00:00.00 archaeoteacup Here. Go everyone some lovely cavervile and honey tea to get us. You know, properly cozy. 00:07.39 Ashleigh Airey Um, thanks tilly I don't drink tea. But thank you. 00:10.38 archaeoteacup It's okay I've done it holds a feet of course and it's very dwarf. 00:16.66 Ashleigh Airey Kind of beer instead I can't even have that So anyway on good. Um, so I'm actually quite interested to learn more about these axes. Um, but tilly I know you said that it's a classic fantasy object. But how often does it actually? ah. Peer and fantasy fiction. 00:34.66 archaeoteacup You know what? you now that you say it like I'm trying to think there's a lot of swords and daggers and all of those kind of things in fantasy but there's very few although you did mention that series talking about Axes at the beginning. But. 00:44.38 Ashleigh Airey Um, yeah, um. 00:51.32 archaeoteacup I Had a very brief look through the the resource that you sent me. Ah last time about what I caught my what's called now the fantasy Encyclopedia That's the one. Um and there's there's sort of not loads of examples. There's quite a few examples of of Axes but in terms of fantasy fiction. There's actually not. 00:59.14 Ashleigh Airey Encyclopedia of fantasy. 01:11.27 archaeoteacup Loads of examples. Usually they're sort of considered more of a functional weapon rather than having like special powers so you have so many books about like the sword of you know blah blah blah and it's got some special thing that you know I mean King Arthur's a classic right? Um, but. 01:23.13 Ashleigh Airey Yeah. 01:26.75 archaeoteacup Axes are usually just sort of oh and he had a mighty axe like a might mighty weapon. So it's always associated with kind of very fierce warriors and and sort of fierce characters and everything. Um, which yeah so I don't know if either of you have had different experiences of that in your fictional adventures. 01:46.29 Ashleigh Airey Well I mean you've kind of got different axes and and it depends on the category of character doesn't it because often when I think of Axes I think obviously Dwarfs and Axes and Gimley and then I think of um, like berserkas as well. The kind of you know. 01:53.71 archaeoteacup Um, yeah. 01:59.18 archaeoteacup Right? yeah. 02:04.79 Ashleigh Airey Norse Viking Esque character that they often have that is easily to anger and and they often have a big axe or they have throwing axes and stuff like that You see that a lot of em fantasy but I can't actually think of a lot of many like fantasy protagonists I suppose that wield. 02:12.81 archaeoteacup Ah, yeah, that's true. 02:23.90 Ashleigh Airey Axes other than the series that I talked about before by Sarah Douglas and I think I think of there's another one that I've read a few years ago called the sky in the deep and that's based on kind of norse. Um, the the characterize it as viking which always always amazes me. 02:23.47 archaeoteacup Um, will accident earth. 02:36.31 archaeoteacup Um, and. 02:40.29 Ashleigh Airey Um, and that has but that has ah wielding axes in it and that's like the first time I've really seen it in a more and she's not a shield maid in either the main character which is amazing. My god wow I think that no apparent and not. It's called. It's like yeah, it's like the lagaa. 02:42.30 archaeoteacup Yeah. 02:50.40 archaeoteacup Woohoo can a viking woman not be a Shield Maiden is that possible right. 03:00.22 Ashleigh Airey Complex or something I swear like it soon as they seen that they're like at no and so yeah I often see it with um yeah dwarves usually different kind of fantasy races and stuff. So what about you am. But do you have any and particular acts. Favorite fantasies. 03:17.76 Amber Um, I mean really I only find Axxis coming up in when like you said Dwarfs is usually dwarfs and in those Contexts they are like an extension of their hand and cheat is a little bit like Swords are for everybody else. Um. 03:21.94 Ashleigh Airey And. 03:23.66 archaeoteacup Um, ah yeah, ah tree you rarely see a dwarf with a sword. Ah. 03:33.37 Amber Yeah, it was a rare thing. 03:36.97 Ashleigh Airey Yeah, there's a rare thing a dagger. Do you think they would have a dagger like a small dagger. Yeah. 03:41.44 archaeoteacup Probably some kind of dagger I'm trying to think what Gimley has in his repertoire I think he does have some kind of little dagger that he brings out occasionally. 03:50.51 Ashleigh Airey Yeah, he definitely has a big act. Yeah, you're right? yeah. 03:50.62 Amber Yeah, but his ax is very special to him isn't it and he is. That's really important and it's very that's very different to everybody else. They use very different objects and and weapons. 03:53.75 archaeoteacup Um, yeah, yeah. 04:03.14 archaeoteacup Yeah, which I guess the sort of the the idea with specific to dwarfs of it being like Axes are very relevant to dwarves is because it comes from like they were originally mining tools and then it kind of developed from there because dwarves were associated with mining and. 04:04.30 Ashleigh Airey And. 04:21.85 archaeoteacup Stonework and kind of hitting things. Um I guess and and all that kind of stuff and so you have then Also when I was reading off about this I Found some other things. So for example and a lot of the rings. The kind of assumption is that there's dwarves and the ax and then Dwarfs hate elves and elves love trees and Axs chopped down Trees. So That's why dwarves. Like having axes and that's one of the theories that I found um and guess Ash What other? um, you know fantasy series features dwarves and Axis but. 04:41.13 Amber Um, was. 04:47.88 Ashleigh Airey Um, lo. 04:52.31 Ashleigh Airey Oh um, I don't know if I've heard water actually is it disc Quil My oh my God Wow Never would have guessed that you know. 04:55.36 archaeoteacup But it is tis good. 05:04.40 archaeoteacup Which I what I do like about that one is that they have they have the dwarves and they have axes instead of dwarves and elves being arch enemies. It's dwarves and trolls being Arch enemies. Um, in that one but you have a kind of ongoing thing about dwarf emancipation in terms of because it. 05:12.20 Ashleigh Airey All right. 05:22.39 archaeoteacup Ah, in this world. All dwarfs are male but they're not obviously but they all refer to themselves as male. Um, so every dwarf is a he but then in 1 of the books you have a new character and suddenly it's she she refers to herself as she and it's like this whole big thing and the whole of dwarfish gain. It. But anyway. And then that becomes a whole thing throughout it and so it's then like dwarfish women want to still have their battle axes and their big axes but they make them like jewel encrusted or you know they make them pink or you know something like that. Um, but it still axes are still seen as kind of the ultimate Dwarolvish weapon which I think yeah in in pretty much every fantasy thing if you have. Dwarves you'll have access. 05:58.76 Ashleigh Airey Yeah I think they have to be. They're like a and like they entangled so much with the person that wield them month they're the symbol of the culture. The people and everything the history. So that's very interesting when we're talking about you know acts life ways. Um, and. 06:07.15 archaeoteacup Um, yeah. 06:10.88 archaeoteacup Um, yeah, yeah. 06:17.58 Ashleigh Airey You know, object agency and stuff. So yeah, it's very very interesting that it all connects. Yeah. 06:22.59 archaeoteacup Yeah, and amber do you have any end seeing as you've sort of been studying Axs for longer in terms of kind of mythology from from archaeology because I guess that's where a lot of fantasy comes from um, what would you say a kind of the big axe wielding cultures or the sort of axe wielding myths. Um, of our time. 06:43.29 Amber Um I think ideas about Axs tend to come from Norse Axis Biking Xes and they're the ones they called battleaxes and there's lots of contemporary mythology about the use of different axes and. Ah, you know an axe isn't that far away from Thaw Hammer um in terms of I mean it's just a blunt axe right? Maybe I think I might upset a few people by saying yeah um, but and I think we actually see this this reflected on interpretations. 07:02.16 archaeoteacup Um, yeah, say we're gonna get lift is. 07:07.60 Ashleigh Airey Um, the hamas specialist out there absolutely going crazy. 07:17.97 Amber Of Prehistoric Stone Axes You know we have a neolithic and early Bronze age Stone battleaxe and they have the name battleaxe that comes from from somewhere and the idea that the people who are buried with these axes are warriors and their high status and this. 07:18.50 archaeoteacup Good. 07:37.69 Amber Reflects a lot of interpretations of Axis and it later in history. Um, yeah, but that's quite interesting how it kind of influences fantasy and then back again and everything. 07:40.95 Ashleigh Airey Oh. 07:43.70 archaeoteacup Um. 07:49.66 archaeoteacup So could it have been then that if people hadn't thought that axes were always associated with battle and ritual and everything that actually all fantasy would have been really different like if if they hadn't you know you were saying that there's the stereotype that you know. Ah, historic and prehistoric axes we use as as ritual or sort of ceremonial and if you're buried with youre great warrior or a king or whatever if that stereotype hadn't been around if instead people were like oh so he was clearly a great woodcutter then Gimley would have been a very different character like do you know know me fantasy. 08:19.73 Amber Um, yeah. 08:21.34 Ashleigh Airey Um, yeah. 08:22.50 archaeoteacup Fantasy development would have been really different which is a interesting thought experiment. Ah. 08:29.31 Ashleigh Airey Isn't there. It not in the it doesn't Loki the god have an axe to kill the rooster that sits upon jaggrasil. 08:33.15 archaeoteacup Does he have it act I. 08:41.42 archaeoteacup Oh you know more about the mythology than me I think I'm not so ah. 08:44.81 Ashleigh Airey I'm not very good today. Um, but but no I'm sure he has an ax because it mean like their name was corrupted over time and and then in the like seventeen hundreds the name changed to like Leviathan or something like that and but like it was. Was it the the Hyatin or something like that that this acts that it was basically like a twig essentially and that was meant to cut down the the main golden rooster that sat on the 3 golden golden roosters that sat on um yagasel to bring about ragnarok or something. 09:06.10 archaeoteacup Right. Oh. 09:12.18 Amber Ah. 09:17.76 archaeoteacup Oh. 09:20.15 Ashleigh Airey But the name is meant to be like cunning. So it's like the opposite of what we think of Axes we think of battle axes and like blood and terror and stuff but actually this is quite a ah wielding kind of cunning weapon that you would have I don't know but I remember something. 09:28.33 archaeoteacup Brute force. Yeah yeah. 09:34.62 archaeoteacup Um, okay, yeah, well and you also do have I think a lot of fantasy where there's usually a character who's not necessarily a great warrior or you know something and they. 09:38.96 Ashleigh Airey And thing but but norsmith. 09:49.96 archaeoteacup Kind of at some point have to you know, take up an axe and that's sort of the the metaphor of them finding their strength and you know like and everyone always laughs because they're like oh you silly little girl with your axe. You know how is that going to help you or whatever and then she whirls it around and kills them or so. But um I don't know I'm trying to think I swear there's There's some fantasy that features something like that. 10:10.90 Ashleigh Airey I Mean there's that kind of strength thing isn't it. You need to be a certain body type and you need to. But then it kind of it's meant to you meant to M what's word like reverse that you meant to it's like the underdog. 10:14.90 archaeoteacup But. 10:22.22 archaeoteacup Yeah, yeah, exactly Yes, yeah yeah. 10:26.12 Ashleigh Airey And similar to our dark Lord sort of thing. The underdog always wins and always prevails and through that wielding of the the weapon scary Big weapon. 10:32.98 Amber Yeah, you also find people say if some everyone gets called to War or a fight and they're not soldiers and they have to grab their own weapons. But what do you grab you get what you have at home. Sometimes that's an x. 10:42.31 Ashleigh Airey Yeah. 10:44.78 archaeoteacup Right? Yeah, the yeah yeah, which yeah, that's. 10:47.43 Ashleigh Airey Yeah, you'd be chopping wood wouldn't you be? yeah, that's what you'd have. So definitely. Yeah. 10:56.93 archaeoteacup And that also also features quite a lot right in Underdog things or not even just fantasy but things and people are going. Yeah, but we don't have any weapons and you know you look around. It's like axes and plows and hos and all these things are sort of classic farmer tools and they yeah it's how you perceive it. 11:09.49 Amber Um, yeah. 11:12.58 Ashleigh Airey Um, and and if you think about it as well. I'm just thinking of my own partner and how he comes from a crafting background and mostly they're very sturdy people you know, um and they do have to wield Axes and they have to so you you get this kind of. 11:22.70 archaeoteacup Smooth. 11:30.27 Ashleigh Airey Um, characterization probably from that that there's a farm boy who's got that kind of strength you know because he's been throwing bales around and things and then you get and then he's like well I'll take up my axes and he's got double wielding cool Axes you know? Um, so yeah I can imagine that happening a lot and fun to say. 11:36.66 archaeoteacup Um, right. 11:45.20 archaeoteacup Yeah, yeah, ah there is option good. 11:48.36 Amber It makes it quite a transformative object that you can become something else by suddenly using it a different way. 11:49.96 Ashleigh Airey Yeah, oh I like that That's very cool. Yeah, that is give me tingles. 11:55.94 archaeoteacup Yeah, yeah, that's proper object agency right? there that you you are you are influenced by the axe if you hold an axe you people look at you a lot more differently than if you're holding like a feather duster. 12:00.83 Amber He can hear you. 12:09.37 Ashleigh Airey Oh my God That's why like personally right I've got two axes I mean now I've mentioned this statility before one isn't not really an axe because it's a tomahawk but still and and my my friend gave me that because you said woman should always have an axe in the house which I thought was interesting and then I Also my my partner bought me. 12:21.79 archaeoteacup Fat. Yeah. 12:28.42 Ashleigh Airey Another one but it's for cutting pizza because I just I don't like cutting pizza. Yeah, it's got like runes on it and everything it's like properly like decorate it and he was like you'll feel better with this tiny little hand. 12:32.72 archaeoteacup I've seen them. They look great. 12:37.12 Amber Susan. 12:41.10 archaeoteacup Look. 12:46.42 Ashleigh Airey Ah, pizza is great. It's the best thing I've ever boat. What really? so and I do I feel like a viking every single time like yes I'm going to pillage this pizza. Ah. 12:51.24 archaeoteacup There you go see. It's giving you purpose. It's giving you that feeling of strength and you know Independence right. 12:57.46 Ashleigh Airey Yeah, there you go on if I If there's like a big web that will do some damage. So. 13:05.36 archaeoteacup Heaven Forbid burglar ever Try to Burgle an Archaeologist's house because we have all kinds of random thingss like around the place. Yeah yeah, heavy bladated stowed I think you called it. Do you have a lot of. 13:10.50 Ashleigh Airey Oh yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, but you do. 13:10.91 Amber Yeah I have a lot of heavy stone. 13:19.86 Amber Yeah, yeah, many things that can cause a lot of cranial damage. Ah. 13:21.44 Ashleigh Airey Um, yeah, we yeah, got. 13:26.26 archaeoteacup Ah, do you have any any personal private axes around your house amber. 13:32.58 Amber Um I have six Xes that I use in experiments for my ph d um, although they're currently not in my house. They're sat next to me in my office. Um they they have range and location depending on where I where I want them? um. 13:36.69 archaeoteacup Oh look. 13:49.45 archaeoteacup Ah, you tried to impress. 13:49.76 Amber Yeah, but I also have quite a collection of random rocks that I pick up all over the place I'm um, getting a bit of a rock order. 13:54.14 Ashleigh Airey Oh yeah, that's nice. Yeah. 13:55.61 archaeoteacup I Also have random rules. Ah, the problem is with those sort of collections is that you have them I remember we used to have one. We used to do it every time we went hiking. We pick up a rock at the top of the hill and then bring it back down with us again. But then you enass this collection of stones and like you say they're just heavy rocks which then you have a. 14:14.20 Ashleigh Airey Yeah. 14:15.50 archaeoteacup When we moved house. We had a box and my friend was lift each I can't once send here like ah wood Wooden rocks what? but yeah, ah, a core. Ah, that's cool. 14:23.23 Ashleigh Airey I Have a really cool flint core and it's like bright white as well. Yeah, and it's definitely been worked and I just found it and I was like yes, love it. So yeah, that was that was a good find for me. 14:23.40 Amber Um, and. 14:34.19 archaeoteacup Ah, lovely. Yeah, very nice. Oh hang on that's another knock of the door. Oh looking through the window I think I could say oh it's that delivery of speaking of wood. It's that delivery of ancient wooden chests that we'd ordered ash. 14:48.57 Ashleigh Airey Oh god that's absolutely typical that they were supposed to deliver there was yesterday and now we had 5 hours in in the house waiting for these bloody delivery to arrive and they didn't. 14:59.37 archaeoteacup Well, we better make the most of them finally being here then so we'll just quickly cut short this episode of our my trial but don't worry. We'll be continuing our chat with amber all about axis in our next episode with part 2 in the meantime we're always looking for new episode ideas. So if you have any suggestions. Do get in contact via email or social media. All of our contact information plus all that we've been talking about today can be found in the show notes 5. 15:27.44 Amber Bye.