contents
List of illustrations vii
Preface ix
Abbreviations xiii
Introduction 1
1 Eorðan wæstmas: a feast for the living 17
2 Bare bones: animals in cemeteries 51
3 Pots, buckets and cauldrons: the inventory of feasting 72
4 Last orders? 87
5 The grateful dead: feasting and memory 104
6 Feasting between the margins 126
Conclusion 146
Bibliography 149
Index 171
Für meine Eltern
List of Illustrations
Plates(betweenpages50–51)
1 ‘Feasting’, from the illustration for April in the Cotton Julius A.vi manuscript
(image by kind permission © The British Library. All Rights Reserved)
2 ‘Tending hogs’, from the illustration for September in the Cotton Julius A.vi
manuscript (image by kind permission © The British Library. All Rights Reserved)
3 Copper-alloy hanging bowl from Hough-on-the-Hill (image by kind permission
of the Lincolnshire County Council, The Collection, Art and Archaeology in
Lincolnshire)
4 Cemetery map of Edix Hill (Barrington A, Cambridgeshire), reprinted from
T. Malim and J. Hines, The Anglo-Saxon Cemetery at Edix Hill. Drawing by Tim
Malim, published with kind permission of the author
5 Detail of G 18, Edix Hill, showing the bucket remains at the foot end of the
grave. Drawing by Tim Malim, published with kind permission of the author
6 The Sutton Hoo drinking horns (image by kind permission of the British
Museum © The Trustees of the British Museum)
7 Maple drinking vessel from mound 1, Sutton Hoo (image by kind permission of
the British Museum © The Trustees of the British Museum)
8 Cemetery map of Melbourn, Cambridgeshire, showing post hole structures,
reprinted from PCAS 48 (2003), 126. Drawing by Joan Lightning (published with
kind permission of the editor of PCAS, Alison Taylor © Cambridge Antiquarian
Society)
Figures
1 Species and age distribution, Casteldyke South 65
2 Correlation between animal bone remains and age in graves, Butler’s Field 66
3 Distribution of vessels according to sex, Castledyke South 77
4 Vessel distribution, Butler’s Field 78
5 Correlation between burial position and pottery inclusion in inhumation 80
graves, Castledyke South
6 Correlation between gender and pottery in inhumation graves, 81
Castledyke South
vii
List of Illustrations
Tables
1a Distribution of animal bone according to sex, Castledyke South 63
1b Distribution of animal bone according to sex, Butler’s Field 63
Theauthorhasmadeeveryefforttotracecopyrightforillustrativematerialwithin
this book. Apologies are offered for any omissions in this regard, and the
publisherswillbepleasedtoaddanynecessaryacknowledgementinsubsequent
editions.
viii
Preface
The idea for the book came from two directions. During the completion of my
PhDdissertationonfoodanddrinksymbolisminAnglo-SaxoncultureIbecame
awarethatmanypre-Christiangravesseemtocontainanimalbone,thepurposeof
whichwasleftlargelyunexplained.Whereasspeciesreportsarenowhabitually
part of an archaeological examination, osteological evaluations are still mostly
placedatthebackofpublicationsin‘specialistreports’.Thiscreatestheimpres-
sionthatanimalboneisnotpartofthegraveinventory.However,thejointsand
potscontainingfoodwereclearlymeanttobedeliberateinclusions,andshould
therefore be studied in the grave context.1
The second motive for writing the book came from personal observation.
SinceImovedtoEnglandIhavenotonlybecomeawareofdifferentfoods,many
ofwhichrefertospecialoccasions,butalsoofthesignificanceofdifferentways
of consumption. Table manners require the mastering of a multitude of rules,
whichhavetobelearnedbytheforeignerjustasmuchasthelanguage.Doyou
serveyourselfordoyouwaittobeserved?Howmuchfoodshouldyouconsume,
without appearing to be a greedy or fussy eater? Additionally, some British
communities will have special eating rules, such as using the right hand only,
whereas other English-speaking people have different manners altogether, as
Americans,forexample,donotusetheirknivestomovefoodaroundtheirplates.
Inmostcasesneglectingtheseruleswillnotmattertothehost,butfortheincomer
wantingto‘blendin’itisalmostimpossibleto‘unlearn’habits.Sincetheconver-
sion to Christianity is supposed to have influenced many changes in the eating
habits of the Anglo-Saxons, as for example, monastic and clerical rules, which
madetheeatingofcertainfoodsundesirable(suchashorseflesh),orwhichintro-
ducednewmannersofconsumption(suchasfastingandthereplacementoffish
for meat), it is interesting to question the length of the transition process.2
1 Recentexcavationreports,suchasWestHeslerton,placeanimalboneinthecontextofthegrave:C.
HaughtonandD.Powleslandetal.,WestHeslerton:theAngliancemetery,2vols(Yedingham:Land-
scape Research Centre, 1999).
2 Interesting work has been done on food preferences and identity in prehistoric and Norse-settled
communities.LilianaJanik,forexample,claimsthatprehistoricEuropeancommunitiesdidnotjust
consumethefoodstuffsthatwereavailable,butshowedclear,culturallydependenteatingpreferences;
‘Changingparadigms:foodasametaphorforculturalidentityamongtheprehistoricfisher-gatherer-
huntercommunitiesofNorthernEurope,in:M.Parker-Pearsoned.,Food,CultureandIdentityinthe
NeolithicandEarlyBronzeAge,BARInternationalSeries1117(2003),113–23.JamesBarretthas
shownthatthearrivaloftheVikingsintheOrkneyIslescanbetracedthroughincreasedquantitiesof
fishboneinthewastedeposits;J.Barrett,R.BeukensandR.Nicholsen,‘Dietandethnicityduringthe
Viking colonization of northern Scotland: evidence from fishbones and stable carbon isotopes’,
Antiquity75 (2001), 145–54.
ix