Eaters of the Dead by Michael Crichton

A detailed Summary of Eaters of the Dead by Michael Crichton

Applied Intelligence and Knowledge Conquers All

In his novel, Eaters of the Dead, author Michael Crichton shows how the Volga Northmen were able to defeat their foes, the wendol, by using their intellect instead of their weapons. This is seen in four aspects. The theme of the novel is that physical courage is not enough to preserve your culture and lifestyle: intelligence and superior knowledge are absolutely essential. Conflict between the wendol and the Northmen shows which group has the intelligence to eliminate the other. Symbolism of wisdom, knowledge, and the lack of such things are used by Crichton to illustrate this moral. The juxtaposition of characters emphasizes the cleverness of the Volga Northmen compared to the Venden Northmen.

The theme of the story is that applying intelligence and knowledge is essential in order to keep one's culture alive. A good proof of this is the lack of knowledge of Ahmad Ibn Fadlan, the narrator of the story. He is an Arab who "knows nothing of the ways of the world" (p. 77) because he has never truly experienced the world before that day, since he does not care for adventure. Having no experience with the world and having no knowledge, Ibn Fadlan slowly learns the Northmen's wa

The wendol are a threat to the existence of the Northmen in Venden; hence, Buliwyf and his mighty warriors must battle them in order to preserve the future of their people. This conflict can only be won by the use of the knowledge the Northmen have learned. A good example of this is that although the Northmen are strong, at first they are unable to defeat the wendol have. The Northmen underestimate the number and strength of the wendol. The Northmen have much fewer warriors to fight than the wendol. The Northmen also have no defences against the wendol because King Rothgar forgot about them when he built his settlement on the cliff. The Northmen are not as physically strong as the wendol, and therefore they lost in battle, showing that physical strength is not enough to overcome an obstacle. A better example of this display is when the Northmen find a way to overcome the wendol. Although they were defeated on the battlefield, the Northmen defeat the wendol in a conflict on a higher level. This is the battle of intelligence. The Northmen acquire knowledge from the helpful dwarves in the caves of Venden, who aid them in killing the leader of the wendol. The death of their leader causes the wendol to become outraged, which leads them to their downfall. It is because of the intelligence the Northmen has, and used, that they are able to outwit the wendol. The best example of this is that the wendol's strength and bravery are not enough to defeat the Northmen when they lost their leader. The wendol's leader is the only one who has the intelligence to lead the wendol and with her no longer present to guide them, the wendol have no strategies to go into battle with. Their rage clouds their lack of judgement and instead of admitting defeat, they go into battle for one last battle. The battle causes the wendol to lose many of their fighters and causes them to retreat because they are unable to think of new ways of attack. Their lack of intelligence causes the wendol to lose in battle. The Northmen's victory over the wendol shows that the application of intelligence and knowledge conquers physical power.

y of life. In the end, felt he "had been born a Northman" (p. 152), having spent much time in their company and is no longer the coward he was when he started the trip. His lack of knowledge causes him to be a coward in battle, since he will be battling frightening, mysterious creatures. A better proof of this is that the wendol acts as if they are animals, which are unintelligent. The wendol makes "a low grunting sound, like the rooting of a pig" (p. 97), "have hair as long as a hairy dog" (p. 99), and wear the heads of dead animals as masks. They act as if they were brainless and cannot think of ways of attack on the

Some common words found in the essay are:
King Rothgar, Rothgar Vain, Ibn Fadlan, Volga Northmen, Crichton Cleverness, Northmen Venden, Buliwyf Wiglif, Venden Northmen, Ragnar Herger, intelligence knowledge, Buliwyf Venden, king rothgar, wendol northmen, angel death, mother wendol, defeat wendol, volga northmen, lack intelligence, physical strength, battle intelligence, lack intelligence causes, causes wendol lose, cave thunder mother, knowledge helps northmen, dwarves caves venden,

Approximate Word count = 1855
Approximate Pages = 7 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: English