Customer Reviews

The Vikings (Penguin history)

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4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(2)
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I loved the first edition of this book, and this revised edition is even better, incorporating much new archaeological evidence. As a historical fiction writer, currectly writing a novel about the Vikings, books like this are invaluable to me. This is my #1 reference book. Not only does it contain a tremendous amount of information, Roesdahl has organized it exceptionally well, such that it is always easy to find exactly what I'm looking for. As a read-through book, I also found it captivating and not in the least bit dry. Replete with maps, diagrams and photos, it is an invaluable learning tool for anyone interested in this time in history. One of the aspects I particularly appreciate is that Roesdahl has a Scandinavian perspective, viewing the Vikings as a legitimate Norse civilization, with a vibrant, artistic, agricultural and exploratory culture, more than as pagan invaders of the rest of civilized Europe. Yes, there were some ruthless invaders amongst them, but many writers are too focused on that aspect. The book starts with a look at the sources of information we have about the Vikings, the written sources, place names and archaeological evidence. Knowing the sources on which our knowledge is based is extremely important, so we won't be so readily hoodwinked into believing faulty interpretations. Roesdahl then looks in excellent detail at Scandinavian geography, people, language, history, religion, art, etc. A wonderful feel for the times and culture is gained. The next focus is Norse expansion, their conquests and settlements in Britain, Russia and the Baltics, and west to Iceland, Greenland and North America. Finally, she concludes with the lasting significance of these Norse peoples and the so-called Viking Age. I would highly recommend this book to anyone seriously interested in Viking history.

_The Vikings_ by Else Roesdahl was a fairly thorough if sometimes a little dry account of the Viking Age, a time that lasted about 300 years, from just before AD 800 until well into the 11th century. The Vikings were a tremendously influential people, playing a decisive role in many areas of Europe; their mark is still seen today in numerous loan-words in the English language; many place-names in Normandy and the British Isles; in Ireland, where they founded the island's major towns; and in Iceland and the Faeroe Islands, where they settled.

Roesdahl took great pains to show that the classic image of the Vikings as raiders, pirates, and plunderers was one-sided, a one-dimensional view that comes to us today from contemporary clerics in Western Europe (who may have been reacting more than anything to the pagan religion of the Vikings) and in tales that were elaborated on by medieval story tellers and historians, including among the Scandinavians themselves, such as with the Icelandic saga writers. Indeed in mainland Europe at least the author felt that the impact of the Viking raids have been exaggerated, and it generally made little difference if a community was plundered by the Vikings or by some other local faction. The Vikings were also farmers, merchants, poets, artists, authors, artisans, engineers, explorers (the first Europeans to discover Iceland, Greenland, and North America), and settlers as well as warlords and mercenaries (the latter notably in Ireland and in the Byzantine Empire).

The first half of the book dealt with the culture of the Scandinavians, going into great detail about their dress, jewelry, houses, cooking, food, language, writing, personal names, their use of slaves, the role of women, the role of children, rules of conduct, their politics, land transport, ships, monetary system, fortifications, warfare, religion (both the old faith and their conversion to Christianity), their art, and poetry. I would have liked more information about their ships and I found some of these sections a little tedious at times (basically like reading long lists), but there were a number of interesting things to be gleaned from it. There were many illustrations, photographs, and maps that were helpful in the text and in two inserts; I particularly liked the photos and drawings of Viking art and of their runes.

The second half of the book dealt with the Viking expansion, discussing the reasons for the expansion and their historical role in Normandy, Scotland, the Isle of Man, Ireland, England, the Baltic region, Russia, Byzantium, the Caliphate, and their settlement of Iceland, the Faeroe Islands, Greenland, and North America (for those interested in the Greenland settlement by the way I highly recommend Jared Diamond's _Collapse_ which had excellent, gripping coverage of that, much more thorough than what I found in _The Vikings_).

I found the coverage of Viking hoards intriguing. Many hoards had coins from often quite distant regions, with coins from the Caliphate and Byzantium not uncommon. Hoards were generally not found in areas where it was more common to pay with silver and coins than with goods.

Much as has been found to be the case with classic Greek and Roman statues, many Viking items were painted. Many rune stones have been found with traces of paint on them, the usual colors being black, white and red but other colors were used including blue and green. In addition the Vikings painted shields, furniture, tent poles, and building timbers, often to emphasize decoration that had been carved in low relief.

There was a small discussion of the many loan words from Old Norse, originating from the long Viking presence on English soil (indeed from 1018 to 1042 apart from a period of five years England and Denmark were ruled jointly by one king). Everyday words such as cast, knife, take, window, egg, ill, and die come from Old Norse. Some grammatical elements, such as the plural words they, them, and their also come from the Scandinavians. Some English dialects contained a great many more loan words but they are disappearing along with the dialects.

Scandinavian poetry was often quite demanding and intricate. Scaldic poetry for instance had a complicated form, using the "heroic meter," with the lines linked in alliterating pairs, the first line of each pair with two alliterating syllables, and each line required to have internal rhyme. In addition, skaldic poetry frequently referenced stories of the gods and heroes, often by using riddles or complex and subtle references that only a knowledgeable audience would appreciate. Scaldic poetry is of course well known for the kenning, examples of which include "the sweat of the sword" (blood), "the feeder of the raven" (the warrior), or more complex ones that could only be understood with reference to their mythology.

Much has been made elsewhere about the Viking raids on Irish monasteries and Roesdahl does cover that, though the reader also learns that it wasn't just Vikings that did the raiding. The abbots of several monasteries were often the only national figures in Ireland until well into the 800s, with most of Ireland divided into tiny kingdoms struggling with complex dynastic rules. Owing to the monasteries' important economic and political importance and close ties with many secular rulers, plundering and burning down monasteries was an integral part of Irish warfare; indeed monasteries sometimes fought each other in addition to being plundered by rival kings. Further complicating things, Vikings were often employed as mercenaries in the endless wars in Ireland (the Franks on the mainland of Europe did the same thing, often setting one Viking group against another). Further, some rulers exaggerated the depredations of the Vikings to enhance their own glory (one work portrayed the Viking chieftain Turgesius as a sort of "pagan super-Viking" who among other things tried to convert Ireland to the worship of Thor, the work aiming to glorify the great Irish king Brian Boru).

Not a bad book overall, it was a useful though not especially gripping overview.

Roesdahl's work has allowed me to see the Vikings as much more than a band of maruading pirates. -Much more than actors who appear in the annals of history to relieve the monotonoy of un-inspired court tomage, the task of reconstructing Viking culture is related in a rich and fascinating adventure. This Roesdahl translation relates how the Vikings, far from being merely a sea-fairing chapter of the "Hells Angels", actually had many customs, artifacts, and lands that can be equated into the european calendar using dendrochronology. With so many "viking values" being adopted by modern man, this work is invaluiable to understand where our world is going, as well as where it has been. I just wish that I could put a copy of it on my web-site!

I am not a scholar. I do love to learn about other cultures, however, and am fascinated by Norse and Viking life. Else Roesdahl gives everybody the chance to learn the truth about the Vikings. This is an excellent book for home study!

This book covers just about everything about the vikings from their language, art, religion, government, ships, clothing, expiditions all over Europe, weapons and warfare, homes and other aspects of these northern people. The author opens up your eyes to the fact that the vikings were civilized just as much as other people in those times which helps give you a new respect for these people. It's just amazing how these people went all over Europe, the Middle East and all the way to North America centuries before Christopher Columbus and spread their culture and in turn took apsects from other cultures back to Scandinavia.

There are maps which shows where the vikings travelled and there are a bunch of pictures of weapons, ships, burial mounds, artwork and rune stones. There are also two rune alphabets that they used for writing.

Some things I didn't like was that some of the subjects were rushed through and not too informative as they could have been like very little is mentioned about the military aspects of the vikings like offensive and defensive tactics whether it be about a king's army or raiding pirates. They also don't mention that much about the vikings in North America or the Middle East which I found to be very disappointing to say the least. I guess that there was so much to cover that the author couldn't fit everything in.

Overall this is a good introductory book about the vikings at a very low price. So if you want to read about the true vikings and not stereotypes about vikings being mindless, dirty heathen killers wearing horned helmets then you should get this book.

A very informative book, it covers nearly all aspects of Viking life, from government, literature, and warfare, through sculpture, gender roles, and burial practices. The book seems written for people who already have a working understanding of Viking life, as it makes a few assumptions about the knowledge you already have, but even if this is your first introduction to the Vikings you should be able to follow along with few problems.

In this book, Else Roesdahl provides an overview of the history of the Viking age as well as a very detailed account of Viking life. This is one of the better books on the subject and I would highly recommend it.

Ms Roesdahl bases her work on literary and archeological sources. Some of the work may be somewhat dated (compared to recent studies of, for example, Norse women's dress) and fairly general, but the book as a whole seems very solid. I would further recommend the following books to people to be read for further information:

A History of the Vikings by Gwyn Jones (THE leading history of the Viking age).

Reading the Past: Runes by R. I. Page (a look at how Elder and Viking-age Runic alphabets were used).

Everyday Life in the Viking Age by Jacqueline Simpson (A work with a great deal of overlap to this one)

and

Gods and Myths of Northern Europe by H. R. E. Davidson (A look at Viking-age religion).

However, the above works are more specialized than this current work. While they provide a great deal more depth in their areas, they lack some of the bigger picture. Thus I would recommend reading this book first and then looking into the above titles.

I really liked this book, As a Norwegian I have read and been learned in School of the Vikings, our heritage. I was still amazed over new information I did not know, and it inspired me to revisit many of the old sites with a new view of who they were.

Great book, a must read for people with interest in the Vikings

It is not easy to describe a culture in an average size paperback. This book does a worthy job of it. By refraining from unnecessary verbiage, the author has given a fairly comprehensive and detailed, yet readable, introduction to life in the Viking culture.

Whether you are a school student with a history project, or a Viking enthusiast, This book will give you a nicely rounded view of Viking life. Home, commerce, warfare, literature, and technology, are all covered in satisfying detail without being too academic or dry in style.

Sweyn
The Rune Primer: A Down to Earth Guide to the Runes

324 pages on the Viking Age, dealing with weapons, ships, Kings, kingdoms, sexual roles, slaves, weapons, language, runes, jewellery, archaeological finds, art, religions, trade and the settlements. The book starts on the history in Denmark, Norway and Sweden, but also expands into Scotland, England, Ireland, Greenland, Russia and beyond. If you liked the movie 'The 13th Warrior' or liked 'Eaters of the Dead' you will love this book.
BEWARE, most ideas you may of had about Vikings are WRONG! WRONG!