Where are the wīcs in Old English poetry?

Book chapter


Bintley, M. 2015. Where are the wīcs in Old English poetry? in: Boulton, M., Hawkes, J. and Herman, M. (ed.) The Art, Literature and Material Culture of the Medieval World: Transition, Transformation and Taxonomy Dublin Four Courts Press.
AuthorsBintley, M.
EditorsBoulton, M., Hawkes, J. and Herman, M.
Abstract

Although various settlement types and architectural forms are described or alluded to in Old English poetry, there is little evidence for the major wīc sites that have emerged from the archaeological record in recent decades, which can be broadly defined as large, pre-Viking mercantile settlements characterized by a harbour. This chapter will begin by discussing the various meanings of the term wīc, before outlining the form of the maritime and riparian settlements at Southampton, London, Ipswich and York to which it was attached. This evidence will then be contrasted with the lack of evidence for their existence in Old English poetry, from which, although they are almost entirely absent, there remains some indication of how they may have been perceived. The discussion concludes by suggesting several possible reasons for this absence: the gradual pace of their development and decline; their possible lack of distinction from other contemporary settlements and attendant power structures; a functionality which did not merit poetic celebration; or simply the familiar difficulties associated with the dating and survival of Old English poetry.

Year2015
Book titleThe Art, Literature and Material Culture of the Medieval World: Transition, Transformation and Taxonomy
PublisherFour Courts Press
Output statusPublished
Place of publicationDublin
ISBN9781846825613
Publication dates
PrintJun 2015
Publication process dates
Deposited16 Jul 2015
Related URLhttp://www.fourcourtspress.ie/books/2015/the-art-literature-and-material-culture-of-the-medieval-world/contents
Permalink -

https://repository.canterbury.ac.uk/item/8763y/where-are-the-wi-cs-in-old-english-poetry

  • 65
    total views
  • 0
    total downloads
  • 0
    views this month
  • 0
    downloads this month

Export as

Related outputs

Landscapes of concealment and revelation in the Brut Narratives: Geoffrey of Monmouth, Wace, and Laȝamon
Hicks, Leonie V. and Bintley, Michael D.J. 2022. Landscapes of concealment and revelation in the Brut Narratives: Geoffrey of Monmouth, Wace, and Laȝamon. in: Church, S.D. (ed.) Anglo-Norman Studies 44. Proceedings of the Battle Conference 2021 Woodbridge Boydell Press. pp. 137-52
O what we ben! discovering post-apocalyptic landscapes in Andreas and Riddley Walker
Overall, S. and Bintley, M. 2017. O what we ben! discovering post-apocalyptic landscapes in Andreas and Riddley Walker. Being Human Festival 2017. Nov 2017
'How deserted lies the city, once so full of people': the reclamation of intramural space in Anglo-Saxon lIterature
Bintley, M. 2017. 'How deserted lies the city, once so full of people': the reclamation of intramural space in Anglo-Saxon lIterature. in: Boulton, M., Hawkes, J. and Stoner, H. (ed.) Place and Space in the Medieval World New York Routledge. pp. 63-73
Introduction: Stasis in the Medieval West?: Questioning change and continuity
Symons, V., Wellesley, M. and Bintley, M. 2017. Introduction: Stasis in the Medieval West?: Questioning change and continuity. in: Bintley, M., Locker, M., Symons, V. and Wellesley, M. (ed.) Stasis in the Medieval West?: Questioning Change and Continuity New York Palgrave Macmillan. pp. 1-26
Beacons of belief: seasonal change and sacred trees in Britain from prehistory to the later Middle Ages
Bintley, M. 2017. Beacons of belief: seasonal change and sacred trees in Britain from prehistory to the later Middle Ages. in: Bintley, M., Locker, M., Symons, V. and Wellesley, M. (ed.) Stasis in the Medieval West?: Questioning Change and Continuity New York Palgrave Macmillan. pp. 27-45
Plant life in the poetic edda
Bintley, M. 2016. Plant life in the poetic edda. in: Thomson, S. and Bintley, M. (ed.) Sensory Perception in the Medieval West Turnhout Brepols. pp. 227-244
Trees in the religions of early medieval England
Bintley, M. 2015. Trees in the religions of early medieval England. Martlesham Boydell Press.
Where the wild things are in Old English poetry
Bintley, M. 2015. Where the wild things are in Old English poetry. in: Representing Beasts in Early Medieval England and Scandinavia Boydell Press.
Representing beasts in early medieval England and Scandinavia: an introduction
Bintley, M. and Williams, T. 2015. Representing beasts in early medieval England and Scandinavia: an introduction. in: Bintley, M. and Williams, T. (ed.) Representing Beasts in Early Medieval England and Scandinavia Martlesham Boydell Press.
The translation of St Oswald’s relics to New Minster, Gloucester: royal and imperial resonances
Bintley, M. 2014. The translation of St Oswald’s relics to New Minster, Gloucester: royal and imperial resonances. Anglo-Saxon Studies in Archaeology and History. 19, pp. 171-181.
Introduction to Trees and timber in the Anglo-Saxon world
Bintley, M. and Shapland, M. 2013. Introduction to Trees and timber in the Anglo-Saxon world. in: Bintley, M. and Shapland, M. (ed.) Trees and Timber in the Anglo-Saxon World Oxford Oxford University Press.
Brungen of Bearwe: ploughing common furrows in Exeter Book Riddle 21, The Dream of the Rood, and the Æcerbot Charm
Bintley, M. 2013. Brungen of Bearwe: ploughing common furrows in Exeter Book Riddle 21, The Dream of the Rood, and the Æcerbot Charm. in: Bintley, M. and Shapland, M. (ed.) Trees and Timber in the Anglo-Saxon World Oxford Oxford University Press.
Recasting the role of sacred trees in Anglo-Saxon spiritual history: the South Sandbach Cross "Ancestors of Christ" panel in its cultural contexts
Bintley, M. 2013. Recasting the role of sacred trees in Anglo-Saxon spiritual history: the South Sandbach Cross "Ancestors of Christ" panel in its cultural contexts. in: Bintley, M. and Shapland, M. (ed.) Trees and Timber in the Anglo-Saxon World Oxford Oxford University Press.
City of the living dead: The Old English Andreas as urban horror narrative
Bintley, M. 2013. City of the living dead: The Old English Andreas as urban horror narrative. Horror Studies. 4 (1), pp. 3-20. https://doi.org/10.1386/host.4.1.3_1
Revisiting the Semnonenhain: a Norse anthropogonic myth and the Germania
Bintley, M. 2011. Revisiting the Semnonenhain: a Norse anthropogonic myth and the Germania. Pomegranate: The International Journal of Pagan Studies. 13 (2), pp. 146-162.
The Byzantine silver bowls in the Sutton Hoo ship burial and tree-worship in Anglo-Saxon England
Bintley, M. 2011. The Byzantine silver bowls in the Sutton Hoo ship burial and tree-worship in Anglo-Saxon England. Papers from the Institute of Archaeology. 21, pp. 41-52. https://doi.org/10.5334/pia.378
Material culture: archaeology and text
Bintley, M. 2012. Material culture: archaeology and text. in: North, R. and Allard, J. (ed.) Beowulf and Other Stories: A New Introduction to Old English, Old Icelandic and Anglo-Norman Literatures Harlow Pearson Education. pp. 246-273
Landscape gardening: remodelling the Hortus Conclusus in Judgement Day II
Bintley, M. 2011. Landscape gardening: remodelling the Hortus Conclusus in Judgement Day II. The Review of English Studies. 62 (253), pp. 1-14. https://doi.org/10.1093/res/hgq028
Demythologising urban landscapes in Andreas
Bintley, M. 2009. Demythologising urban landscapes in Andreas. Leeds Studies in English. 40, pp. 105-118.