The Viking Age
A Reader
Published on 22. September 2014
Book
Paperback/Softback
528 pages
978-1-4426-0867-2 (ISBN)
Description
In assembling, translating, and arranging over a hundred primary source readings, Somerville and McDonald successfully illuminate the Vikings and their world for twenty-first-century students and instructors. The diversity of the Viking Age is brought to life through the range of sources presented, and the geographical and chronological coverage of these readings. The Norse translations, many of them new to this collection, are straightforward and easily accessible, and the chapter introductions contextualize the readings while allowing the sources to speak for themselves. The second edition of this popular reader has been revised and reorganized into fourteen chapters. Nearly twenty sources have been added, including material on children, games and entertainment, and runic inscriptions, as well as new readings on the martyrdom of Alfeah, the life of Saint Findan, and the martyrdom of Saint Edmund. The reader can be paired for classroom use with its companion volume, The Vikings and Their Age, authored by Somerville and McDonald. Together, these books provide comprehensive coverage for a course on the Vikings.
Additional resources, such as a detailed bibliography and instructions on reading skaldic poetry, can be found on the History Matters website (www.utphistorymatters.com).
Additional resources, such as a detailed bibliography and instructions on reading skaldic poetry, can be found on the History Matters website (www.utphistorymatters.com).
More details
Series
Language
English
Place of publication
Toronto
Canada
Target group
College/higher education
Professional and scholarly
Product notice
Paperback (trade)
Dimensions
Height: 229 mm
Width: 152 mm
Thickness: 38 mm
Weight
840 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-4426-0867-2 (9781442608672)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Persons
Angus A. Somerville is Associate Professor in the Department of English Language and Literature at Brock University. R. Andrew McDonald is Professor in the Department of History at Brock University.
Content
Map of the Viking World Acknowledgements Introduction Chapter One: The Scandinavian Homelands 1. The Voyages of Ohthere and Wulfstan 2. A Description of the Islands of the North Chapter Two: Scandinavian Society 3. The Lay of Rig (Rigspula) 4. Politics in Harald Finehair's Norway 5. Hoskuld Buys a Slave 6. How the Hersir Erling Treated His Slaves Chapter Three: Early Religion and Belief 7. The Norse Creation-Myth 8. Ragnarok: The Doom of the Gods 9. A Prophetess in Greenland 10. Odin's Wisdom and Arts 11. Odin Welcomes Eirik Bloodax to Valhalla 12. Odin Hangs on Yggdrasil 13. Odin and Human Sacrifice (a) The Death of King Vikar (b) The Deaths of Domaldi and Olaf Tretelgja 14. Sigurd, the Earl of Lade, Sacrifices to the Gods 15. The Temple at Uppsala 16. A Temple in Iceland 17. King Harald Gormsson and the Land-Spirits 18 Norse Funeral Practices (a) Snorri's History of Burial Practices (b) Odin Orders Cremation and Becomes a God (c) The Death of Baldur the Good (d) Gunnar's Burial Mound 19. The Living Dead (a) Gunnar's Posthumous Poem (b) Grettir's Fight with Glam Chapter Four: Women in the Viking Age 20. Unn the Deep-Minded Takes Control of her Life 21. Queen Gunnhild Has her Way with Hrut 22. The Prowess of Freydis, Daughter of Eirik the Red 23. A Warrior-Woman 24. Gudrun Drives her Sons to Take Revenge 25. Gudrun Osvifrsdaughter's Incitement of her Sons 26. The Goading of Hildigunn 27. Betrothals from the Sagas (a) The Betrothal of Olaf Hoskuldsson (b) How Unn Mordsdaughter Found Herself Betrothed 28. Divorces from the Sagas (a) How Gudrun Divorced Thorvald (b) Vigdis Divorces Thord Goddi (c) How Aud Dealt with her Humiliating Divorce Chapter Five: Viking Warriors and their Weapons 29. The Accomplishments of a Viking Warrior (a) Earl Rognvald Kali on Being a Gentleman (b) Gunnar Hamundarson, the Ideal Warrior (c) Olaf Tryggvason, King of Norway 30. Berserkers and the Berserk Rage (a) Odin's Berserks (b) The Rage of Skallagrim and Egil (c) Egil Fights a Berserk (d) Grettir Fights a Berserk 31. Weapons (a) King Magnus Barelegs Dresses to Kill (b) The Sword Skofnung (c) Sigmund, Sigurd, and the Sword Gram (d) Saint Olaf's Sword, Hneitir (e) Viking Age Swords Chapter Six: Fjord-Serpents: Viking Ships 32. King Olaf Tryggvason Builds the Long Serpent 33. Harald Sigurdarson's Splendid Ship 34. King Sverrir's Mariasud 35. The Great Ships of King Hakon IV 36. Animal Heads on the Prows of Ships 37. Sea-Battles in the Sagas (a) Olaf Tryggvason at the Battle of Svold (b) Rognvald and Thorfinn the Mighty Fight It Out in the Orkneys (c) Earl Rognvald Kali in the Mediterranean (d) The Battle of Fimreite (Norafjord), 1184 Chapter Seven: "Sudden and Unforseen Attacks of Northmen" 38. On the Causes of the Viking Expansion 39. Viking Raids on England, 789-850/1 40. Alcuin's Letter to King Athelred, 793 41. An English Gospel Book Ransomed from the Vikings 42. Viking Raids on Ireland, 795-842 43. The Martyrdom of Blathmac, 825 44. The Life of Saint Findan 45. Irish Resistance to the Norsemen 46. Franks and Vikings, 800-829 47. The Northmen in France, 843-865 48. The Annals of St-Vast, 882-886 49. An Account of the Siege of Paris, 885-886 50. Vikings in the Iberian Peninsula (a) Ibn al-Kutia (b) Ibn Adhari Chapter Eight: "The Heathens Stayed": From Raiding to Settlement 51. Viking Activities in England, 851-900 52. The Martyrdom of Saint Edmund 53. The Vikings in Ireland, 845-917 54. Ketil Flatnose and his Descendants in the Hebrides 55. Earl Sigurd and the Establishment of the Earldom of Orkney 56. Runic Inscriptions from Maes Howe, Mainland, Orkney 57. Runic Inscriptions from the Isle of Man 58. Rollo Obtains Normandy from the King of the Franks Chapter Nine: Austrveg: The Viking Road to the East 59. The Piraeus Lion 60. The Rus 61. The Rus Attack Constantinople 62. On the Arrival of the Varangians 63. A Muslim Diplomat Meets Rus Merchants on the Volga River 64. River Routes to Constantinople 65. A Norwegian Soldier of Fortune in the East 66. Rus Expeditions to the Middle East 67. The Yngvar Runestones Chapter Ten: Into the Western Ocean, The Faeroes, Iceland, Greenland, and Vinland 68. The Islands in the Northern Ocean, ca 825 69. Sailing Directions and Distances in the North Atlantic 70. The Western Ocean 71. Adam of Bremen on Iceland 72. Icelandic Accounts of the Discovery and Settlement of Iceland (a) The Book of the Icelanders (b) The Book of Settlements (c) The Saga of the People of Eyri 73. Skallagrim's Landtake in Iceland 74. The Settlement of Greenland (a) The Book of the Icelanders (b) The Book of Settlements 75. The King's Mirror on Greenland 76. Adam of Bremen on Vinland 77. The Norse Discovery of Vinland 78. Thorfinn Karlsefni in Vinland Chapter Eleven: Viking Life and Death 79. Advice for Sailors and Merchants 80. Svein Asleifarson's Viking Life 81. Egil in Youth and Old Age 82. Children (a) Young Grettir helps around the Farm (b) Children Mimic Adults (c) The Child is Mother of the Woman (d) Choosing Sides in a Game 83. Games and Entertainment (a) A Horse-fight from Njal's Saga (b) A Horse-fight from Grettir's Saga (c) A Throwing Game from Bard's Saga (d) Games at Sand from Hord's Saga (e) Entertainment at a Wedding Feast at Reykjaholar from The Saga of Thorgils and Haflidi (f) Mock Lawsuits from The Saga of the People of Ljosavatn 84. The Jomsvikings Meet Their End 85. The Death of Gunnar 86. The Burning of Njal 87. The Death of Thormod Kolbrunarskald Chapter Twelve: From Odin to Christ 88. Early Missions to the North: The Life of Saint Anskar 89. The Conversion of the Danes under Harald Bluetooth 90. Olaf Tryggvason and the Conversion of Norway 91. A Poet Abandons the Old Gods 92. The Christianization of Norway under Saint Olaf 93. The Conversion of the Icelanders 94. The Conversion of Greenland 95. The Conversion of Orkney 96. Christianity in Sweden 97. Christianity and the Church in Norway 98. The Travels of King Sigurd, Jerusalem-Farer 99. The Journey of Abbot Nikolas Bergsson from Iceland to Jerusalem Chapter Thirteen: State-Building at Home and Abroad 100. Harald Finehair and the Unification of Norway 101. State-Making in Denmark: The Jelling Stone 102. State-Making in Denmark: Unification and Expansion 103. The Martyrdom of Alfeah (Saint Alphege) 104. Knut the Great and the North Sea Empire 105. The England Runestones 106. The Earldom of Orkney at Its Zenith Chapter Fourteen: The End of the Viking Age 107. The Battle of Clontarf, 1014 108. The Battle of Stamford Bridge, 1066 109. The Decline of the Earls of Orkney 110. The Battle of Largs, 1263 Epilogue 111. Advice from Odin Sources Index of Topics Index of Authors and Sources