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The Norsemen: Understanding Vikings and their Culture
In this series of lectures from The Modern Scholar series Professor Michael D.C. Drout immerses listeners in the extraordinary legacy of Viking civilization. Professor Drout explores how these peoples conquered all of Northern Europe, traveled as far as Byzantium in the East and North America in the West, and left a literary legacy that includes numerous works studied and enjoyed to this day.
Audiobook
First published January 1, 2012
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Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews
June 29, 2024
I liked it.
Interesting to know about some of the history, mystery, sagas, culture and literature of the Vikings. Not exactly what I hoped it would be, but I liked it, and really appreciate the enthusiasm of the lecturer.
Interesting to know about some of the history, mystery, sagas, culture and literature of the Vikings. Not exactly what I hoped it would be, but I liked it, and really appreciate the enthusiasm of the lecturer.
July 21, 2016
A fun listen- the author reads with fresh informality like he’s teaching a class, and the narrative is full of his delight and fascination with the brilliant, strange, and impressive accomplishments of the Norse.
However, he couldn’t help but lose credibility when he grossly mispronounced modern Icelandic words (!). And (?)! A scholar of old Norse should be able to get the odd Icelandic word, like Þingvellir- the languages remain similar, and he’s probably even been there.
So I enjoyed the listen, but am unfortunately suspicious of his scholarship, until further study.
However, he couldn’t help but lose credibility when he grossly mispronounced modern Icelandic words (!). And (?)! A scholar of old Norse should be able to get the odd Icelandic word, like Þingvellir- the languages remain similar, and he’s probably even been there.
So I enjoyed the listen, but am unfortunately suspicious of his scholarship, until further study.
September 28, 2020
I go through phases where I ignore my Audible account and then build up a bunch of credits, but then end up buying a bunch at one time. This particular lecture course was one of these purchases. The Modern Scholar is a series which aims to make what are essentially college lectures more accessible, interesting, and fun. The closest comparison would probably be The Great Courses (review on their Vikings course will come in future). This particular class is The Norsemen — Understanding Vikings and Their Culture, which is taught by Dr. Michael D. C. Drout, an English professor at Wheaton College, specialising in Medieval and Anglo-Saxon Literature as well as Science Fiction and Fantasy.
Dr. Drout is a surprisingly good lecturer. You can tell immediately that he enjoys his topic and he’s got an energy that makes him come across as excited. This is not one of those audiobooks or lectures where the person reading will put you to sleep, which is always a bonus for me. He is easy-to-follow and understand, even when talking about dense subjects like skaldic poetry, and in my opinion, rather relatable.
The course itself is divided up into several lectures, as one expects from something like this. The first few lectures talk about Norse expansion and what is meant by the term “viking” as well as talking about the wide proliferation of Norsemen across Europe and elsewhere at the time. It talks about colonisations and what led to them, and just how interconnected many are, including even the Goths and the Huns as well as the Rus.
It has a lecture on religion and mythology in Lecture 3, but herein and in surrounding issues we get what can be seen as a downside. This is very much an English professor, and he is teaching as an English professor, meaning that much of the focus is on what we can learn from the literature and surviving poetry. It is still fascinating to listen to, don’t get me wrong, and there is a lot of social commentary that comes out of things like his discussion of Eddaic poetry (Lecture 4) and Skaldic poetry (Lecture 5) but many may not think it’s important to know how to construct a dróttkvætt. There’s more commentary on outlawing and how justice could work in Iceland in How to Read a Saga (Lecture 6) about Hrafnkelssaga Freysgoða, so there is a lot of information in the discussions but it is from a specifically literary perspective. Lecture 7 is the Konungasögur, which looks at what the King’s sagas tell us about society at those times, especially Heimskringla, while the last lecture, Lecture 8, talks about the family sagas and how culture comes together in the family sagas, the Íslendingasögur.
While I would suggest this as a good listen with a great speaker, it is important to know that they are very focused from the literary aspect, and that this is an English professor speaking. If you are not interested in Norse culture as seen from the literary and saga perspective, this will not be your cup of tea.
Dr. Drout is a surprisingly good lecturer. You can tell immediately that he enjoys his topic and he’s got an energy that makes him come across as excited. This is not one of those audiobooks or lectures where the person reading will put you to sleep, which is always a bonus for me. He is easy-to-follow and understand, even when talking about dense subjects like skaldic poetry, and in my opinion, rather relatable.
The course itself is divided up into several lectures, as one expects from something like this. The first few lectures talk about Norse expansion and what is meant by the term “viking” as well as talking about the wide proliferation of Norsemen across Europe and elsewhere at the time. It talks about colonisations and what led to them, and just how interconnected many are, including even the Goths and the Huns as well as the Rus.
It has a lecture on religion and mythology in Lecture 3, but herein and in surrounding issues we get what can be seen as a downside. This is very much an English professor, and he is teaching as an English professor, meaning that much of the focus is on what we can learn from the literature and surviving poetry. It is still fascinating to listen to, don’t get me wrong, and there is a lot of social commentary that comes out of things like his discussion of Eddaic poetry (Lecture 4) and Skaldic poetry (Lecture 5) but many may not think it’s important to know how to construct a dróttkvætt. There’s more commentary on outlawing and how justice could work in Iceland in How to Read a Saga (Lecture 6) about Hrafnkelssaga Freysgoða, so there is a lot of information in the discussions but it is from a specifically literary perspective. Lecture 7 is the Konungasögur, which looks at what the King’s sagas tell us about society at those times, especially Heimskringla, while the last lecture, Lecture 8, talks about the family sagas and how culture comes together in the family sagas, the Íslendingasögur.
While I would suggest this as a good listen with a great speaker, it is important to know that they are very focused from the literary aspect, and that this is an English professor speaking. If you are not interested in Norse culture as seen from the literary and saga perspective, this will not be your cup of tea.
April 10, 2026
This was worth revisiting. It's mostly focused on literature and not politics, but it's great background if you wish to read about Uthred of Bebbanberg or Anglo-Saxon history or Celtic history. The professor is clearly a fan, but doesn't elide past the horrors of Viking conquest or get into revisionist histories about peaceable Scandinavian socialists never ever wiping out all the males in Iceland and such. He even mentions modern Icelanders utterly clueless about taking the isle from Celts who got there first, and being proud of descent from various serial killers. I wish he knew enough about sociopaths to associate one particular literary leading light with a classic sociopathic personality, btu that's a mere quibble in relating to this excellent introduction to a difficult subject, clouded by a long tradition of bad, highly motivated history and historical fiction often making wild assumptions based on a mistranslation (not just you, Wagner).
I am surprised by how little attention he gives to how independent Norse women were, despite the presence of lots of slave women, or perhaps because of them? I'm hardly a feminist, but the contrast of even French Viking descendants with central French culture is striking, and the way the rise of Protestantism in Nordic places didn't seem to have the deeply anti-woman effects it had in much of Europe likely bear study. But it's beyond the scope of Professor Drout's oeuvre, I suppose, and that's fair. There's only so much one can cover.
I am surprised by how little attention he gives to how independent Norse women were, despite the presence of lots of slave women, or perhaps because of them? I'm hardly a feminist, but the contrast of even French Viking descendants with central French culture is striking, and the way the rise of Protestantism in Nordic places didn't seem to have the deeply anti-woman effects it had in much of Europe likely bear study. But it's beyond the scope of Professor Drout's oeuvre, I suppose, and that's fair. There's only so much one can cover.
August 25, 2025
The Norsemen: Understanding Vikings and their Culture by Michael Drout is excellent. It is as if someone heard my complaint about Timothy Shutt's course on the Celts and Germans and did a major course correction. Most of the source material is still literature, and the course is still largely a literary one, but it is done in a way that constantly reflects on the culture and society of the Norse, as well as their place in the world. References are made to non-literature all the time, and we are told how we know what we know. The course necessarily revolves around Iceland, but the geography of the course is rarely bound to it - as we can venture to the Rus, Carpathia, France, Scandinavia, and the lands of the Anglo-Saxons. You get the feeling like you know the people a bit better, and Drout is a very capable storyteller. I wish we could get more like this. That said, even though the thematic placement of the last course makes it idea for an ending, I still would have liked it if the Modern Scholar knew to put a conclusion in their works. Its also the first one that I think I can recommend pretty broadly as well.
March 30, 2018
This is a highly engaging, well-researched collection of lectures on the Norsemen, including Viking history, culture, mythology, and religion. I love it, because it reminds me of a favorite college professor who really broke things down and explained what parts of beliefs are true and what parts of those beliefs are missing which would help further explain the full truth of a culture, people, or incident.
Anyway, I’m preparing to do a bit of heavy Viking research, for. . . reasons. So I tackled this as a warm-up to get me interested in the topic and start developing a base layer of knowledge and understanding. This was excellent for that, and I may go back and listen to it again after I finish my research, as there are some really interesting thoughts and ideas here that I’d probably like to consider/reconsider after I do a bit more research.
Book 140 read in 2018
Pages: (See note in chart)
Anyway, I’m preparing to do a bit of heavy Viking research, for. . . reasons. So I tackled this as a warm-up to get me interested in the topic and start developing a base layer of knowledge and understanding. This was excellent for that, and I may go back and listen to it again after I finish my research, as there are some really interesting thoughts and ideas here that I’d probably like to consider/reconsider after I do a bit more research.
Book 140 read in 2018
Pages: (See note in chart)
November 3, 2016
This was an enjoyable, albeit short, lecture series. A lot of the "vikings weren't really like that" were things I already knew, so it was fortunate debunking myths wasn't the main focus. I enjoyed the lecturer's tone and the sort of flippant, modern ways he would summarize events from sagas or the like, especially as it fit well with the acerbic style of the originals. I gained some insight into the poetic and literary traditions, beyond what I had had previously, and feel somewhat inspired to breakout my copies of the sagas and reread them. I took a class that covered most, if not all, of the sagas brought up in this work in college, but revisiting them or reading new ones could be interesting.
August 17, 2019
The Norsemen briefly covers the Viking invasions to various parts of the world and then spends several hours describing the myths, poetry and sagas of the Icelandic peoples. It is an informative introduction, especially to Iceland and to Nordic literature. However, I was looking for more details about the Viking raids and their long term affect. I was surprised that the literature appears to be an such important part of knowing these people. Eventually I will look for material which has more emphasis on history. Professor Michael D.C. Drout's lectures are mostly chatty and informal, making them easy listening.
December 7, 2018
Very fun to listen - great overview to freshen up your knowledge about Norse (mostly Icelandic) culture.
I listened to it on my way to/from uni before exam in Old Norse literature and have to admit that it covered all of the "most important" sagas and briefly mentioned some other books that are necessary to know of. Highly recommended for everyone who is interested in Old Norse literature!
I listened to it on my way to/from uni before exam in Old Norse literature and have to admit that it covered all of the "most important" sagas and briefly mentioned some other books that are necessary to know of. Highly recommended for everyone who is interested in Old Norse literature!
May 9, 2017
Great book and wonderful written. The format is inspiring and gives a great overview of the vikings and their culture. A little fewer summaries of the different Islandtic sagas in the end would have made the book a little less boring at the end.
June 28, 2017
4.5 stars. Drout's lectures are marbled with humor and a healthy bit of skepticism. Fascinating to listen to, if a bit more tangled where the sagas are concerned.
November 10, 2019
Mostly about the poetry and stories, not quite what I expected. Still interesting enough to read
March 16, 2020
Excellent lecture course on the Norse and the culture. The teacher is humorous and easy to listen to.
December 29, 2022
A little short of length and details it is somewhat history, language, art appreciation. Much time is spent in the the sagas to understand how the Norsemen became so dominant.
January 31, 2024
Excellent. Enjoyed the perspective of Viking history and realised I will never understand Viking poetry.
March 1, 2025
Good lecture. Elements that I did not knew have been captured here.
May 18, 2025
A series of lectures of the history, culture, and religion of the Vikings.
January 9, 2026
A diseased come to removed sin. Medication nôr acceptabled. Ahlussunnah wal jama'ah.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 18, 2013
The lecture series on the Vikings by Michael Drout does not disappoint. I have listened to several of his other lectures including The Anglo-Saxons and his lecture series on fantasy literature. As always, Drout does a great job. However, his Anglo-Saxon lectures are still my favorites!
The Viking series spends a lot of time on the Norse and Icelandic literature of the period. Drout is knowledgeable and passionate about the subject. His understanding of the material is helpful to listeners. Unlike other lectures dealing with the sagas (For example, Shutt's Celts and Germans), Drout offers both a summary of the saga and explains the meaning of the story in Norse society. Other scholars do a fair job explaining the plot of the stories but do not take the extra step of explaining what the stories mean and why and how they were important to the culture.
Another aspect that makes Drout fun to listen to is his passion for the subject. I have only read The Saga of the Volsungs and while I enjoyed it, it was at times a little dry. But Drout makes the stories come alive and I finished the lectures with a desire to go and read some of the other sagas. He makes them sound so entertaining--if they aren't!
If you like Drout's other lectures or you have an interest in the Vikings and the people of Northern Europe I suggest this series.
The Viking series spends a lot of time on the Norse and Icelandic literature of the period. Drout is knowledgeable and passionate about the subject. His understanding of the material is helpful to listeners. Unlike other lectures dealing with the sagas (For example, Shutt's Celts and Germans), Drout offers both a summary of the saga and explains the meaning of the story in Norse society. Other scholars do a fair job explaining the plot of the stories but do not take the extra step of explaining what the stories mean and why and how they were important to the culture.
Another aspect that makes Drout fun to listen to is his passion for the subject. I have only read The Saga of the Volsungs and while I enjoyed it, it was at times a little dry. But Drout makes the stories come alive and I finished the lectures with a desire to go and read some of the other sagas. He makes them sound so entertaining--if they aren't!
If you like Drout's other lectures or you have an interest in the Vikings and the people of Northern Europe I suggest this series.
November 14, 2016
Michael Drout is an amazing lecturer! I have listened to most of his programs, and this one is just as awesome as the rest--maybe even more so because it is on a subject that I didn't know much about, and still he managed to make it not only accessible, but also enjoyable. The information about the Norsemen and their culture delivered was concise, enlightening, and plentiful despite what little we know about them (I say little--perhaps little, compared to other cultures about whom we know so very much). The information on the sagas was wonderful. Professor Drout manages to make the sagas come to life, and in the process impart knowledge about Norse culture that we learn only from those texts. Highly recommended!
March 5, 2014
Vikings!! I loved this look at viking culture and especially the language/story telling. Literally viking culture was everywhere for a solid couple hundred years in history and yet not much is known but the influence is felt. This work helps to understand the influence and impact the vikings had in history. If you love history you will love this. History!! Vikings!!
April 11, 2016
Another great lecture series. This narrator was so enthusiastic- it really added to the content. I really enjoyed hearing him speak in Norse and reading from the original poetry/source. While this series covered slot of territory I felt it was focused predominantly on the literature and its meaning, and the context and general history was an added bonus.
May 3, 2013
Not as interesting as other courses by Drout, but worthwhile.
How can you not like a book which has Old Norse wisdom like "It is better to be living than dead. The living man gets the cow."
How can you not like a book which has Old Norse wisdom like "It is better to be living than dead. The living man gets the cow."
February 17, 2015
This is a fantastic primer for those interested in Norse Mythology, Skalds, and the Edda. Well worth the listen.
January 21, 2017
Really fantastic. Talks more about poetry and storytelling than day-to-day life, but that angle is very interesting and very much a part of Viking daily life.
February 1, 2017
The Modern Scholar: The Norsemen - Understanding Vikings and Their Culture:
This was fun to hear. I still don't understand Skaldic poetry. :)
This was fun to hear. I still don't understand Skaldic poetry. :)
May 19, 2024
3.5 stars [Anthopology]
(W 3.04 | U 3.41 | T 3.5)
Exact rating: 3.32
(W 3.04 | U 3.41 | T 3.5)
Exact rating: 3.32
Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews