The Vikings

Description

Feared pirates, intrepid navigators, skilled craftsmen - these are the bold Vikings who erupted into history at the end of the eighth century and forged the destiny of nations. The Vikings reveals the lives of ordinary people living in these extraordinary times - the beautiful jewelry they crafted, and charming toys for their children; the early pagan sacrifices, including human sacrifice; the mysterious runes, the written language of the Vikings; and of course the remarkable ships in which they invaded so many lands. Interwoven throughout the book are tales of famous Norse adventurers and excerpts from the Icelandic sagas, stories of gods and myths that are still enchanting today. The photographs depict the beauty of jewelry and artifacts created in gold, silver, bronze, and stone; a fascinating reconstruction of a Viking Age house; the "horn of plenty" in which the most precious valuables of the dead are buried with the body; an ice-skate made from a leather shoe and a sharpened bone; and Icelandic farmhouses with roofs of turf, resembling the nearby hills. With the talent of a storyteller, the author weaves the true tale of the Viking race in a style that is accessible to students, intriguing to adult readers, and provides an ideal introduction to this Nordic culture. Introduction 6 1. "A Fierce, Wrathful, Purely Pagan Folk" 10 2. "Iron-Studded Snakes" - Viking Ships 23 3. Between Fire and Ice: the Doom of the Gods 34 4. Life in a Viking Town 53 5. "We are all Equals!" 66 6. Runes 79 7. Death and the Afterlife 87 8. Viking Art 96 9. Treasures of the East 108 10. "Savage and Irredeemably Pagan" 118 11. Before Columbus: Viking Explorers 130 12. Trial by Jury: What Did the Vikings Contribute to History? 138 Further Reading 148 Index 153