Overview

The diversity of the Viking world is illuminated in more than 100 readings contained in this primary source reader. The Norse translations, many of them new, are straightforward and easily accessible for students. The introductions contextualize the readings while allowing the sources to speak for themselves. All unfamiliar terms are explained unobtrusively in the body of the text. Thirteen black-and-white illustrations and one map provide visual context.

Full Product Details

Author:   Angus A. Somerville ,  R. Andrew McDonald
Publisher:   University of Toronto Press
Imprint:   University of Toronto Press
Edition:   T;/P> ed.
Volume:   14
Dimensions:   Width: 15.20cm , Height: 3.20cm , Length: 22.90cm
Weight:   0.800kg
ISBN:  

9781442601482

ISBN 10:   1442601485
Pages:   512
Publication Date:   15 April 2010
Audience:   College/higher education ,  Professional and scholarly ,  Tertiary & Higher Education ,  Professional & Vocational
Format:   Paperback
Publisher's Status:   Out of Print
Availability:   In Print  
Limited stock is available. It will be ordered for you and shipped pending supplier's limited stock.

Table of Contents

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 4. Politics in Harald Finehair's Norway 5. Hoskuld Buys a Slave 6. How the Hersir Erling Treated His Slaves Chapter Three: A Glimpse of Ninth-Century Scandinavia 7. The Life of Anskar Chapter Four: Early Religion and Belief 8. The Norse Creation-Myth 9. Ragnarok: The Doom of the Gods 10. A Prophetess in Greenland 11. Odin's Wisdom and Arts 12. Odin Welcomes Eirik Bloodax to Valhalla 13. Odin Hangs on Yggdrasil 14. Odin and Human Sacrifice (a) The Death of King Vikar (b) The Deaths of Domaldi and Olaf Tretelgja 15. Sigurd, the Earl of Lade, Sacrifices to the Gods 16. The Temple at Uppsala 17. A Temple in Iceland 18. King Harald Gormsson and the Land-Spirits 19. Norse Funeral Practices (a) An Arab Description of a Viking Funeral (b) Snorri's History of Burial Practices (c) Odin Orders Cremation and Becomes a God (d) The Death of Baldur the Good (e) Gunnar's Burial Mound 20. The Living Dead (a) Gunnar's Posthumous Poem (b) Grettir's Fight with Glam Chapter Five: Women in the Viking Age 21. Unn the Deep-Minded Takes Control of her Life 22. Queen Gunnhild Has her Way with Hrut 23. The Prowess of Freydis, Daughter of Eirik the Red 24. A Warrior-Woman 25. Gudrun Drives her Sons to Take Revenge 26. Gudrun Osvifrsdaughter's Incitement of her Sons 27. The Goading of Hildigunn 28. Betrothals from the Sagas (a) The Betrothal of Olaf Hoskuldsson (b) How Unn Mordsdaughter Found Herself Betrothed 29. Divorces from the Sagas (a) How Gudrun Divorced Thorvald (b) Vigdis Divorces Thord Goddi (c) How Aud Dealt with her Humiliating Divorce Chapter Six: Viking Warriors and their Weapons 30. 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 31. 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 32. 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 Seven: Fjord-Serpents: Viking Ships 33. King Olaf Tryggvason Builds the Long Serpent 34. Harald Sigurdarson's Splendid Ship 35. King Sverrir's Mariasud 36. The Great Ships of King Hakon IV 37. Animal Heads on the Prows of Ships 38. Sea-Battles in the Sagas (a) A Hard-Fought Sea-Battle at Bute (b) Olaf Tryggvason at the Battle of Svold (c) Rognvald and Thorfinn the Mighty Fight It Out in the Orkneys (d) Earl Rognvald in the Mediterranean (e) The Battle of Fimreite (Norafjord), 1184 Chapter Eight: Sudden and Unforeseen Attacks of Northmen 39. On the Causes of the Viking Expansion 40. Viking Raids on England, 789-850/1 41. Alcuin's Letter to King Athelred, 793 42. An English Gospel Book Ransomed from the Vikings 43. Viking Raids on Ireland, 795-842 44. The Martyrdom of Blathmac, 825 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 Nine: The Heathens Stayed : From Raiding to Settlement 51. Viking Activities in England, 851-900 52. The Vikings in Ireland, 845-917 53. Ketil Flatnose and his Descendants in the Hebrides 54. Earl Sigurd and the Establishment of the Earldom of Orkney 55. Runic Inscriptions from Maes Howe, Mainland, Orkney 56. Runic Inscriptions from the Isle of Man 57. Rollo Obtains Normandy from the King of the Franks Chapter Ten: Austrveg: The Viking Road to the East 58. The Piraeus Lion 59. The Rus 60. The Rus Attack Constantinople 61. On the Arrival of the Varangians 62. A Muslim Diplomat Meets Viking Merchants 63. River Routes to Constantinople 64. A Norwegian Soldier of Fortune in the East 65. Rus Expeditions to the Middle East Chapter Eleven: Into the Western Ocean, The Faeroes, Iceland, Greenland, and Vinland 66. The Islands in the Northern Ocean, ca 825 67. Sailing Directions and Distances in the North Atlantic 68. The Western Ocean 69. Adam of Bremen on Iceland 70. 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 71. Skallagrim's Landtake in Iceland 72. The Settlement of Greenland (a) The Book of the Icelanders (b) The Book of Settlements 73. The King's Mirror on Greenland 74. Adam of Bremen on Vinland 75. The Norse Discovery of Vinland 76. Thorfinn Karlsefni in Vinland Chapter Twelve: Viking Life and Death 77. Advice for Sailors and Merchants 78. Egil in Youth and Old Age 79. Svein Asleifarson's Viking Life 80. The Jomsvikings Meet Their End 81. The Death of Gunnar 82. The Burning of Njal 83. The Death of Thormod Kolbrunarskald Chapter Thirteen: From Odin to Christ 84. The Conversion of the Danes under Harald Bluetooth 85. Olaf Tryggvason and the Conversion of Norway 86. A Poet Abandons the Old Gods 87. The Christianization of Norway under Saint Olaf 88. The Conversion of the Icelanders 89. The Conversion of Greenland 90. The Conversion of Orkney 91. Christianity in Sweden 92. Christianity and the Church in Norway 93. The Travels of King Sigurd, Jerusalem-Farer Chapter Fourteen: State-Building at Home and Abroad 94. Harald Finehair and the Unification of Norway 95. State-Making in Denmark: The Jelling Stone 96. State-Making in Denmark: Unification and Expansion 97. Knut the Great and the North Sea Empire 98. The Earldom of Orkney at Its Zenith Chapter Fifteen: The End of the Viking Age 99. The Battle of Clontarf, 1014 100. The Battle of Stamford Bridge, 1066 101. The Decline of the Earls of Orkney 102. The Battle of Largs, 1263 Epilogue 103. Advice from Odin Sources Index of Topics Index of Authors and Sources

Reviews

The Viking Age is a most enjoyable and informative volume for dipping into. -- The Medieval Review

Author Information

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.

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