Eaters of the Dead

Yet even with this tolerance, Ibn Fadlan comes across as someone who is ripe with e thnocentrism.

Now in Stores

This is abundantly apparent upon his first encounter with the Northmen. Throughout the story, Ibn Fadlan prays to Allah whenever danger nears, or to be forgiven for not following a ritual outlined by his doctrinal faith. The Northmen chastise him for this, claiming while he only prays to one god, they have the need to pray to many. However, as Ibn Fadlan spends time with them, and learns why they do the things they do, he begins to hold them with high regard.

In Creeps the Night

He even starts to adapt some of their ways, to the point that he takes on a Northern maiden as a mate for some time. The learning and sharing was not limited to Ibn Fadlan, however.

The Northmen also learn from him. Buliwyf learns to read and write, and Herger, his translator and friend, learns patience and tolerance, and shows an interest in learning more about Allah. The Northmen are a very superstitious people, most of which is deeply rooted in their beliefs in the Norse gods.

The hearth and home is a very sacred place for the Northmen, and they take much pride in welcoming both stranger and friend into their homes, showering them with food and hospitality, even if it means they will have to go without themselves.

Towards the end of the story, as Buliwyf is dying, he expresses his sadness to Ibn Fadlan. This is his hamartia.

This seems to appease Buliwyf as, to the Northmen, there is hardly a greater honor than to have your name uttered in heroic tales throughout the ages. The number twelve is also sacred to the Northmen, as it is the number of cycles of the moon. The old crone, the angel of death, spoke up and said that a man not of their land must also attend and pointed out Ibn Fadlan. Hardcover Published in by Alfred A. Knopf Paperback Published in by Ballantine Books. The year is A. In His Own Words. From the Official Archives.

Eaters of the Dead Book Cover. Eaters of the Dead Promo Material.

Eaters of the Dead China — Eaters of the Dead Netherlands — Eaters of the Dead Hungary — Eaters of the Dead Czechoslovakia — Eaters of the Dead Spain — Eaters of the Dead Italy — Eaters of the Dead Denmark — Eaters of the Dead France — Eaters of the Dead Japan — The original document disappeared a long time ago, and the source materials for this book are various fragments of the original and translations. These translations were made and discovered at different times over the last millennia, in different languages, by people from different backgrounds; some translations were written anonymously and some are clearly of dubious authenticity.

There is a mystery and adventure behind these source documents themselves, which Michael Crichton talks about in his introductory notes. He writes about Arabic, Swedish, English and French translations; manuscripts found in the private collections of British ambassadors in the middle-east; and a medieval Latin translation found in a Greek monastery.

This massive task occupied the professor till his death in Other than his vocation and his exploits, very little is known about Ibn Fadlan. He was an educated man and a keen observer of people. His writing on the Viking is put in perspective by his regular comparison of their culture with his own, and his open but plainly written amazement at the differences.

After Ibn Fadlan is seduced by the young and neglected wife of a influential merchant, Ibn Fadlan is brought before the Caliph. Now the Caliph not the most outstanding leader of men must preserve the right to rule he is compelled to take high moral ground. Ibn Fadlan is thus banished to the north in the service of an ambassador.