The Blood Axe : Story of Viking Kings Knut & Olav [Paperback]

Eileene Harrison Beer (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 3, 2001

Historic figures in the Viking Era of 995-1035 A.D., Danish King Knut the Great and Norwegian King Olav Haraldson (Saint Olav) were arch enemies. The savage battle at Holy River was only one of many of their interlaced destinies in these latter years of the Viking era. As lifelong rivals, they clashed sword and axe time and again in their contest for power. The days of piracy nearly ended, the campaigns of sea-roving Norsemen were undertaken for exploration, trade, and political control. The early 11th century life in the Christian north was more sophisticated than in the isolated and primitive times of the early Vikings. Now the graceful longboat fleets were even more spectacular, the men just as daring, valiant, and lusty, the women as spirited, courageous, and beautiful. It was a unique period when the northland was in a flux, a period unfamiliar to most people other than scholars of Scandinavian history, and never before presented in a story-telling style. Lightly fictionalized to humanize history, the story is based on fact, geological discovery, and accepted legend, and little needing any embellishment. The Blood Axe did exist. It belonged to Olav and later his son Magnus the Good. Packed with colorful insights into life and thought as it was in the political and religious transitional period of 995-1035 A.D., this epic tale touches on evangelical zeal, pagan rites, violent sea and land battles, folk medicine, conjugal love and tender liaisons, heroism and treachery, honor, loyalty, and treason, joy and suffering. . . . Of the many books researched in pinning down and blending the stories of Olav and Knut, probably the most reliable are (1) "ST. Olav's Saga" in the Heimskringla by Icelander Snorri Sturluson and translated to English many centuries later by Lee M. Hollander for the American-Scandinavian Foundation in 1964, and (2) "Canute the Great" by Professor L. M. Larson , Ph.D., published by G.P. Putnam Sons in 1912. I am grateful to them for their information in putting these two mens' stories together. -Eileene Harrison Beer

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Published by the The American-Scandinavian Foundation in New York City, her first book, Scandinavian Design: Objects of a Life Style, is a definitive text on the applied arts of the five countries called Scandinavia. Eileene Harrison Beer has been a student and aficionada of all things Nordic since the 1960s when she lived there for several years.

Research concerning the antiquities led her deeper into Nordic history. She became absorbed with the fascinating relationship of Knut and Olav, and for three years immersed herself in research of their story, then made yet another pilgrimage to trace the footsteps of the two royal protagonists throughout Scandinavia and Great Britain. The author lives in Utah. Her late husband was Dr. David C. Beer. They traveled in twenty-six countries and Mrs. Beer calls Norway her second home.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

Two enormous forces, silhouettes in the night, lay crouched like black panthers awaiting the precise moment to spring.

Just before dawn, Olav passed the order to rupture the dam. Knut's men, awake and prepared for battle, nonetheless could not suspect what suddenly occurred. The back-up of water bursting its bonds was a tidal wave crashing down upon them, leaping high and filled with huge timbers careening and tumbling within its foam.

The ships in the river mouth were devastated instantly. The men on shore drowned; their bodies were flung into the rolling waters and tossed about like bits of flotsam and jetsam. There were screams of pain, cries of despair, and the cracking sounds of wood, all blurred into the roaring of the raging waters. Knut's own ship was carried along with the current until it drifted out to where the enemy fleet lay. There it was quickly surrounded by Anund's ships, but the Dane's flagship was built with higher sides than usual and had a handpicked crew well able to defend itself. The rest of Knut's fleet quickly realigned and counterattacked the ships of Olav and Anund with a vengeance.

All was bedlam, havoc, destruction, blood. The sea at the mouth of the Holy River became a gruesome foam of logs, overturned ships, bodies, severed limbs, broken shields, splintered oars and planks. Arrows flew in their deadly arcs between the longboats. Ship drew alongside ship and brave men whirled in a clanking mass of whipping sword and flying battleaxe.

A priest desperately saying his beads chanced to look over the side of his ship just as a head floated by, neatly severed from its body by one mighty blow of a battleaxe. The head was face up, eyes still open and staring. The long blond hair spread out in the water like the wiggling tentacles of some strange sea creature with a scarlet tail of blood. The horrified priest vomited into the sea, then fell to his knees in the boat, kissed the crucifix in his trembling hands, and cried, "May God receive his soul in Heaven!"

Nearby an unbeliever paused in his archery long enough to comment with a wild laugh, "He will receive it in two parts, priest. I trust he can piece it together." And in the next instant he was pierced by an arrow into endless silence.

The battle raged on until both sides neared utter exhaustion. Knut and Olav sought each other out in the fray, seeking a man-to-man combat, but before their ships could meet, others came between them on the choppy waters. At length Anund called over to Olav that it had become an aimless skirmish, and Olav conceded they had won as much of a victory as possible for the time being.

"Time to get the hell out of here!" yelled Olav, motioning toward the east with a swing of his arm, and Anund was glad.

Product Details

• Paperback: 192 pages
• Publisher: Agreka Books; 1st edition (January 3, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1888106565
• ISBN-13: 978-1888106565
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.5 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,015,820 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Superb!, January 24, 2005

By 

Jessica White (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Blood Axe : Story of Viking Kings Knut & Olav (Paperback)

This is a fantastic book! Beer took great pains to be fair to both King Knut and King Olav. You wanted to root for both of them. I loved the story of Olav and his handmaiden. My only problem with this book is that I wished it was longer! I didn't want it to end!

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful!, October 14, 2005

By 

A reviewer (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Blood Axe : Story of Viking Kings Knut & Olav (Paperback)

This book is extremely well written and fast-paced. Beer makes both kings (Knut and Olav) seem equally worthy of your support. There is a good amount of back-story before delving into Knut and Olav's personal stories. Anyone could enjoy this book!