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Norges Nasjonalarv
The Hammer and the Cross: A New History of the Vikings
Takes us on a journey to a misty region inhabited by Hallfred the Troublesome Poet, Harald Bluetooth, Ragnar Hairy-Breeches, Ivar the Boneless and Eyvind the Plagiarist, in which literature, history and myth dissolve into one another.
451 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2009
294 people are currently reading
3378 people want to read
About the author
Robert Ferguson
26 books33 followersLibrarian Note:
There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 216 reviews
June 11, 2022
"The Vikings: A History" is an excellent volume covering the Viking Age. Starting with the Osberg Ship, Ferguson traces the development of the Norse longship and the Proto-Norse peoples. We are then introduced to the culture that was prevalent in the Norse lands. The third chapter is rather interesting and looks at the causes of the Viking Age. These three chapters form a sort of background for the following chapters which serve as a historical record of the Viking Age.
Starting with the Viking raids on the Carolingian Empire and on to the, generally better known, raids on England and finishing with the "Last Vikings" such as the remaining holdout in upper Uppsala, Sweden, and the Christianized Norsemen who turned the Norse lands into Kingdoms.
I truly enjoyed the book as it was a wonderfully dense historical record. Combining Norse runic and oral history and the writings of those they attacked, this is a great encapsulation of a truly interesting age. That being said, there is one caveat- the writing style of this book tends to lean towards the dry side. It does not bother me, but some might find this a bit tedious. But, if you can ignore the dry style of the information and soak in the interesting history and lore-then you will be rewarded. Ferguson uses newer scholarship which looks into ideas such as the Viking "invasions" as a result of Christian expansion (especially Charlamange) into pagan lands being the match that lit the flame.
As I said, a great history of the Vikings but it is a serious history book and can be dry. Truly excellent work though.
Starting with the Viking raids on the Carolingian Empire and on to the, generally better known, raids on England and finishing with the "Last Vikings" such as the remaining holdout in upper Uppsala, Sweden, and the Christianized Norsemen who turned the Norse lands into Kingdoms.
I truly enjoyed the book as it was a wonderfully dense historical record. Combining Norse runic and oral history and the writings of those they attacked, this is a great encapsulation of a truly interesting age. That being said, there is one caveat- the writing style of this book tends to lean towards the dry side. It does not bother me, but some might find this a bit tedious. But, if you can ignore the dry style of the information and soak in the interesting history and lore-then you will be rewarded. Ferguson uses newer scholarship which looks into ideas such as the Viking "invasions" as a result of Christian expansion (especially Charlamange) into pagan lands being the match that lit the flame.
As I said, a great history of the Vikings but it is a serious history book and can be dry. Truly excellent work though.
November 3, 2019
I waited so long to finally get this, and it ended up taking me so long to get through. I skimmed a lot. The author is supremely knowledgeable, but somehow the book is very dry. And this is coming from someone who reads nonfiction almost exclusively. I just couldn’t get into it, which is kind of ridiculous because Vikings are so utterly fascinating. Review to come.
February 2, 2010
(Reprinted from the Chicago Center for Literature and Photography [cclapcenter.com:]. I am the original author of this essay, as well as the owner of CCLaP; it is not being reprinted here illegally.)
Regulars know that I'm a big fan of the so-called "NPR-worthy" history book, in which academic research is combined with a narrative framework and engaging personal style; and for a perfect example of why this deserves a special new term in the first place, look no further than Robert Ferguson's old-skool history book The Vikings, which admittedly has a kickass cover* but whose interior is as dry as the brittle bones of a New England classics professor. Now, admittedly, this is not entirely Ferguson's fault; as he himself admits in the introduction, a big part of why so little is factually known about the Vikings is that this medieval warrior society was largely a non-literate one, resulting not only in a dearth of written records but with most surviving artifacts being stone pictographs, and therefore open to wildly different interpretations. So to fill his 400-page manuscript, then, Ferguson unfortunately has to rely on the trick that most older history books had to as well -- namely, to concentrate mostly on unending lists of minor battles and fiefdom takeovers that happened in the 300 years of the so-called "Viking Era" (roughly 700 to 1000 A.D.), taking place in an endless series of ancient villages you've never heard of and led by an endless series of chieftains whose names you can't pronounce. This is the way most of our childhood history textbooks were, which is why so many people end up despising the entire subject of history by adulthood; how "NPR-worthy" books differ, and why they've suddenly flowered in popularity among the mainstream public in the last ten years, is that they incorporate sections on the culture of that age too, and the ways that normal average random people back then quietly lived their daily lives, nearly impossible to do here because of there being almost no direct evidence to illuminate us. Although a noble effort, and of course perfect for those who don't mind history books that read like doctoral theses, I found myself bored to tears throughout large sections of this book, and suspect that many others will as well.
*Yes, my guilty secret is finally out -- I often pick books based on their covers. I know, as a book critic I should be ashamed of myself for doing this; I know, I know.
Out of 10: 7.2
Regulars know that I'm a big fan of the so-called "NPR-worthy" history book, in which academic research is combined with a narrative framework and engaging personal style; and for a perfect example of why this deserves a special new term in the first place, look no further than Robert Ferguson's old-skool history book The Vikings, which admittedly has a kickass cover* but whose interior is as dry as the brittle bones of a New England classics professor. Now, admittedly, this is not entirely Ferguson's fault; as he himself admits in the introduction, a big part of why so little is factually known about the Vikings is that this medieval warrior society was largely a non-literate one, resulting not only in a dearth of written records but with most surviving artifacts being stone pictographs, and therefore open to wildly different interpretations. So to fill his 400-page manuscript, then, Ferguson unfortunately has to rely on the trick that most older history books had to as well -- namely, to concentrate mostly on unending lists of minor battles and fiefdom takeovers that happened in the 300 years of the so-called "Viking Era" (roughly 700 to 1000 A.D.), taking place in an endless series of ancient villages you've never heard of and led by an endless series of chieftains whose names you can't pronounce. This is the way most of our childhood history textbooks were, which is why so many people end up despising the entire subject of history by adulthood; how "NPR-worthy" books differ, and why they've suddenly flowered in popularity among the mainstream public in the last ten years, is that they incorporate sections on the culture of that age too, and the ways that normal average random people back then quietly lived their daily lives, nearly impossible to do here because of there being almost no direct evidence to illuminate us. Although a noble effort, and of course perfect for those who don't mind history books that read like doctoral theses, I found myself bored to tears throughout large sections of this book, and suspect that many others will as well.
*Yes, my guilty secret is finally out -- I often pick books based on their covers. I know, as a book critic I should be ashamed of myself for doing this; I know, I know.
Out of 10: 7.2
January 6, 2025
4 ☆
When I was young, the word "Vikings" conjured up images of muscular men clothed in rough leathers and who possessed unruly, light-colored hair that was topped by a horned metal hat. Clearly, Looney Tunes and the "Brawny" paper towel ads had wielded too much influence upon my mind. But decades later, this visual conception still doesn't stray too far from the common stereotype.
And then while traveling through Greenland and Iceland, I watched the first two seasons of the 2013 drama series "The Vikings" starring Travis Fimmel. This series purportedly had been based on the latest historical research. Indeed, they had included navigational techniques such as the sun stone, societal distinctions between free women versus slaves, and human sacrifice. But the creators, of course, had taken liberties with key characters, who had been lauded in the oral sagas.
I read The Vikings: A History to get a more truthful depiction. It was a bit disappointing that the author Robert Ferguson's introduction began with disclaimers, but then again I appreciate academic humility. The Vikings had a written language composed of runes that had been used to document the oral Norse sagas up to 300 years after the events therein had been recounted. Previous archaeological evidence have been reinterpreted a century later as genetic testing and other scientific methods have become available. In brief, even Robert Ferguson's history may be revised substantially in subsequent decades as new evidence arise.
This is a broad history covering the peoples of what are now known as Denmark, Norway, Sweden, and Finland but most of the information is about the western Scandinavians. In 793, they burst onto the "global" stage with the violent assault upon the Church and monastery in Lindisfarne (an island just off the east coast of present day Scotland). They weren't identified as "Vikings" then as the word "viking" wasn't created in the English language until the 14th century. No, they were known as the violent, heathen raiders who slaughtered, raped, and stole wealth. Their motivations have been conjectured as homeland poverty, ie. too many idle, unemployed adult males.
Robert Ferguson weaved in the histories of the islands in the North Atlantic Ocean and central Europe as the Vikings had ventured far afield from their homeland with their sleek longships. He concluded his narrative around the end of the 11th century as the Vikings had become predominantly Christian, as decreed by their kings.
Overall, I had enjoyed this more than the average Goodreads reviewer had. This probably had a lot to do with watching the dramatized series as well as visiting the lands that the Vikings had impacted. Without being immersed in this Viking environment, my rating would be lower by half a star.
When I was young, the word "Vikings" conjured up images of muscular men clothed in rough leathers and who possessed unruly, light-colored hair that was topped by a horned metal hat. Clearly, Looney Tunes and the "Brawny" paper towel ads had wielded too much influence upon my mind. But decades later, this visual conception still doesn't stray too far from the common stereotype.
And then while traveling through Greenland and Iceland, I watched the first two seasons of the 2013 drama series "The Vikings" starring Travis Fimmel. This series purportedly had been based on the latest historical research. Indeed, they had included navigational techniques such as the sun stone, societal distinctions between free women versus slaves, and human sacrifice. But the creators, of course, had taken liberties with key characters, who had been lauded in the oral sagas.
I read The Vikings: A History to get a more truthful depiction. It was a bit disappointing that the author Robert Ferguson's introduction began with disclaimers, but then again I appreciate academic humility. The Vikings had a written language composed of runes that had been used to document the oral Norse sagas up to 300 years after the events therein had been recounted. Previous archaeological evidence have been reinterpreted a century later as genetic testing and other scientific methods have become available. In brief, even Robert Ferguson's history may be revised substantially in subsequent decades as new evidence arise.
This is a broad history covering the peoples of what are now known as Denmark, Norway, Sweden, and Finland but most of the information is about the western Scandinavians. In 793, they burst onto the "global" stage with the violent assault upon the Church and monastery in Lindisfarne (an island just off the east coast of present day Scotland). They weren't identified as "Vikings" then as the word "viking" wasn't created in the English language until the 14th century. No, they were known as the violent, heathen raiders who slaughtered, raped, and stole wealth. Their motivations have been conjectured as homeland poverty, ie. too many idle, unemployed adult males.
Its parameters are fluid, but based on the unmoving fact that, at the start of the [Viking] period, roughly speaking all the Scandinavian peoples were Heathens; and by the time it ends, roughly speaking all the Scandinavian peoples thought of themselves as Christian.
Robert Ferguson weaved in the histories of the islands in the North Atlantic Ocean and central Europe as the Vikings had ventured far afield from their homeland with their sleek longships. He concluded his narrative around the end of the 11th century as the Vikings had become predominantly Christian, as decreed by their kings.
Overall, I had enjoyed this more than the average Goodreads reviewer had. This probably had a lot to do with watching the dramatized series as well as visiting the lands that the Vikings had impacted. Without being immersed in this Viking environment, my rating would be lower by half a star.
January 13, 2012
I found the reviews of this a bit surprising- I guess it is a bit hard to read at times, with all those names flying around, but given that Ferguson was trying to be a responsible historian, there's not much else he could have done. Viking history has to be seen from the outside, because outsiders were the ones who recorded that history for us. Stranger still are the complaints about his use of the word 'heathen,' a product, I can only assume, of peoples' bizarre inability to understand that when you're writing about the way something is perceived, you have to use the language of the perceivers. As for the goodreads reviewer who said Ferguson is 'obviously a Christian' who somehow has it in for the Vikings... uh... huh?
The central oddity of this book is Ferguson's insistence that 'The Viking Age' of marauding and rapine was a kind of clash of civilizations between Christian and Heathen, in which Charlemagne's violent imposition of the former religion provoked the Scandanavians (who are taken to be not 'primitives', but just as civilized as the nations to their south, east and west) to burn churches and murder priests. It's timely, I guess, but the best evidence he can martial suggests just as much that the Vikes attacked churches because that's where the money was, and murdered priests and nuns to spread terror, which is a pretty sound military strategy. These civilized gentlemen pretty quickly converted to Christianity and assimilated wherever they settled. But note that Ferguson's presentation is perfectly objective; his reading of the archaeological, literary, and dendrochronological evidence, as well as all sorts of other stuff) never overwhelms his presentation of that evidence.
January 6, 2015
It didn't wean me off my old Gwyn Jones (A History of the Vikings). Still, I liked that he uses Heathen and Heathendom -- in capitals -- to give conceptual equality with Christianity. Also I thought the specific chapter on 'The culture of Northern Heathendom' was great. The next chapter, 'The causes of the Viking age' was even better: he argues that Charlemagne's religious persecution of the Saxons, and his destruction of their most holy world-tree, directly triggered the first attack on Lindisfarne, as retaliation. In short he interprets the Vikings' attacks on churches as a conscious religious war and an answer to Christian pressures & Christian slaughters. This aspect of the book is important and I say bravo.
When he's on general history, though, I yawn (never did in Gwyn Jones), and he has that journalistic habit of yattering about how things were discovered... a priest in the 18th century had trouble with a loose daughter and so dug up a Viking ship... it's meant to 'entertain', but he only has 400 pages -- tell me about the 10th century.
When he's on general history, though, I yawn (never did in Gwyn Jones), and he has that journalistic habit of yattering about how things were discovered... a priest in the 18th century had trouble with a loose daughter and so dug up a Viking ship... it's meant to 'entertain', but he only has 400 pages -- tell me about the 10th century.
November 9, 2017
If you’re looking for a dynamic and riveting history of the Vikings, this isn’t really it — Neil Oliver’s book might be more your speed. It’s quite slow and thorough, covering a lot of ground in terms of both time and space. For me, that wasn’t a bad thing, since I know my medieval history tolerably well and my Viking history better. A better knowledge of geography might have served me well, but I suck at that.
From all I know, this is well researched and accurate, and there’s a ton of extra reading and footnoting to back that up. If you’re looking for something to bring the Vikings to life, no, but if you’re looking for something by someone who seems to know everything about the period he can find to cram into a book, then that’s definitely this book.
Reviewed for The Bibliophibian.
From all I know, this is well researched and accurate, and there’s a ton of extra reading and footnoting to back that up. If you’re looking for something to bring the Vikings to life, no, but if you’re looking for something by someone who seems to know everything about the period he can find to cram into a book, then that’s definitely this book.
Reviewed for The Bibliophibian.
November 15, 2014
A cultural history of the Viking peoples, about the Viking peoples, their raiding and settlements across Europe, which turns into a “what happened whereabouts” history of the Vikings.
Hampered by the lack of written heathen sources (except for poetry, practically all literary sources are by Christian writers), and the author’s tendency to hop about. About the former point, I have to say Ferguson gives a very clearly argued view when evidence from sources falls short, and he is clearly in his element here. He gives plausible arguments for why he thinks X, Y or Z happened, and also clearly enumerates why he is speculating. He is also upfront about using other people’s theories, and generally credits them with plausible deductions. The latter point is perhaps inevitable with the author’s chosen approach, since the Vikings had settlements as far apart as Iceland, Greenland and Kiev, but it does not help focus. Ferguson takes the chronological approach, which means that he switches between ‘topographical’ subjects when the larger subject matter requires it. This is sometimes confusing, but on the other hand, the separate items are cohesive as separate units. In the end I assume this will depend on the reader, and I had mixed feelings about this approach.
This book contains a wealth of anecdotal evidence, the author’s breadth of knowledge is impressive, as are the ‘alternative’ methods of study; there’s archaeology of course, but also carbon-dating and several technologies which I had never heard of (which apparently make it possible to date the colonisation of a certain point of Greenland to the period 980-1020) and ‘circumstantial’ evidence like the use of certain techniques and materials which allow for other conclusions. Ferguson makes these techniques go a long way, and I never felt he was overreaching to enforce his point.
The anecdotal evidence really made this book for me. Some tales I had heard before (like the Viking who had to kiss the Frankish king’s foot, but declined and ordered one of his men to do it; that man also didn’t feel like bending, so he toppled the astonished king and kissed his foot while standing up – probably literary invention, but amusing nonetheless), but most were new to me. These give flavour to the narrative and paint a picture of the Viking world, both in the ways the Vikings wanted to see themselves, and in the ways the Christians saw them. This brings us back to the sources: Ferguson is very good in piecing together the different strands of events in different sources, to give us a likely chain of events; whenever this is possible I should say, because most often there isn’t enough evidence to compare. Ferguson goes by ‘what likely happened’, backs it up with circumstantial evidence and only quotes the sources when they really add something substantial. I found that this approach worked really well. It also highlights how much you can apparently glean from other methods, which is something most historians working in, say, Plantagenet history, don’t have to do very often. One concluding note about the sources: Ferguson is also very adept at balancing both the Christian propaganda against the Viking’s view, and vice versa. I feel I should mention this, because it takes a real breadth of knowledge to be able to put these things together.
Then again, there are also several incidents where Ferguson explains why we just don’t know something even though it’s clearly mentioned in the sources. For instance, the nickname given to a Swedish king named Olof can apparently mean several things: “His nickname “Sköttkonung probably derives from the fact that his profit from the battle of Svolder in 1000, at which Olaf Tryggvason of Norway was killed, was control over the Bohuslän district, on the eastern side of the Vik, which he ruled as Sven Forkbeard’s tributary king. Other explanations on a stimulating roster of possibilities that depend upon different translations of the first element of his nickname include the ‘sheet-’ or ‘lap-’ king; an interpretation that may suggest a Caesarian birth; the possibility that he spent some time in Scotland; and that, as the first Swedish king to mint coins, he was remembered as ‘the tax-king’.” [371]
…And then there is the exotic flavour of the poetic works: Knútsdrápa, Haustlong, ‘Vafthrudnir’s Sayings’; the names of the Viking heroes, each more baffling than the next: Ivar the Boneless, Harald Bluetooth, Klak-Harald, Ganger Rolf; the Viking ‘Thing’ as a collective noun for political and public events; and the fact that apparently classic Russian names as Oleg, Igor and Olga are Rus’ bastardizations of Viking names Helgi, Ingvar en Helga.
There are also points of criticism: this book remains an overview; interesting points like the foundation of settlements among the Kiev Rus’ and the Viking presence in Byzantium are mentioned, but then dropped from the narrative (like “King Olof returned to Scandinavia rich after 10 years in the Varangian Guard”). Again, the author has made a certain choice in which subjects to treat and which not, and a narrative of 400 pages simply can’t cover everything in any depth, but I would have liked more exposition on certain subjects.
Furthermore, I appreciate the book more than I like it. Goodreads’ rating system is based on how much you like a book, and I’ve decided to give this book 4 stars whereas I would otherwise give it three. As you will gather, the fourth star is for the quality of the research and narrative, which merit more than three stars. It took me some time to finish this book, which says something about how much I liked it. However, three stars would be too meagre for the effort and clarity Ferguson put into this, which is why I feel four stars are merited.
Hampered by the lack of written heathen sources (except for poetry, practically all literary sources are by Christian writers), and the author’s tendency to hop about. About the former point, I have to say Ferguson gives a very clearly argued view when evidence from sources falls short, and he is clearly in his element here. He gives plausible arguments for why he thinks X, Y or Z happened, and also clearly enumerates why he is speculating. He is also upfront about using other people’s theories, and generally credits them with plausible deductions. The latter point is perhaps inevitable with the author’s chosen approach, since the Vikings had settlements as far apart as Iceland, Greenland and Kiev, but it does not help focus. Ferguson takes the chronological approach, which means that he switches between ‘topographical’ subjects when the larger subject matter requires it. This is sometimes confusing, but on the other hand, the separate items are cohesive as separate units. In the end I assume this will depend on the reader, and I had mixed feelings about this approach.
This book contains a wealth of anecdotal evidence, the author’s breadth of knowledge is impressive, as are the ‘alternative’ methods of study; there’s archaeology of course, but also carbon-dating and several technologies which I had never heard of (which apparently make it possible to date the colonisation of a certain point of Greenland to the period 980-1020) and ‘circumstantial’ evidence like the use of certain techniques and materials which allow for other conclusions. Ferguson makes these techniques go a long way, and I never felt he was overreaching to enforce his point.
The anecdotal evidence really made this book for me. Some tales I had heard before (like the Viking who had to kiss the Frankish king’s foot, but declined and ordered one of his men to do it; that man also didn’t feel like bending, so he toppled the astonished king and kissed his foot while standing up – probably literary invention, but amusing nonetheless), but most were new to me. These give flavour to the narrative and paint a picture of the Viking world, both in the ways the Vikings wanted to see themselves, and in the ways the Christians saw them. This brings us back to the sources: Ferguson is very good in piecing together the different strands of events in different sources, to give us a likely chain of events; whenever this is possible I should say, because most often there isn’t enough evidence to compare. Ferguson goes by ‘what likely happened’, backs it up with circumstantial evidence and only quotes the sources when they really add something substantial. I found that this approach worked really well. It also highlights how much you can apparently glean from other methods, which is something most historians working in, say, Plantagenet history, don’t have to do very often. One concluding note about the sources: Ferguson is also very adept at balancing both the Christian propaganda against the Viking’s view, and vice versa. I feel I should mention this, because it takes a real breadth of knowledge to be able to put these things together.
Then again, there are also several incidents where Ferguson explains why we just don’t know something even though it’s clearly mentioned in the sources. For instance, the nickname given to a Swedish king named Olof can apparently mean several things: “His nickname “Sköttkonung probably derives from the fact that his profit from the battle of Svolder in 1000, at which Olaf Tryggvason of Norway was killed, was control over the Bohuslän district, on the eastern side of the Vik, which he ruled as Sven Forkbeard’s tributary king. Other explanations on a stimulating roster of possibilities that depend upon different translations of the first element of his nickname include the ‘sheet-’ or ‘lap-’ king; an interpretation that may suggest a Caesarian birth; the possibility that he spent some time in Scotland; and that, as the first Swedish king to mint coins, he was remembered as ‘the tax-king’.” [371]
…And then there is the exotic flavour of the poetic works: Knútsdrápa, Haustlong, ‘Vafthrudnir’s Sayings’; the names of the Viking heroes, each more baffling than the next: Ivar the Boneless, Harald Bluetooth, Klak-Harald, Ganger Rolf; the Viking ‘Thing’ as a collective noun for political and public events; and the fact that apparently classic Russian names as Oleg, Igor and Olga are Rus’ bastardizations of Viking names Helgi, Ingvar en Helga.
There are also points of criticism: this book remains an overview; interesting points like the foundation of settlements among the Kiev Rus’ and the Viking presence in Byzantium are mentioned, but then dropped from the narrative (like “King Olof returned to Scandinavia rich after 10 years in the Varangian Guard”). Again, the author has made a certain choice in which subjects to treat and which not, and a narrative of 400 pages simply can’t cover everything in any depth, but I would have liked more exposition on certain subjects.
Furthermore, I appreciate the book more than I like it. Goodreads’ rating system is based on how much you like a book, and I’ve decided to give this book 4 stars whereas I would otherwise give it three. As you will gather, the fourth star is for the quality of the research and narrative, which merit more than three stars. It took me some time to finish this book, which says something about how much I liked it. However, three stars would be too meagre for the effort and clarity Ferguson put into this, which is why I feel four stars are merited.
December 29, 2009
This book showed such initial promise, and I was particularly fascinated by the discussion of Viking law; however, I couldn't bring myself to finish it, for three main reasons:
1) The author consistently refers to the Vikings as Heathens. While I don't *believe* he intends this in a negative sense, the word *does* have negative connotations that can not be ignored.
2) The organization was poor and the digressions numerous -- within a page, the author had jumped from the importance of horses in Viking culture to a description of how ancient Irish kings mated with mares at their coronations. Erm?
3) The author makes some illogical claims. The one that most struck me was his note (page 39) that "Heathen religion was probably never understood systematically even by those who practiced it" and then points out people's belief in personal gods. Correct me if I'm wrong, but those personal gods make up part of their religion. You really can't say that someone doesn't understand their own religion: what they understand *is* their religion.
The book appeared well-researched, diligently cited, and doubtless contains some interesting information, but at this point, I'm giving up.
1) The author consistently refers to the Vikings as Heathens. While I don't *believe* he intends this in a negative sense, the word *does* have negative connotations that can not be ignored.
2) The organization was poor and the digressions numerous -- within a page, the author had jumped from the importance of horses in Viking culture to a description of how ancient Irish kings mated with mares at their coronations. Erm?
3) The author makes some illogical claims. The one that most struck me was his note (page 39) that "Heathen religion was probably never understood systematically even by those who practiced it" and then points out people's belief in personal gods. Correct me if I'm wrong, but those personal gods make up part of their religion. You really can't say that someone doesn't understand their own religion: what they understand *is* their religion.
The book appeared well-researched, diligently cited, and doubtless contains some interesting information, but at this point, I'm giving up.
May 22, 2011
This book is a brilliantly detailed, well researched, a laid out walk through from the earliest stages of the Viking era through to its demise not just at 1066 but in all the countries the Vikings made land fall and settled (England, Ireland, Scotland, Wales, Iceland, Hebrides, Shetland, Greenland, North America, Istanbul and the Mediterranean, Russia etc) and of course their home nations of Scandinavia.
The brilliant thing about this book besides it great detail, research, anecdotes and use of archeological evidence and up-to-date findings is how Robert Ferguson examines the mythology and pagan religion of this mighty race of people and how it changed and adapted or in most cases became outlawed and faded away with the oncoming of Christianity. You meet the regular famous characters of this era, Ethelred the Unready, Alfred the Great, Guthrum, Ivar and Cnut etc but you also meet many other great historical power heads of the era not just from Britain but in any country that was invaded by the Vikings and their struggle to defeat and convert them from Marangian Kings to Holy Roman Emperors.
If anyone is interested in this era and of the Viking people then this book is for the keen learner and long-term researcher as it is a very long book due to its detail and knowledge but by the end of it you gain a new fascinating indepth insight into the world from so many different points of view.
The brilliant thing about this book besides it great detail, research, anecdotes and use of archeological evidence and up-to-date findings is how Robert Ferguson examines the mythology and pagan religion of this mighty race of people and how it changed and adapted or in most cases became outlawed and faded away with the oncoming of Christianity. You meet the regular famous characters of this era, Ethelred the Unready, Alfred the Great, Guthrum, Ivar and Cnut etc but you also meet many other great historical power heads of the era not just from Britain but in any country that was invaded by the Vikings and their struggle to defeat and convert them from Marangian Kings to Holy Roman Emperors.
If anyone is interested in this era and of the Viking people then this book is for the keen learner and long-term researcher as it is a very long book due to its detail and knowledge but by the end of it you gain a new fascinating indepth insight into the world from so many different points of view.
December 18, 2018
I had a particular expectation when I began the book; however, I was mildly surprised and quite satisfied with the different direction the author took in this book in regards to “A History” of Vikings. The truth and tone of this book is clearly set in the beginning with the introduction – something I very much appreciated as it provided an indication of the journey I was about to undertake. The word “Viking” itself is representative of the condition to which negative connotations can begin with the attempts of the introduction of Christianity to the “heathens” themselves. “Viking” has come down to one of several possibilities of existence and the likely two originations of the word itself can create debate I imagine among historians and linguists alike. Latin vicus or Old Norse verb vikja (???) The author is by far and large a qualified and educated historian – I hope one day to hear him speak on the topic should I be in the right place at the right time. He holds no punches and refers to the term “heathen” as written in historical documents. Modern day 21st century people may likely be offended by this term; however, history as documented during the time is factual. Robert Ferguson informs the reader in the introduction that modern day valid perspectives have swung the pendulum too far and that Vikings were not merely longhaired hippies looking for a good time. They ravaged, pillaged, raped, and murdered their way through many territories of Europe. The Viking Age for the British began at Lindisfarne in 793 AD and according to this author it cleanly ends with the Battle of Hastings in 1066 AD. I take no exception to this historical fact.
Some historical interest points I found completely immersed in as I crossed the pages were: War of the 3 Brothers, the Medieval Global Warming known as Little Optimum that occurred from roughly 800 – 1200 AD, King Harold and the Jelling Stone, a thorough attempt in the 20th century to confirm DNA through DNA testing of some current residents of areas of where Vikings ruled for a period of time in Britain – the city of York was one and there were others, and then there was the Little Ice Age. All of these topics have details I won’t go into here in this review as it would be a spoiler for some who wish to read the book. However, the one chapter I had a really tough time getting through (for some reason) was Chapter 11 Danelaw II. This chapter was the one that could not keep my interest nor my attention as I read the pages; I had no issue with the other chapters as there are a total of 18 chapters to this book.
Maps: Are near excellent in my opinion and helped me pin point locations of text and descriptions as provided by the author.
Photos: Are excellent and give a visual to the overall narrative of the history as described.
Notes: Are worthy of additional credit for future reading points and areas of descriptions should one like to review more. The author does an excellent job of expanding where he believes is necessary for the benefit of the reader.
This book is not for everyone – it is “A History” with some stories peppered throughout the book. It is linear in form and for me that method worked very well. I came away with some exciting scientific and historical points of fact.
Some historical interest points I found completely immersed in as I crossed the pages were: War of the 3 Brothers, the Medieval Global Warming known as Little Optimum that occurred from roughly 800 – 1200 AD, King Harold and the Jelling Stone, a thorough attempt in the 20th century to confirm DNA through DNA testing of some current residents of areas of where Vikings ruled for a period of time in Britain – the city of York was one and there were others, and then there was the Little Ice Age. All of these topics have details I won’t go into here in this review as it would be a spoiler for some who wish to read the book. However, the one chapter I had a really tough time getting through (for some reason) was Chapter 11 Danelaw II. This chapter was the one that could not keep my interest nor my attention as I read the pages; I had no issue with the other chapters as there are a total of 18 chapters to this book.
Maps: Are near excellent in my opinion and helped me pin point locations of text and descriptions as provided by the author.
Photos: Are excellent and give a visual to the overall narrative of the history as described.
Notes: Are worthy of additional credit for future reading points and areas of descriptions should one like to review more. The author does an excellent job of expanding where he believes is necessary for the benefit of the reader.
This book is not for everyone – it is “A History” with some stories peppered throughout the book. It is linear in form and for me that method worked very well. I came away with some exciting scientific and historical points of fact.
April 4, 2022
Very interesting, chock full of facts (maybe a little too full?) but referring to non-Christians as heathens really got my goat, hence the low rating.
June 23, 2015
An excellent history of a difficult subject, one where most of the sources are either poets or adversaries. Ferguson's historiography is on display: he's very clear about his source material, the extent to which it might be trusted, and how it cross-checks with a broad range of evidence.
I greatly prefer the breadth of his coverage of the entire Viking phenomenon, from Kiev to Vinland, to more provincial accounts, which tend to focus on the English experience. As this does involve some "jumping around," temporally and geographically, it may be disorienting to some.
Ferguson's overarching thesis is that the Viking phenomenon was driven less by population and climate pressures than by a reaction against Christian cultural imperialism after the forced conversions of Charlemagne. It's not the only possible, or by any means sole, explanation, but it makes this book the one I'd been looking for, to provide an explanation of why the Norse converted to a Christianity so alien to their values. The account of the peaceful, elective conversion of the Icelanders in order to maintain social unity is contrasted with the endless back-and-forth butchery of England in particular.
I found this a very satisfying book in its scope, transparency of methods, and clarity of thesis. It's not a simple or rip-roaring narrative, for which some of the other reviews here have criticized it: the complexity of the Viking era deserves better than the likes of Neil Oliver's simplistic and parochial entry in the field.
I greatly prefer the breadth of his coverage of the entire Viking phenomenon, from Kiev to Vinland, to more provincial accounts, which tend to focus on the English experience. As this does involve some "jumping around," temporally and geographically, it may be disorienting to some.
Ferguson's overarching thesis is that the Viking phenomenon was driven less by population and climate pressures than by a reaction against Christian cultural imperialism after the forced conversions of Charlemagne. It's not the only possible, or by any means sole, explanation, but it makes this book the one I'd been looking for, to provide an explanation of why the Norse converted to a Christianity so alien to their values. The account of the peaceful, elective conversion of the Icelanders in order to maintain social unity is contrasted with the endless back-and-forth butchery of England in particular.
I found this a very satisfying book in its scope, transparency of methods, and clarity of thesis. It's not a simple or rip-roaring narrative, for which some of the other reviews here have criticized it: the complexity of the Viking era deserves better than the likes of Neil Oliver's simplistic and parochial entry in the field.
April 26, 2010
I will give a good review lest the author erect a "shame-pole" taunting my lack of manliness or perhaps become enraged enough to give me the "blood-eagle."
Ferguson attempts a comprehensive history of the Viking Age (roughly 790's C.E. to 11 C.E.) as various groups engage in piracy, the slave trade, exploration, and conquering. He separates the chapters by the areas the Viking raiders engaged. While this perspective split keeps us geographically clear, it makes a linear narrative almost impossible--so much so that I wish each page had a Time Read-out along with the page number (you are in the year 970 and Harald Bluetooth has just...).
Nonetheless, this was a fascinating and informative look at Northern Heathendom and just how extensive the Vikings foray were--and how much they shaped the coming Middle Ages of Europe, England and Ireland, and Russia (indeed, the very term comes from Swedish area Vikings, the Rus).
For anyone interested in European history as well as those who Hold the Heathen Hammer High.
Ferguson attempts a comprehensive history of the Viking Age (roughly 790's C.E. to 11 C.E.) as various groups engage in piracy, the slave trade, exploration, and conquering. He separates the chapters by the areas the Viking raiders engaged. While this perspective split keeps us geographically clear, it makes a linear narrative almost impossible--so much so that I wish each page had a Time Read-out along with the page number (you are in the year 970 and Harald Bluetooth has just...).
Nonetheless, this was a fascinating and informative look at Northern Heathendom and just how extensive the Vikings foray were--and how much they shaped the coming Middle Ages of Europe, England and Ireland, and Russia (indeed, the very term comes from Swedish area Vikings, the Rus).
For anyone interested in European history as well as those who Hold the Heathen Hammer High.
June 6, 2020
I couldn't finish this. I persevered for quite some time and was only about 80 pages from the end, but I put it down and just could not bring myself to pick it up again. It's incredibly densely written, with a huge amount of information flung at the reader, which makes following a narrative or argument difficult. The focus jumps around geographically and temporally, even within chapters at times, and I found that I frequently could not follow what the author was trying to say at all. Additionally, while the framing of the book was admittedly a religious one, I found the frequent references to 'Heathenism' as some sort of monthetic cultural grouping pretty jarring and not desperately helpful. Add in to that a not particularly sophisticated implementation of the minimal archaeological material brought in, and you have really quite a disappointing book. This had been on my shelf for years and now it turns out it wasn't really worth the wait!
July 30, 2016
Ferguson's theory is that the Viking Age was less about expansion and "lebensraum" than a culture war between the Odin-ists and the Jesus-ists.
I must say, there's ample evidence than can be read either way, the good thing is that he puts it all together in one book like this, which makes for interesting reading, If only you can keep track of the different Olavs, Olofs, Sigurds, Sitgards, Eriks and Leifs, Haakons and Haralds and Harolds! But to say, yes, he does have a point. So do lots of other people on the other side of his issue. He leaves us go at 1066 saying it is "not" a Viking episode. But for that, he really leaves the Normans short changed. They weren't "real" Vikings , to him, for they settled down and weren't out "viking" at the time. Well, to each their own.
It only made me partially Snorri.
I must say, there's ample evidence than can be read either way, the good thing is that he puts it all together in one book like this, which makes for interesting reading, If only you can keep track of the different Olavs, Olofs, Sigurds, Sitgards, Eriks and Leifs, Haakons and Haralds and Harolds! But to say, yes, he does have a point. So do lots of other people on the other side of his issue. He leaves us go at 1066 saying it is "not" a Viking episode. But for that, he really leaves the Normans short changed. They weren't "real" Vikings , to him, for they settled down and weren't out "viking" at the time. Well, to each their own.
It only made me partially Snorri.
February 28, 2013
Unfortunately we know very little about the Viking Age. Robert Ferguson explains why and goes the extra mile to present us with what we do know and what we can somewhat assume. He draws on numerous literary sources as well as advanced archeological methods and what we do find is impressive, definitely not the monolithic impression i personally had before starting this book.
Still, no matter the intention, we know very little and for a casual history reader like myself, this is a bitch to read. Unfamiliarity with contemporary linguistics and geography, and a messy narrative makes for frustrating reading. I felt lost, and often.
But overall, i 'm glad i read this, and i recommend it but i guess one will be better served if already acquainted with the subject.
Still, no matter the intention, we know very little and for a casual history reader like myself, this is a bitch to read. Unfamiliarity with contemporary linguistics and geography, and a messy narrative makes for frustrating reading. I felt lost, and often.
But overall, i 'm glad i read this, and i recommend it but i guess one will be better served if already acquainted with the subject.
February 9, 2018
I would have liked it a whole lot more if it wasn't such a struggle to read the small print / font . Why? Don't publishing houses want people to read the books they publish? Especially with a subject like this where names are often repeated, there is much confusion over location / name / spelling to deal with such petty issues as small font or paper saving measures its frankly insulting to the scholarly undertaking of an academic of RF's level. Shame on you Penguin, I thought better of you.
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October 2, 2020Brilliant book, loved it! It's well researched, full of information, covers absolutely everything one might want to know about the so called Viking Age, with the author staying objective throughout. Admittedly, it's so dense that it requires a lot of focus when reading it. There's a great deal of kings and battles and places to keep track of, so it might be hard to follow. Not something you'll just casually read on the bus. As much as I loved it, I can understand why someone would think it to be dry and boring. It's not really a book for the casual reader with a mild interest in the subject, it's a proper scholarly work with thoroughness and objectivity being it's main agenda, rather than entertainment. But if you're willing to put up with the enormous amount of detail, or you're even excited about it, it's the right book for you!
March 7, 2022
I picked up this book on a whim about 5 years ago after someone had left it in a vacation home. I was trying to read a little bit at a time but it was tedious and I eventually set it down for a few years. Then I starting reading The Steel Beneath the Silk about Emma of Normandy and wanted to use this book as a reference. It was still tedious but I was able to use the index to read about the characters I wanted to know more about. I’ve now read most of it and consider it finished. It is well researched and it’s interesting just how much is not known or must be conjecture but it jumps around in time so much and there are so many Olafs and Haralds to keep track of that it is a difficult read.
May 6, 2018
I enjoyed the book. I enjoyed the format. I look forward to more books via Audible & even to listening to this one again, as I feel there may have been some learning curve type issues of getting used to using this format. As far as keeping up with books desired to be read, while having no focused time to read them, this allows for a busy adult to still enjoy content. I think i may enjoy the voice of other "readers" more in the furture, but as far as content, Ferguson's book covered alot of ground and went into detail nicely. I look forward to listening to it again! Except I now have a full cue of books I want to get to next!
July 28, 2021
I admit I didn't finish this book, but not for lack of trying. At some point I got tired of the sidetracks that the author takes all the time - they flow fairly well (most of the time) from one topic to another, but the only thing connecting two thoughts sometimes is a single word: he mentions horses once, so takes a three page detour about horses, in the horses talk he mentions sacrifices once so his next five pages are about sacrifices. It makes it feel like thoughts are never quite completed.
He also takes Snorri's work as 100% factual, despite coming at least 300 years after the end of the 'Viking period'. Using him as a source is understandable, and he wrote based on other sources, but there should be some hesitation for using him, a christian writing about heathens from 300 years before, without questioning his motives or assuming his own knowledge was correct.
The author also made some weird assumptions about certain things that I couldn't get over, and is ultimately why I stopped reading.
He also takes Snorri's work as 100% factual, despite coming at least 300 years after the end of the 'Viking period'. Using him as a source is understandable, and he wrote based on other sources, but there should be some hesitation for using him, a christian writing about heathens from 300 years before, without questioning his motives or assuming his own knowledge was correct.
The author also made some weird assumptions about certain things that I couldn't get over, and is ultimately why I stopped reading.
March 23, 2022
A big, broad history, one of those ones that covers so much ground that it reads a little bit like a text book. There were several places that rose above that, a couple of really good takes. If you're looking for the broad strokes, you could do worse.
June 7, 2022
Well written and scholarly look at Viking history and using the benefit of more contemporary scholarship and theory. Some of the perspectives were quite interesting and the detailed analysis of the spread of Christianity into the Viking lands was fascinating!
March 15, 2022
This is a very interesting and quite comprehensive history of the Vikings, covering everything from their exploits in exploration and conquering to their conversion to Christianity.
January 30, 2026
I didn’t enjoy this book. The writing just didn’t grab me. I’ve read other history books that make the topic come alive a bit, but not this one. Also, the maps and images are poor quality.
December 14, 2021
While the scholarship is impressive, its borderline unreadable in most parts. Frequent digressions hamper it quite a bit, and although I know history is hard without numerous sources, it is missing a spark. The best parts are the exploration of north america, and while Christianity is unavoidable end to the era, a better title might be, "how Christianity came to Scandinavia". . .
March 19, 2017
A more academic tome than Oliver's chatty introduction, Vikings, but with some good additional detail (okay, sometimes too much). Ferguson arranges his narrative geographically, which means that the same names come up repeatedly in different chapters and at different dates. A timeline and list of characters, plus more maps, would have helped me. I am still astonished that the Vikings penetrated as far as Russia, Spain and North Africa.
January 4, 2025
I have a silver pendant that is half cross and half Thor’s hammer (the mjolnir). It is a replica of the original found in Iceland and represents the period when Scandinavians, including Vikings, were converted to Christianity. It was a long and violent process and very political. The old gods were not abandoned easily. I have been curious about the Christianizing of the Norse since I bought the pendant, and I found all I wanted to know in this history by a respected scholar. I marked up the book in anticipation of one day traveling to York, Scotland. and Scandinavia. In my view, this book is for Viking enthusiasts and may not turn you into one.
April 8, 2013
This is a history book. It is not a novel so I will tell a bit more of the "story" than usual.
"Guns don't kill people .. people kill people". Who pulled the Viking trigger? Vikings killed lots of people but were they the merely the Guns. Well thats a bit obtuse. This is a history book about the Vikings based on more recent findings.In Viking history books the major question that is always raised but never plausibly answered, in the past, is "Why did the vikings start suddenly in 793 AD to raid the European coast." They were assumed to be strangers out of the mist. This book proposes a new train of logic.
1.The traditional arch villain, the Catholic church, put pressure on the christian kings to convert their barbarian minions.
2.Charlemagne wanted to have the church as an ally as he took over surrounding lands so he forcibly converted every people he conquered. The Saxons of what is now the Netherlands, Denmark and Northwest Germany were among his most brutal conquests. Charlemagne forcibly baptized some thousands (4000 I think) then immediately beheaded them. Think of it as Charlemagne's "solution to the barbarian problem'.
3. The Saxons were trading partners of the vikings. As such they vikings learned of the Christian approach to assimilation. Many Saxons became refugees in Viking lands. .. and / or slaves to the vikings as they fled north.
4. Communications among the widely spread out scandinavian lands was greater than normal for the time because of trading ships. News travels fast and wide to Norway, Sweden and of course their neigbors the Danes. The language of the scandinavians was more or less the same and very close to the west Saxons.
5. There is now evidence that the Wends (They didn't become Vikings until they started raiding Christian Churches) were peaceful traders with their Anglo saxon cousins in Britain for more than 200 years previously. The 'Vikings' were no strangers to the Britons but the were new to the increasingly agressive Latin church blossoming in Britain (forcibly converting barbarians there too).
6. The scene was set by 30 years of forcible conversions. Lindesfarne (the first reported viking attack in 793) may have been the result of a trading mission gone wrong further south when overly fanatic priests reacted to the hammer worshipping barbarians trading in christian parishes.
Great History book. Well Recommended. Like all History books .. the joy is in the details and the connections made.
"Guns don't kill people .. people kill people". Who pulled the Viking trigger? Vikings killed lots of people but were they the merely the Guns. Well thats a bit obtuse. This is a history book about the Vikings based on more recent findings.In Viking history books the major question that is always raised but never plausibly answered, in the past, is "Why did the vikings start suddenly in 793 AD to raid the European coast." They were assumed to be strangers out of the mist. This book proposes a new train of logic.
1.The traditional arch villain, the Catholic church, put pressure on the christian kings to convert their barbarian minions.
2.Charlemagne wanted to have the church as an ally as he took over surrounding lands so he forcibly converted every people he conquered. The Saxons of what is now the Netherlands, Denmark and Northwest Germany were among his most brutal conquests. Charlemagne forcibly baptized some thousands (4000 I think) then immediately beheaded them. Think of it as Charlemagne's "solution to the barbarian problem'.
3. The Saxons were trading partners of the vikings. As such they vikings learned of the Christian approach to assimilation. Many Saxons became refugees in Viking lands. .. and / or slaves to the vikings as they fled north.
4. Communications among the widely spread out scandinavian lands was greater than normal for the time because of trading ships. News travels fast and wide to Norway, Sweden and of course their neigbors the Danes. The language of the scandinavians was more or less the same and very close to the west Saxons.
5. There is now evidence that the Wends (They didn't become Vikings until they started raiding Christian Churches) were peaceful traders with their Anglo saxon cousins in Britain for more than 200 years previously. The 'Vikings' were no strangers to the Britons but the were new to the increasingly agressive Latin church blossoming in Britain (forcibly converting barbarians there too).
6. The scene was set by 30 years of forcible conversions. Lindesfarne (the first reported viking attack in 793) may have been the result of a trading mission gone wrong further south when overly fanatic priests reacted to the hammer worshipping barbarians trading in christian parishes.
Great History book. Well Recommended. Like all History books .. the joy is in the details and the connections made.
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