Viking Art

In this book we have attempted to outline the history of the art of the Vikings - a people who were considered by their contemporaries to be barbarians. Our history touches but one facet of a rich culture which affected the whole of north-western Europe and, whether the Vikings are interpreted as barbarians or civilizers, the art which they left behind them has an originality and a stature second to none in Europe of the period from 800 - 1100.

Historical Dictionary of Sweden

For centuries Sweden was a rather backward, relatively unknown country. It burst onto the world scene during the Viking Age, and then under the warrior kings Gustavus Adolphus and Charles XII in the 17th and 18th centuries, only to withdraw into isolation again. In this century, however, the country has been transformed and hailed as a model welfare state. The over 240 entries in this volume range from the Viking Age to the present day, but the emphasis is on personalities and events of the 20th century and Sweden's rapid social and economic evolution.

Swords of the Viking Age

This new work fills a gap in the literature in English on the swords made and used in northern Europe during the Viking age, between the mid eighth and the mid eleventh centuries. Ewart Oakeshott outlines the significance and diversity of these ancient heirlooms; co-author Ian Peirce, who handled hundreds of swords in his research for this book in museums across northern Europe, selects and describes sixty of the finest representative weapons. Where possible, full-length photographs are included, in addition to illustrations of detail; an illustrated overview of blade types and construction, pattern-welding, inscription and handle forms ...

Bloodtaking and Peacemaking - Feud, Law and Society in Saga Iceland

William Ian Miller presents the arcane worlds of the Old Norse studies in a way sure to attract the interest of a wide range of readers.Bloodtaking and Peacemaking delves beneath the chaos and brutality of the Norse world to discover a complex interplay of ordering and disordering impulses. Miller's unique and engaging readings of ancient Iceland's sagas and extensive legal code reconstruct and illuminate the society that produced them.

The Road to Hel - A Study of the Conception of the Dead in Old Norse Literature

This book is a classic and for good reason. Dr Ellis carefully examines archaeology and textual sources in turn, looking at a wide range of topics regarding burial practices and views of the afterlife. Her discussion of funerary human sacrifice is very important, as is her discussion of cremation vs burial. While her book leaves a lot of avenues for further research (for example concerning Valkyries, or Norse views of necromancy), Dr Ellis has shown herself to be a giant on whose shoulders every future scholar in this area will have to stand.