Leszek GardelaStaffs are some of the oldest ritual tools in human history, serving as important attributes of gods and supernatural beings.
Created from specific materials, endowed with supernatural qualities through the words and gestures that their bearers employed, these were powerful objects with a multitude of applications.
This book investigates the idea of (magic) staffs in the worldviews of the Viking Age Scandinavians and discusses their meanings using both literature and archaeology.
Based on a comprehensive study of Old Norse texts and previously unknown archaeological evidence, it provides a history of these objects and uncovers their various forms, purposes and symbolism.
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