The Vikings

by Else Roesdahl

Far from being just 'wild, barbaric, axe-wielding pirates', the Vikings created complex social institutions, oversaw the coming of Christianity to Scandinavia and made a major impact on European history through trade, travel and far-flung consolidation. This encyclopedic study brings together the latest research on Viking art, burial customs, class divisions, jewellery, kingship, poetry and family life. The result is a rich and compelling picture of an extraordinary civilisation.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, European History, Medieval, Medieval History, Scandinavian Literature, Archaeology

324 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1987

About the author

Else Roesdahl is a Danish archaeologist, historian and educator. She has mediated the history of the Vikings for most of her life, including coordination of notable exhibitions on the Viking Age and authoring several books on the subject. Roesdahl's books have been translated into several languages.

In 1988, she received the Søren Gyldendal Prize, a literary award, and was later honoured as a Knight of the Order of the Dannebrog in 1992. In 1995, Roesdahl was given an honorary doctorate by Trinity College, Dublin.

Reviews

[Terri · Rating 4 out of 5]

“That which has a bad beginning, is likely to have a bad ending.”
~Hen-Thorir’s Saga, c.4

Since we came back from a trip to Iceland, I have been wanted to read more about the Vikings. Author Else Roesdahl is a Danish medieval archaeologist, historian and educator and does an insightful, solid job in teaching the reader the history of the Scandinavians. In 1992, she became the knight of the Dannebrog Order. Her book is a concentrated study of the Viking civilization mainly set from c.750 – c.1050. Only one third of the book is about the Viking exploration into Russia, France and England as well as Iceland and Greenland.


I was partially interested in Viking art and burial practices since we visited the National Museum of Iceland in Reykjavik. The book covers it as well as Viking living conditions, how towns and kingdoms were set up, daily dress, religious customs, diet, their poetry and language. It also covers the exciting period when they built their amazing boats and took to the sea. The study of the Vikings is a fluid one in that there are new discoveries from evacuations and advanced technology.

This book is more of an informative textbook than a entertaining read but it was exactly what I was looking for. (The author is an expert but does not write it like it is a best seller so be warned.) There are black and white illustrations and maps but not of good quality for a book of this caliber. If you are looking for a book that describes the life of the Viking age than this will satisfy you but if you want a book on their raids and expansions look at “Sea Wolves: A History of the Vikings” by Lars Brownworth. I gave this book four stars.

[Jan-Maat]

A nice survey of the Vikings and Viking age society. Well illustrated both with plates and line drawings. Makes good use of archeological evidence. Rather cool and unsensational in approach, gives a good feel for the nuts and bolts of Viking ages societies.

[Mike Green · Rating 2 out of 5]

Informative, but with a price. Two hundred plus pages of passionless narration and placid prose. It was a fight to the finish. Roesdahl should read Kittos "The Greeks" to see how it's done... But between dozing off I did manage to learn something, that's why I'm giving two starts instead of one.

[William · Rating 4 out of 5]

Else Roesdahl walks us soberly and systematically through Viking Age Scandinavia, dating in this book from the raid on Lindisfarne in 793 through to the defeat of Harald Hardrada at Stamford Bridge in 1066. The world is evoked through sources literary and archaelogical, though Roesdahl is always keen to impress the scarcity of contemporary written accounts. So much of what we knew about the period, prior to the many advancements of archaeology during the 20th century, is based on sources writing at least 100 years after events. (E.g. the Icelandic Sagas being used as sources of Viking expeditions, or Snorri Sturluson's incidental accounts of Norse Mythology). Those sources we do possess are the work of outsiders such as Adam of Bremen, a Christian missionary who believed Greenland was so-called because of the sickly hue of its inhabitants' skin.

This is explained by one of the themes which emerges from the work: the entwinement of Christianity with the growth of writing and centralised government. The only 'writing' we possess from the pre-Christian era of Scandinavia is runic, consisting of 16 symbols often found scratched in sticks and animal bones. This goes some way to explaining why Scandinavian rulers, once they were exposed to the power of Christian kings, were so eager to adopt the new religion. (As well as often undergoing baptism in order to marry the princesses of Western Christendom).

The book presents its material thematically and so enjoyment depends on interest in subject matter: I am always fascinated by the obscure niceties of Scaldic poetry and the diffusion of names and place-names (such as that the Norman 'Auberville' derives from 'Ásbjörn' - just think how different Hardy's novel might have been had it traced the fate of shield-maiden Tess af Ásbjörn!) - and less so in the finer details of trading relations with the Finns. During such longueurs I was reminded of Kant's argument that aesthetic experience produces deeper knowledge of a thing than does mere cognitive understanding. So, reading of the dimensions of a typical farmer's hut I found I could enjoy it much more by imagining it as though I were reading it as a description in a fantasy novel.

I loved the section dedicated to the explanation of kennings - a feature of Scaldic poetry in which the name of a common object/idea is replaced by a figurative circumlocution. A famous modern example instantly springs to mind: war as a 'storm of swords.' These can range from humorously mundane - the head is 'the prop of the helmet' - to the rather more poetic 'Valkyrie's ice', meaning sword. (I once wrote down a whole list of the kennings used by Seamus Heaney in his translation of Beowulf, now I can't remember any of them...does 'wound-slurry' qualify as a kenning for blood?)

I had never heard of the Danevirke: a defensive wall built along Denmark's southern border with Germany. Roesdahl alludes in a sentence to its use in WWII, but wikipedia gives rather a more incredible tale:

Following the Allied invasion of Normandy during World War II, the Wehrmacht feared that a second Allied invasion might take place through Denmark, and contemplated converting the earthen wall into an anti-tank trench to counter this threat. Had the proposal been implemented, it would have destroyed the structure.

Hearing of the plans, Danish archaeologist Søren Telling – aware that all archaeological investigation was under the ultimate jurisdiction of SS chief Heinrich Himmler – immediately telephoned both the head of the SS's archaeological department, Amt für Ahnenerbe ("Office for ancestral heritage"), and Himmler himself. Telling argued strongly against the destruction of an important remnant of "Aryan civilization" and Himmler authorized him to stop the construction of the anti-tank trench. He informed Telling that a written order would be dispatched but that it would take several days to arrive. Telling then drove to the site and ordered the commanding Wehrmacht officers to immediately stop the construction process. When the local Wehrmacht commander refused, Telling threatened him with reprisals from the SS. Construction was called off and Himmler's written order arrived two days later countering the Wehrmacht's original instructions. Telling later settled near the site and considered himself a custodian of it until his death in 1968.

[Shane Findlay · Rating 4 out of 5]

Vinland was in Canada, not America. Otherwise an informative read. A lil more elaboration on weapons and warfare woulda been nice.

[Britt Suits · Rating 3 out of 5]

„Viikingite maailm“ on suures osas jaotatud kaheks. Üks osa räägib Skandinaaviast ja teine osa ülejäänud piirkondadest. Käsitletakse erinevaid teemasid nagu välimus, keel, nimed, ühiskond, võim, transport, elatusalad, kaubandus, relvad, võitlus, religioon, kunst jt.

„Viikingite maailma“ liigitasin ma enda jaoks hoopis teaduskirjanduseks ja nii läks lugemine psühholoogiliselt kergemalt. Enamasti saan ma mahti lugeda õhtuti, aga selle raamatu lugemiseks pidin ekstra leidma aega päeval, sest õhtul lihtsalt ei suutnud kuidagi seda raamatut lugeda. Kusjuures, raamat ei olnud üldse igav ega halb. Oleneb muidugi millega võrrelda… Nii et tegelikult osutus raamat täitsa loetavaks :) Eks sellele aitasid kaasa ka ohtrad pildid/kaardid/skeemid.

Kõige tähtsam ja laialtlevinud eksiarvamus, et viikingid on Skandinaavia mereröövlid, sai kohe alguses lahti selgitatud, nii et olgu siis ka teistele teadmiseks, et viikingid ei olnud mitte ainult Skandinaavias ja nende tegevus oli väga mitmetahuline just nagu ühiskondki.

[Leiki Fae · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a very informative book. I had expected it to be a little heavier with the history, but in fact it was a lot about the culture of Scandinavian peoples during the time of the Vikings, and only one long last chapter about the history. I don't fault it for that, but I will say it was very like reading a reference book on Vikings. I am not sure that the average reader would be interested in slight regional differences between Viking art styles, for instance. Even if you are interested in that kind of minutiaue, you might not want to want to read a book cover to cover about it. But I did, and now I know a lot! I'm going to read another book more about the history of the raids and expansions. Vikings are so hot right now.

[Kati · Rating 3 out of 5]

After watching the History Channel TV series 'Vikings' (which I really enjoyed and would highly recommend to anyone interested in Viking history and culture), I decided I wanted a bit more background to help me understand the historical references in the show.

Looking on Amazon, there were several options, many of which were either a bit outdated, too academic, or not academic enough. In the end, I settled for this one, and I have to say I have mixed thoughts (hence the 3 star review).

The first quarter and the last quarter of the book are interesting and made the book worthwhile for me. The first quarter deals with Viking culture, while the last quarter deals with the Viking's exploits in various parts of the world. The middle bit of the book was a bit dry and academic, focusing a lot on the archeological evidence (describing ships, houses and artistic styles in a bit too much detail). There were interesting bits here too, but I thought there was too many 'facts' and not enough analysis or interpretation.

The book ended quite suddenly, without (I think) giving too much credit for the extremely wide social and political influence that the Vikings had on Europe. For instance, it measures Viking influence almost solely based on how many Viking place names remain on the map, but, having lived and studied in Denmark for a year, I can tell you that the Viking influence was a lot wider than that, especially in England (another place that I have lived, so I feel safe to comment about it - I am not so sure about other countries). For instance, everyone always says that English is based on French. However, it is only about 50% French - the other 50% is Scandinavian (For instance, have you ever wondered why in English, both the plural and the possessive are marked with an 's'? It's because the plural s comes from French, while the possessive s comes from Scandinavian). This is a huge cultural influence, for which Vikings are not really given enough credit for.

Furthermore, schools always teach that in 1066 England was conquered by the French. This is partially true, but if we remember that Normandy (literally, "land of the Northmen") was ceded to Rollo (a Viking) in exchange for helping keep other Vikings out of France, and that William the Conqueror was a direct descendant of Rollo, then really, it is more accurate to say that the Vikings conquered England (which is ironic considering the reason the English king lost the battle of Hastings is because he had been busy trying to repel another group of Vikings in the north).

Additionally, the book praises (rightly) the Viking's cultural adaptability and willingness to assimilate and learn from other cultural groups (many of them readily converted to Christianity in order to gain greater political advantage). The number of Viking settlements in England was huge, which means that thousands of Vikings had settled in England by 1066, not to mention the huge wave of immigration after the conquest (most of which comprised people who had Viking ancestry). In this sense, I think the most important 'gift' that the Vikings brought to England is their culture - their sense of adventure and their cultural adaptability, both of which became influencing themes in English history, and helped build up their enormous empire (according to a recent article I read, the English successfully invaded, at one time or another, all but 22 countries in the world).

Returning to the review of the book, it was interesting to learn more about the Vikings (this was the first book I had read about them, not counting the Horrible History treatment). I would recommended to people who are interested in the archeological evidence, and the nitty-gritty of scaldic poetry and artistic motifs, but I am sure that there are better and more current overall histories that do a better of job putting the Vikings in context.

[Tejas Janet · Rating 3 out of 5]

There's an abundance of fascinating information here, unfortunately not organized or recounted to best advantage. Even so, I'd give this read between 3 and 4 stars. (True confessions: Yes, I am watching the history channel's new series about the Vikings.)

From author Else Roesdahl's book, sharing the same, plain title as the aforementioned television program, The Vikings, I learned that, while the Vikings were of Scandinavian origin, it was their culture rather than their location per se that gave them their cohesive identity as a distinct people. Their social organization was much more complex and "civilized" (within the context of its time and place) than I had realized, and while the t.v. show seems fairly accurate as far as it goes, I find it falling short, thus far, in fully conveying the complexity and influence of the Vikings.

They lived in an age of conquest with lords and tribute, marked by ever-shifting political alliances, predating present-day nation-states. Moreover, the Vikings had a profound impact on the formation and history of many European nation-states, including most notably Scandinavia, Iceland, England, France, and Russia. Soldiering and pirating were activities fundamental to their society and economy, and activities at which they excelled, and for which they are now most commonly renowned. Their ferocity and bravery became legendary (but no, they didn't really wear those horned-helmets, those predated the Viking Age).

Besides being technologically sophisticated enough to design and build boats that could navigate the open seas, the economic activities of farming, hunting, specialized crafts, and trading locally and abroad were integral to their livelihoods and way of life at home (contemporary Scandinavian countries of Norway, Denmark, Sweden) and abroad (contemporary England and western Europe, the Baltic, Russia, Byzantium, the Caliphate, Iceland, the Faroes, Greenland, Newfoundland).

Even less well known, to a general reader such as myself, is the importance that religion, family, civil law, and art (expressed in scaldic poetry for example) had within their culture. Additionally, they were also greatly influened by the people and cultures they encountered in their expeditions and voyages, and they often settled in the lands that they travelled to, bringing their ways with them, and often being influenced to adopt the ways of their new homelands, most prominently demonstrated by their frequent, widespread acceptance of the Christian faith. Cultural interchange went in both directions. By the end of the Viking Age, the nascent Scandinavian kingdoms had been assimilated into European Christendom.

While I wish this book engaged the reader more fully so that the history would come alive on the pages, it does contain a great deal of interesting information about the time and people of the Viking Age, albeit presented in mostly dry, academic prose.

[AcidGirl · Rating 4 out of 5]

A classic read for everyone seriously interested in the Viking age. It focuses on what the different written and archaeological sources tell us about this time, and thus on the hard facts without much storytelling around it, which is a huge plus for me. I found it fascinating how those bits and finds distributed across the whole of Europe and the North Atlantic puzzled together give a divers picture of a far travelling people of 1000 years ago. It is written in a very condensed language and a balanced, matter-of-fact tone. At times, I would have liked to dug deeper instead of brushing over events in one or two sentences. However, I gather it is ment as an overview and there is an extensive bibliography for further reading.

[Bettie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bettie's Books

[Tim Martin · Rating 4 out of 5]

_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.

[Chetan Tyagi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Picked up The Vikings as the topic seemed very exciting given all the hype around them. However, a few dampeners on this one.

First, after reading the book the Vikings themselves seem rather overhyped. By and large, they were pirates and mercenaries who pillaged. The real impact on a historic basis was by the ones who were Vikings only by background but had already become English or French practically. Hardly the Mongols these fellers.

Second, the book itself is tedious with a capital T. The first 2/3 or so goes into intricate details and reads more like a school textbook than a story. There are innumerable facts but very little narrative - in fact there are places where they are just dropped in and then don't really lead to anything. It does get better in the last third where they talk about the expansion etc but still quite dull as a whole.

Net net, while I did like it at the end, this was a solid 1 star for the majority of the reading. The fact that it's ended up as a 3 is a testament to the last part which does get interesting and my inherent interest in histories that stay true to fact and don't exaggerate.

[Brendan McKee · Rating 3 out of 5]

Though informative, this book is dryly written and that’s its biggest setback. Most of it reads like a textbook, covering the various social aspects of Nordic culture during the Viking era without presenting much of a narrative to draw it together. This means that, asides from being dull reading, it is likely also going to be confusing for those new to the history and who are unfamiliar with figures like Harald Finehair or Cnut the Great. The last third of the book, covering the Viking’s foreign exploits on a region-by-region basis, rescues the book. It presents an interesting introduction to Nordic activity in locales like Ireland, Scotland, Iceland, Eastern Europe, etc., told in a way which expertly combines narrative and social histories. If only the whole book could be like this. It is also one of the few sources I have come across that treats these cases independently and in-depth, so I certainly felt happy with this book after reading the sections covering more obscure histories like that of the Isle of Man. However, in a field which is already crowded with many books, I think the lay-reader should look elsewhere when trying to find a history of the Vikings

[Ida Ottesen · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you want facts about the Vikings this is the book for you! I learned so much, bit sadly the writing is very dry and factual, and I had trouble concentrating.

Excellently researched I'm sure, but sometimes I feel like I needed more explanations of some of Roesdahl's conclusions.

[Sorin Hadârcă · Rating 3 out of 5]

Meticulously documented saga about the Vikings of whom much was said and little was known. Great bookkeeping, not so great literature.

[Amy O’Regan · Rating 3 out of 5]

A solid 3.5, it’s always a bit tricky to rate non-fiction, but I will say that this one was particularly refreshing in its presentation with a healthy smattering of images and drawings.

[Olaf · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's not exciting, but you're probably never gonna learn more about the Vikings and how they lived. It's dry and academic – be warned.

[Helen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Пожалуй, это первая книга по истории, где очень много "видимо", "возможно", "вероятно" и различных словосочетаний с этим значением. Хотя все равно узнала много занимательных фактов, о которых не знала раньше или не обращала внимания. Но перевод оставляет желать лучшего.

[Jc Er · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent beginners history on the Vikings age which spanned 400 years from 700 to 1100 AD. Reading this book in tandem with watching the TV series Vikings and living in Norway all add to my excitement and fascination with the Vikings of the past that had produced the uniquely beautiful Scandinavian race of today.

While the Vikings would cover people from Norway, Denmark, Iceland, Greenland and Sweden, Else seem to have heavily favoured the Norwegian Vikings for the early forays into the neighbouring lands, like Iceland, Great Britain, France and Greenland.

While most would imagine Vikings as blood thirsty and violent with natives of land they invade, my impression of Vikings soften after learning that Vikings were also peace loving and sought harmony with the native lands they discovered. This is evidenced by they many royal matrimonies with natives , adoption of Christianity (a religion of Great Britain, Russia, France then) and adoption of local names and customs. Archeology discovered Vikings buried side by side with natives, a sign of Vikings were well integrated with the native lands they adopted.

The Vikings chief motive for their great 400 years of diaspora was to find new and better arable lands for agriculture and to support their families. As destiny would for them from their expansion, the adoption of Christianity and integration with natives of new land have shaped the beautiful Scandinavians we see today.

[Chiek Er · Rating 5 out of 5]

To the lay person Vikings were savage blood thirsty pirates. But for me for having done some research including reading this book, Vikings were actually peace loving. they were eager to integrate with the natives through marriage, adoption of Christianity and blending in with their culture and way of life. This is more believable in view of the beautiful Scandinavians we witness today.

關於維京人的歷史，本書很適合初學者水平。 跨越400年700〜 1100公元，我是的隨看維京人電視劇，隨讀這本書， 而且我也居住在挪威，同事們都是北歐人， 這些因素全添加了我我對維京人的興奮，令我迷戀今天的獨特美麗的斯堪的那維亞人族，也稱為北歐人，也是過去的維京人的後代。

維京人包括來自挪威，丹麥，冰島，格陵蘭和瑞典的北歐人，作者 （Else）推測，是挪威維京人，最早期又維京船侵略了鄰近的冰島，英國，法國和格陵蘭島的青睞 。

雖然大多數人都想像維京人侵略土地時，是為嗜血和暴力濫殺當地人，但經過研究，我卻對維京人的印象產生相反，其實維京人是更加熱愛和平，尋求和諧，他們發現當地的土地後會軟化。通過與當地人結婚，接受基督教（當時 公元1000，基督教是英國，俄羅斯，法國的主要宗教），也發生許多皇家婚姻和入鄉隨俗的作風，令他們 很容易適應融入新環境。證據在考古也發現維京人被埋並排當地人，證明了維京人，完全被當地人接受為自己人。

400年散居，維京人的主要動機的是尋找新的農田耕種，養活家庭。命運讓他們擴張，接受 基督教的巨大印象，和新土地 當地人結合，一切都形成了我們今天所看到的美麗的北歐人。

[Elliott · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don't disagree with the people who found this work a bit dry... it took me a long time to finish, even though I am very interested in the material. it's a broad survey, covering a lot of ground historically and geographically. I think this would be a good introduction to the history of the Vikings. oddly, I got the impression that the author was somewhat dismissive of the pre-Christian, pagan religion. that might be unfair of me, because I wanted to hear more about their beliefs than the detail this book went into (and at one point Roesdahl explains the arguments for Christianity's superiority). still, a lot of good information. I can't imagine the process of sifting through all of the research and compiling it into the semblance of a narrative.

[Andrew Hurst · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of the best studies of the Vikings that I have read. Many books about Vikings concentrate on the aspects that everyone is aware of -i.e. the raiding, warfare, sea voyages and then settling down to become traders. This book, however, gives a real insight into the Viking culture, ordinary life, religion, and the development of the Scandinavian countries.

[Brie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of the best histories of the vikings I have read. It wasn't looking down on them as savages or crowing the conversion to Christianity like past books I read. It felt as if it were written by someone who understood (and respected) the culture instead or loved it's downfall.

[Ruxandra · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is such a great introductory book for students seeking to understand the Scandinavian culture through historical and anthropological lenses.

[Valkyrie of Copper County · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've just read it as a uni literature book, and after letting the impression of it cool for a few days came here to write this re-view.
I can say that I really enjoyed it and think it is a very well written book. Now as this might come closer to a subjective then an objective opinion I do feel the need to mention some occurrences and I would say patterns in the writing that might not be up to everyone's taste.
From the start it is noticeable that the esteemed author did not want this to be just a dry history textbook written in a way that every piece of information is brought up in a matter-of-fact way that doesn't stray much from the topic nor give a second glance to your opinion on the writing style because it is focused on bringing and giving You the information that you sought after all by taking up the book in the first place. THIS book however takes a different approach by combining the information the author wants to present you with prose written in the text that serves the purpose of drawing the reads in with the almost at times saga-epic fantasy-novel writing style through which I feel you can feel the authors (professors as she is one) admiration for the culture of Scandinavia and Viking society and the topic she tells us about. Which I thoroughly enjoyed BUT as I said earlier it might not be everybody's cup of tea.
One thing which would I think annoy me (and that I also fell the need to mention) is that through the story some pieces of information are mentioned or brought back one to many times so it can maybe in some places take the reader away from the topic actually discussed in the moment but no to many times. From my perspective as a university student taking notes and trying to remember as much as possible through reading in the first part of studying for the exam it didn't bother me and it felt pretty handy to have little snippets of information mentioned again just for the good measure so in that regard if your trying to learn and memorize a fair deal of information from the book it does a pretty good job without in being dry or making you feel overwhelmed.
In regards to the topics covered and the information presented it does its best to cover as much of the important detail and connect it in an understandable way (as for example when talking to dynastic lines and family threes and king ruling one of the countries at the time and they they often interconnect and merge with each other).
Over all leaves a pretty solid after taste in my opinion .

[Aimi Tedresalu · Rating 3 out of 5]

Taani arheoloogi ja ajaloolase Else Roesdahli raamat annab viikingiperioodist küllaltki hea ülevaate. Tinglikult on raamat jaotatud kaheks osaks: viikingite asualad Skandinaavias ja retked väljapoole Skandinaaviat. Ise nautisin rohkem esimest osa ja just igapäevaelu tahkusid - millistes looduslikes tingimustes elati, milline oli ühiskonnakorraldus, kuidas korraldati igapäevaelu, religioon, kultuuriline pool. Üle ja ümber ei saanud muidugi ka sellistest olulistest teemadest nagu kauplemine ja sõdimine ja suured suguvõsad, milles palju uhkeid ja ilusaid skandinaavia nimesid. Üllatav oli lugeda, kui palju on tänapäevani säilinud ruunikive, millega esivanemate vapraid tegusid mälestatakse, ja kuidas niii mõnigi Euroopas tuntud kuningasuguvõsa on alguse saanud just viikingitest.
Põnev oli lugeda ka seda, millistel ajaloolistel allikatel uurimistöö põhineb. Autor lükkab ümber paljusid levinud legende, millest enimtuntud on kindlasti viikingite sõjakus ja verejanulisus. Muidugi nad seda ka olid, aga rüüsteretked näiteks Normandiasse ei põhjustanud kohalikele sageli rohkem kahju kui omavahelised äärimised ja kemplemised, mis samuti sarnase rüüstamisega päädisid. Muiata saab ka. Tsiteerides autori toodud Bremeni Adama kirjeldust Islandit ja Gröönimaad asutanud viikingitest:
"Saamata päriselt aru vulkaanilisest tegevusest, kirjutab ta: "Jää on seal oma suure vanaduse tõttu nii must ja kuiv, et kui jääle tuli otsa panna, läheb see põlema." Gröönimaa elanike kohta jutustab ta järgmist: "Soolase vee tõttu on sealsed inimesed rohelised ja sellest on ka maa oma nime saanud." Edasi räägib ta, et Hamburgi-Bremeni peapiiskop, kes oli ka Islandi ja Gröönimaa kirikute pea, saatis sealsetele kogudustele sõnumi, milles ta lubas varsti neid külastama tulla. Vaevalt ta seda eriti tõsiselt mõtles."
Kes viikingiajast laialdast ülevaadet soovib, siis julgen täitsa soovitada.

[Tim]

Another one to re-read, in its latest version. I read the second edition (1998) back in 2010, as you can see here. It was one of my favourite books on the Vikings. Some time ago, and especially as Neil Price's book (Children of Ash and Elm)) received a lot of positive reviews (also some less positive ones, which dissected the work to show that Mr Price missed the ball in fields that aren't his specialty, which makes me very reluctant to read his work), I wondered what people thought of Mrs Roesdahl's work, which has been/is considered one of the must-reads on the Vikings and the Viking age. That's when I saw a new edition had been published.

This third edition has been largely reworked/updated, so I "had to" add it to my TBR-list (again). ;-)

[Chamba Guzmán · Rating 5 out of 5]

Este libro puede marcar un buen inicio para conocer desde un punto de vista arqueológico y antropológico el legado de los vikingos, Else Roesdahl ofrece una visión general de la historia de la era vikinga, y un breve vistaso de la vida cotidiana de ellos.
Else Roesdahl basa su trabajo en fuentes literarias y arqueológicas. y es comprensible que estas fuentes sean un poco relegadas a viejas investigaciones debido a que su publicación fue en 1991.

Recomiendo este libro para iniciarte en el tema de los vikingos desde un punto de vista más cientifico.

[John Nelson · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is a synthesis of research on the Vikings, and has the strengths and weaknesses typical of that form. It covers a lot of material in a relatively small amount of space, but does not discuss matters in detail. The writing also includes an annoying number of qualifiers, as where the author makes a statement, then states "to be sure," the opposite often was true. By breaking Viking life out into categories such as geography, ethnicity, farming, religion, culture, and many others, the book also sometimes loses sight of the overall thrust of Viking history. Thee stars.