This is, without doubt, the most thorough examination of the old religion of the pagan Anglo-Saxons available today. Pollington is an independent scholar with all the focus and intensity that sometimes brings, as well as having a good measure of the insularity that is its necessary support. This is the work of a man who has researched the topic as deeply as anyone else in the world and is convinced of the veracity of his conclusions.

For my part, I am just as convinced of the thoroughness of his research but slightly less confident about his conclusions. The evidence for the beliefs and practices of the pagan Anglo-Saxons is so fragmentary and sparse that I suspect the chains of reasoning that underpin some of Pollington’s conclusions could snap relatively easily should some new evidence come to light – not at all impossible, with improving archaeological methods.

Nevertheless, this is certainly the single best book on the subject and one I wholeheartedly recommend.