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In Search of the Real Middle Earth

Tolkien's world of ogres, goblins, elves and fairies is more popular today than ever but, as this well-written and interesting study shows, it was not entirely fantastical. Bates argues that the tribal world of early medieval Europe, encapsulating Celts, Anglo-Saxons and Vikings, was a genuine Middle Earth. These pragmatic people were inspired by their belief that the landscape around them was imbued with magical properties. Combining archaeology with social and cultural history, as well as psychological research, this book takes us on a tour of Britain, Iceland, Scandinavia and the northern continent to show how these ancient beliefs manifested themselves in the archaeological and physical landscape that we can see around us today. The Lord of the Rings is a constant guide on this tour of burial mounds, woods, settlements, wells and chalk figures, along with Beowulf and a multitude of other heroes, warriors and kings. 292p, 26 b/w and col pls (Sidgwick and Jackson 2002, Pb 2003)

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