The Vikings: A Very Short Introduction

by Julian D. Richards

Book Overview

The Viking reputation is one of bloodthirsty seafaring warriors, repeatedly plundering the British Isles and the North Atlantic throughout the early Middle Ages. Yet Vikings were also traders, settlers, and farmers, with a complex artistic and linguistic culture, whose expansion overseas led them to cross the Atlantic for the first time in European history. Highlighting the latest archaeological evidence, Julian Richards reveals the whole Viking world: their history, their culture, and their legacy of overseas expansion for trade, colonization, and plunder. Viking identity is explored through what we have learned about their towns, art, shipbuilding, and religious rituals. Here the Viking story is brought up to the present, from the tales of adventure found in medieval Icelandic sagas, to their exploitation as a symbol of nationalism in the nineteenth century by Wagner, and later by Hitler and the Nazi party. The author also highlights their impact and influence on the history and people of Northern Europe. Vikings, a fascinating new look at a people and culture that have been reinvented throughout history, will take readers closer to discovering who they really were.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0192806076
• ISBN13: 9780192806079
• Release Date: November 2005
• Publisher: Oxford University Press
• Length: 176 Pages
• Weight: 0.30 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.4" x 4.4" x 6.9"

Customer Reviews

Summary Review

I think this book does a very good job with a very difficult task. The writer's purpose is to present the up-to-date evidence in a very brief manner, and succeeds admirably. The archaeological finds themselves tell us much about Viking life: there were swords, axes, animal sacrifices, sacred trees, shamanic instruments, chieftains halls, women held places of prominence. The list could go on. I especially liked the section on religion, which was probably one of the better pieces on Viking religion I have yet read. My only complaint is the insinuation that people reviving the religion of the Vikings are Neo-Nazis. If you are looking for a very short intro to the Vikings, then this is a good place to start.