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September 8, 2009 9:27 PM Subscribe
I am looking for some good books on Vikings. Fiction, non-fiction whatever.
Eaters of the Dead by Michael Crichton is about vikings. The copy I have has some awesome 70's illustrations.
posted by 5_13_23_42_69_666 at 10:59 PM on September 8, 2009
posted by 5_13_23_42_69_666 at 10:59 PM on September 8, 2009
Go straight to the source: the Heimskringla.
Or read the stories they would have known: the Prose Edda.
posted by headless at 11:34 PM on September 8, 2009
Or read the stories they would have known: the Prose Edda.
posted by headless at 11:34 PM on September 8, 2009
The Long Ships by Frans Gunnar Bengtsson (older translation published as "Red Orm" - very understatedly funny, proper adventure before the swash was ever buckled, (interesting also for showing how ruthless the priests of the time were at chalking up "baptisms" at all costs whether the person believed or not, and how interchangeable the Vikings thought the various gods were)
posted by runincircles at 1:12 AM on September 9, 2009
posted by runincircles at 1:12 AM on September 9, 2009
In a different vein, there's the comic book Northlanders. And another called Viking. I enjoy the former and have not read the latter.
posted by BitterOldPunk at 4:07 AM on September 9, 2009 [1 favorite]
posted by BitterOldPunk at 4:07 AM on September 9, 2009 [1 favorite]
Well, for modern fiction I thought the Greenlanders was fine and Far Traveler is getting good press.
If you read German, all the sagas are available in that language and that includes all the riddarsogur and biskopsogur as well, not to mention some fine mythic sagas. The Icelandic family sagas are fun because you learn a lot about everyday machinations, such as, law and feud, as is the case in Njal's Saga. For pure bloodthirsty good times, you can't beat Egil's sage. There is a five volume set of Sagas of the Icelanders which may interest you and usually found at libraries or *cough* some personal collections.
Now I do like me some anthro books and Paul Durrenberger is great with The Dynamics of Medieval Iceland: Political Economy and Literature where the sagas are used as a source for how Icelandic Viking society may have functioned. Jenny Jochens is known for her studies on the role of women in Old Norse society and like Durrenberger pulls from historical and literary records.
I have been out of the game for awhile, but I would suggest a good Scandinavian studies dept. at a university would be a good place to start on getting really nice material. My favorite material was always from journals but I always want context for my reading. Of course, you do have Icelanders on the board who may chime in with even better resources.
posted by jadepearl at 4:07 AM on September 9, 2009
If you read German, all the sagas are available in that language and that includes all the riddarsogur and biskopsogur as well, not to mention some fine mythic sagas. The Icelandic family sagas are fun because you learn a lot about everyday machinations, such as, law and feud, as is the case in Njal's Saga. For pure bloodthirsty good times, you can't beat Egil's sage. There is a five volume set of Sagas of the Icelanders which may interest you and usually found at libraries or *cough* some personal collections.
Now I do like me some anthro books and Paul Durrenberger is great with The Dynamics of Medieval Iceland: Political Economy and Literature where the sagas are used as a source for how Icelandic Viking society may have functioned. Jenny Jochens is known for her studies on the role of women in Old Norse society and like Durrenberger pulls from historical and literary records.
I have been out of the game for awhile, but I would suggest a good Scandinavian studies dept. at a university would be a good place to start on getting really nice material. My favorite material was always from journals but I always want context for my reading. Of course, you do have Icelanders on the board who may chime in with even better resources.
posted by jadepearl at 4:07 AM on September 9, 2009
Definitely read the sagas. Egil's Saga and the Vinland sagas are wonderful. Egil's is like a Tarantino movie. I think those are both in the book Misteraitch linked to.
posted by apricot at 4:10 AM on September 9, 2009
posted by apricot at 4:10 AM on September 9, 2009
Bernard Cornwell's Saxon Chronicles is full of Vikings. Vikings as far as the eye can see.
posted by robocop is bleeding at 4:45 AM on September 9, 2009
posted by robocop is bleeding at 4:45 AM on September 9, 2009
Yeah, the sagas are pretty damn good. I recommend starting with Egils saga or Njáls saga. Don't worry, they're very readable and plot-focused (the occasional genealogy or discourse on law aside).
posted by Kattullus at 6:13 AM on September 9, 2009
posted by Kattullus at 6:13 AM on September 9, 2009
I strongly strongly strongly suggest The Sagas of Icelanders which includes some of the above, excellent translations.
posted by arimathea at 6:49 AM on September 9, 2009
posted by arimathea at 6:49 AM on September 9, 2009
Guy Gavriel Kay writes historical fiction usually after researching the topic for 2-5 years.
His book The Last Light of the Sun I remember enjoying.
posted by nerhael at 7:32 AM on September 9, 2009 [1 favorite]
His book The Last Light of the Sun I remember enjoying.
posted by nerhael at 7:32 AM on September 9, 2009 [1 favorite]
As a half-Icelander, I'd thoroughly recommend all of the above, especially anything by Snorri Sturluson
But I'd add in Noggin the Nog (for a wonderfully silly kid's perspective) here
posted by momentofmagnus at 7:34 AM on September 9, 2009
But I'd add in Noggin the Nog (for a wonderfully silly kid's perspective) here
posted by momentofmagnus at 7:34 AM on September 9, 2009
Best answer: I can think of two non-fiction texts: The Vikings, by Else Roesdahl, and The Viking, by Tre Tryckare. Both titles detail the craftsmanship, agriculture, language and trade routes of the society, with a fair number of archeological photos and schematics.
posted by Smart Dalek at 7:43 AM on September 9, 2009 [1 favorite]
posted by Smart Dalek at 7:43 AM on September 9, 2009 [1 favorite]
Best answer: The Long Ships by Frans Bengtsson. It's a Swedish classic - more information (including spoilers) here. It's unputdownable!
posted by jonesor at 7:51 AM on September 9, 2009 [1 favorite]
posted by jonesor at 7:51 AM on September 9, 2009 [1 favorite]
> The Icelandic Sagas.
Seconding misteraitch. Great book.
posted by languagehat at 8:05 AM on September 9, 2009
Seconding misteraitch. Great book.
posted by languagehat at 8:05 AM on September 9, 2009
I recently bought How The Barbarian Invasions Shaped The Modern World by Thomas J. Craughwell. The Viking section outlines how they were instrumental in shaping the national borders and key cities of Europe.
Also some tidbits on famous vikings and their brutality, an interesting passage about their millitary elite-a gang of maniacal and bloodthirsty warrirors called 'berserkers'.
Although they founded many cities and fostered trade between Asia and the Islamic world they were really merciless warriors who continuously raided monesteries and abbeys and melted church reliquarries and looted synagogues and slaughtered people while attending mass.
posted by Student of Man at 8:21 AM on September 9, 2009
Also some tidbits on famous vikings and their brutality, an interesting passage about their millitary elite-a gang of maniacal and bloodthirsty warrirors called 'berserkers'.
Although they founded many cities and fostered trade between Asia and the Islamic world they were really merciless warriors who continuously raided monesteries and abbeys and melted church reliquarries and looted synagogues and slaughtered people while attending mass.
posted by Student of Man at 8:21 AM on September 9, 2009
Best answer: I would second The Vikings, by Else Roesdahl - that's the textbook we used when I TA'd a great university course on the Vikings. It's very readable, but also very scholarly - and good at describing how much we don't know about Viking Age Scandinavia.
In terms of translated texts from the period, Egil's Saga can be a bit hard to get into - the names come at you fast and furious, and half of them start "Thor-" something (and Egil isn't the most sympathetic of characters). But I found the Vinland Saga very fun, and the Prose Edda (by the aforementioned Snorri) absolutely riveting.
One thing - for history, don't trust wikipedia - the editors there repeat the sagas as if they were history, when really they are a kind of historical fiction.
posted by jb at 8:26 AM on September 9, 2009
In terms of translated texts from the period, Egil's Saga can be a bit hard to get into - the names come at you fast and furious, and half of them start "Thor-" something (and Egil isn't the most sympathetic of characters). But I found the Vinland Saga very fun, and the Prose Edda (by the aforementioned Snorri) absolutely riveting.
One thing - for history, don't trust wikipedia - the editors there repeat the sagas as if they were history, when really they are a kind of historical fiction.
posted by jb at 8:26 AM on September 9, 2009
Response by poster: Thanks for all the great answers. If only they would release the DVDs of Viking Quest.
The Sagas have been on my mental list for a while so I guess I should start there.
Anybody have any opinions about The Vikings by Else Rosedahl vs. A History of the Vikings by Gwyn Jones? I'll likely only read one.
posted by shothotbot at 8:33 AM on September 9, 2009
The Sagas have been on my mental list for a while so I guess I should start there.
Anybody have any opinions about The Vikings by Else Rosedahl vs. A History of the Vikings by Gwyn Jones? I'll likely only read one.
posted by shothotbot at 8:33 AM on September 9, 2009
Thirding The Long Ships - one of my favorite books of all time.
posted by skintension at 10:13 AM on September 9, 2009
posted by skintension at 10:13 AM on September 9, 2009
Eaters of the Dead by Michael Crichton is about vikings.
The Viking Answer Lady talks about Crichton's book here: Risala: Ibn Fadlan's Account of the Rus
posted by homunculus at 12:25 PM on September 9, 2009
The Viking Answer Lady talks about Crichton's book here: Risala: Ibn Fadlan's Account of the Rus
posted by homunculus at 12:25 PM on September 9, 2009
yea, I should have mentioned - Eaters of the Dead is definitely cheezy fiction. but kinda fun
posted by 5_13_23_42_69_666 at 12:57 PM on September 9, 2009
posted by 5_13_23_42_69_666 at 12:57 PM on September 9, 2009
+1 for Last Light of the Sun by Guy Gavriel Kay.
posted by number9dream at 5:31 PM on September 9, 2009
posted by number9dream at 5:31 PM on September 9, 2009
Response by poster: The Long Ships is out of print over here but there is a new edition coming out from the admirable NYRB imprint with an introduction from Micheal Chabon. I think I will pre-order it, forget about it and get a pleasant surprise next May.
posted by shothotbot at 7:14 PM on September 9, 2009
posted by shothotbot at 7:14 PM on September 9, 2009
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There are a ton of good info on the web. I recommend a visit to The Viking Answer Lady as a stepping off point. Plenty of solid information, easily categorised, and annotated - so that will give you some pointers for reference material and books. I also suggest a look at Garry Waidson's website - Lore & Saga. Garry is a professional Viking, and while there's not a lot of new info, he is a dedicated re-enactor and his stuff is cooooool.
In the mean time, I shall lurk to see what other goodies turn up here.
posted by ninazer0 at 10:37 PM on September 8, 2009