Winters in the World: A Journey Through the Anglo-Saxon Year

Winters in the World: A Journey Through the Anglo-Saxon Year by Eleanor Parker

From the publisher:

Interweaving literature, history, and religion, an exquisite meditation on the turning of the seasons in medieval England.

Winters in the World is a beautifully observed journey through the cycle of the year in Anglo-Saxon England, exploring the festivals, customs, and traditions linked to the different seasons. Drawing on a wide variety of source material, including poetry, histories, and religious literature, Eleanor Parker investigates how Anglo-Saxons felt about the annual passing of the seasons and the profound relationship they saw between human life and the rhythms of nature. Many of the festivals celebrated in the United Kingdom today have their roots in the Anglo-Saxon period, and this book traces their surprising history while unearthing traditions now long forgotten. It celebrates some of the finest treasures of medieval literature and provides an imaginative connection to the Anglo-Saxon world.

Eleanor Parker is a lecturer in medieval English literature at Brasenose College, University of Oxford. She writes regularly for publications including History Today and BBC History Magazine, and she is the author of Dragon Lords: The History and Legends of Viking England and Conquered: The Last Children of Anglo-Saxon England.