Stephen Pollington

Stephen Pollington has been writing books on early mediaeval topics since 1990 when his 'The Warrior's Way' was published to coincide with the thousand-year anniversary of the battle at Maldon, Essex, in 991 AD. The battle is commemorated in a lengthy Old English poem which Stephen translated and used as the central platform for a discussion of the later Viking Age in England. The book was published by Blandford Press, an imprint of Cassell. A long-term association with the newly-founded Anglo-Saxon Books began at this time, which resulted in publication of two small volumes: ‘Rudiments of Runelore’ and ‘An Introduction to the Old English Language and its Literature’. 'Rudiments', as it is now usually known, proved a popular and inexpensive introduction to the subject. Following this, Stephen devised a topic-specific dictionary - from Modern to Old English, something which had not been attempted since the 19th century. 'Wordcraft' became popular with students wishing to compose verse or prose in Old English, as well as with re-enactors and living historians wanting to acquire some specific vocabulary: medical, military, commercial, religious and the like. A more detailed work followed, 'The English Warrior', centred on the role of the military in early mediaeval times as well as the equipment used (swords, spears, mailcoats and helmets) and the life of military men on and off the battlefield. Discussion touched on the superstitions and beliefs surrounding warfare, a subject to which Stephen returned some years later in 'Elder Gods'. A detailed textual treatment of medical practice was the next project, 'Leechcraft', in which three important medical documents (Old English Herbarium, Lacnunga, Bald's Leechbook III) were offered in the original with facing-page translations, accompanied by an outline of herbal medicine, surgery, charms and incantations and many other topics which impinge on the practice of healing. Mediaeval social life centred around the institution known as the 'mead-hall' and the distribution of strong drink as a social event, which was the focus for Stephen's next work: 'Mead Hall: The Feasting Tradition in Anglo-Saxon England'. Alongside quotations from Old English, Latin and Norse documents with translations, Stephen took the opportunity to discuss the archaeological evidence for physical structures, the vessels used to create and distribute strong drink, the forms and meanings of the rituals undertaken and their importance in maintaining social structures. The book proved very popular and has been reprinted several times. Students wishing to learn Old English are often faced with a mass of terminology which becomes a barrier to understanding. To get round this problem, Stephen developed a language course aimed at students working without a tutor: 'First Steps in Old English'. The idea was to provide only as much grammar as is necessary to understand the language. The book is also sold alongside two CDs of readings in the language. Stephen's voice recordings have been used in a number of television and radio programmes, where his readings from poetry and the Chronicle have been very popular. In order to set in context the aristocratic burials known from Anglo-Saxon times, a study was produced outlining the practice of mound-burial alongside a regional listing of the known 'barrows' as they are called, many of which no longer exist. The book 'Anglo-Saxon Burial Mounds' resulted from Stephen's attempts to locate them in the modern landscape using archaeology and place-name evidence. Archaeology and literary evidence were also used in combination for the wide-ranging study of art and material culture in northern Europe from the Iron Age into the mediaeval period: 'Wayland's Work: Anglo-Saxon Art, Myth and Material Culture from the 4th to the 7th century'. A study (with Paul Mortimer) of the mysterious ‘stone’ from Sutton Hoo was produced examining how the item was made – based on the production of a museum-quality replica by two modern craftsmen: ‘Remaking the Sutton Hoo Stone’. The study of myth and how it is possible to tease out details of historical facts, legends and myths formed the inspiration for 'Elder Gods: The Otherworld in Early England'. A two-volume work on runes (Runes: L'Ecriture des Anciens Germains) was produced in French expanded from a wide-ranging survey 'Runes: Literacy in the Germanic Iron Age'. Stephen has returned to the subject of runic studies in his most recent offering: 'Runes: A Guide to Their History and Usage' which is published by Chesterwell Press. Alongside book writing, Stephen teaches Old English (both language and cultural history) with the City Literary Institute, London. He lives near the ancient city of Colchester and explores the surrounding countryside with a historical eye.