Marauding Vikings, armored knights, war, Tsars and Empresses, rockets and Communism are all part of the heritage of the Baltic. Here are tales of strong-willed men and women, courage, love, murder, greed, seduction and intrigue -- every human vice and virtue.
The Mighty Laid Low Thanks to his claim by lineage, the attackers surrounding Jomsborg want Thorfinn to be their leader, but it is a mantle he intensely rejects. When the battle for leadership over the powerful Jomsvikings reaches a stalemate, Thorfinn must make a critical decision. With Gudrid held captive within the fortressed city, walking away will not be an option. He must infiltrate Jomsborg to break her out, and the ensuing battle will leave the greatest mercenary force in the North Sea changed forever…
Sagas are stories mostly about ancient Nordic and Germanic history, early Viking voyages, the battles that took place during the voyages and migration to Iceland and of feuds between Icelandic families. They were written in the Old Norse language, mainly in Iceland. Kings' sagas are of the lives of Scandinavian kings. They were composed in the 12th to 14th centuries. The Icelanders' sagas, a.k.a. Family Sagas, are stories of real events, passed in oral form till they eventually were recorded, mostly in the 13th century. These are the highest form of the classical Icelandic saga writing. Legendary Sagas blend remote history with myth or legend. The aim is on a lively narrative and entertainment. Contents: Kings' Sagas Ynglinga Saga Halfdan the Black Saga Harald Harfager's Saga Hakon the Good's Saga Saga of King Harald Grafeld and of Earl Hakon Son of Sigurd King Olaf Trygvason's Saga Saga of Olaf Haraldson (St. Olaf) Saga of Magnus the Good Saga of Harald Hardrade Saga of Olaf Kyrre Magnus Barefoot's Saga Saga of Sigurd the Crusader and His Brothers Eystein and Olaf Saga of Magnus the Blind and of Harald Gille Saga of Sigurd, Inge, and Eystein, the Sons of Harald Saga of Hakon Herdebreid Magnus Erlingson's Saga Sagas of Icelanders Egil's Saga (The Story of Egil Skallagrimsson) Laxdæla Saga The Saga of Hrafnkell, Frey's Priest The Story of the Confederates (Bandamanna saga) The Saga of Gisli the Outlaw The Saga of Gunnlaug the Worm-Tongue and Raven the Skald Saga of the Greenlanders Erik the Red's Saga Grettir's Saga (The Story of Grettir the Strong) Njal's Saga (The story of Burnt Njal) The Saga of Cormac the Skald The Saga of Howard the Halt The Saga of the Ere-Dwellers The Saga of Thrond of Gate The Saga of Viga-Glum The Saga of Viglund the Fair The Saga of Hen-Thorir Legendary Sagas Volsunga Saga Frithiof's Saga
This book is an examination of some of the principal issues arising from the study of the kings’ sagas, the main narrative sources for Norwegian history before c. 1200. Providing an overview of the past two decades of scholarship, it discusses the vexed relationship between verse and prose and the reliability as historical sources of the verse alone or the combination of verse and prose; the possibility and extent of non-native influence on the composition of these texts; and the function of the past, in particular given that most of the historiography of Norway was produced in Iceland. This book aims to stimulate studies of medieval Scandinavian historiography with its critical perspective on the texts and the scholarship, while also providing a useful work of reference in order to make this area of research accessible to scholars in cognate fields.
In Iceland, the age of the Vikings is also known as the Saga Age. A unique body of medieval literature, the Sagas rank with the world’s great literary treasures – as epic as Homer, as deep in tragedy as Sophocles, as engagingly human as Shakespeare. Set around the turn of the last millennium, these stories depict with an astonishingly modern realism the lives and deeds of the Norse men and women who first settled in Iceland and of their descendants, who ventured farther west to Greenland and, ultimately, North America. Sailing as far from the archetypal heroic adventure as the long ships did from home, the Sagas are written with psychological intensity, peopled by characters with depth, and explore perennial human issues like love, hate, fate and freedom.
Unique among the Icelandic sagas, part-history, part-fiction, the Saga of the Jómsvikings tells of a legendary band of vikings, originally Danish, who established an island fortress of the Baltic coast and launched and ultimately lost their heroic attack on the pagan ruler of Norway in the late tenth century. The saga's account of their stringent warrior code, fatalistic adherence to their own reckless vows and declarations of extreme courage as they face execution articulates a remarkable account of what it meant to be a viking. This translation presents the longest and earliest text of the saga, never before published in English, with a full literary and historical introduction to this remarkable work.
This early work of poetry is both expensive and hard to find in its first edition. Written in the early thirteenth century, it contains a collection of sagas about Norwegian kings. This is a fascinating work and is thoroughly recommended for anyone interested in Norse history. Contents Include: Dedication to King Haakon VII - Editor's Introduction - Translator's Preface - Snorre's Preface - The Ynglinga Saga, Semi-Mythical - Historic Sagas - Halfdan the Black - Harald the Fairhaired - Haakon the Good - Eric's Sons - Earl Haakon - King Olaf Tryguesson - King Olaf the Saint - Magnus the Good - Harald the Stern - Olaf the Quiet - Magnus Barefoot - The Sons of Magnus - Magnus the Blind and Harald Gille - The Sons of Harald - Haakon the Broad-Shouldered - Magnus Erlingson - List of Old Sagas - List of Kings of Sweden, Denmark, Norway - Index of Names and Places.
This book focuses on the Nordic countries through a European perspective and wishes to draw attention to their place in the new world order. The volume emphasizes the specificity of their cooperation within the region itself as well as within the European Union, and stresses the importance of the Nordic region as an area of possibilities and tangible chances resulting from the challenges of globalization. The social, cultural, political and economic dimensions of these countries are characterized by cooperation among states, their collaboration with other regional organizations and within international projects, as well as exchange of viewpoints on the specificity of the current Norden issues. The cooperation of the Nordic countries and their inhabitants as well as migrations between the Scandinavian states have been a trademark of the common and shared history of Norden.
An exploration of the origins and influences of number from prehistory to modern time • Reveals the deeper meaning of the symbols and esoteric knowledge of secret societies • Explains the numerical sophistication of ancient monuments • Shows how the Templar design for Washington, D.C., represents the New Jerusalem The ubiquitous use of certain sacred numbers and ratios can be found throughout history, influencing everything from art and architecture to the development of religion and secret societies. In Sacred Number and the Origins of Civilization, Richard Heath reveals the origins, widespread influences, and deeper meaning of these synchronous numerical occurrences and how they were left within our planetary environment during the creation of the earth, the moon, and our solar system. Exploring astronomy, harmony, geomancy, sacred centers, and myth, Heath reveals the secret use of sacred number knowledge in the building of Gothic cathedrals and the important influence of sacred numbers in the founding of modern Western culture. He explains the role secret societies play as a repository for this numerical information and how those who attempt to decode its meaning without understanding the planetary origins of this knowledge are left with contradictory, cryptic, and often deceptive information. By examining prehistoric and monumental cultures through the Dark Ages and later recorded history, Sacred Number and the Origins of Civilization provides a key to understanding the true role and meaning of number.