Orkneyinga Saga

 Orkneyinga Saga: The History of the Earls of Orkney, translated by Hermann Palsson and Paul Edwards, 224 pages

The Orkneyinga Saga is a prose history of the jarls who ruled Orkney between the ninth and the thirteenth centuries.  It was probably written in Iceland in the 13th century, but is largely based on older, poetic accounts of the doings of the notable men and women of the islands.  In many places the anonymous compiler incorporates bits of these into his history.

     Ships grappled

     together; gore, as foes fell,

     bathed stiff iron, black

     with Scots' blood;

     singing the bows spilt

     blood, steel bit; bright

     though the quick points quaked,

     no quenching Thorfinn.

This is all the more effective given the highly repetitive narrative, a seemingly unending series of feuds, with aggrieved parties seeking aid from Scotland and Norway, normally ending in bloodshed but occasionally in reconciliation, the bloodshed often leading to more bloodshed and the reconciliations also often leading to more bloodshed.  That is not to say that there is nothing of interest - to the contrary, there's the story of how Rognvald, hiding from his enemies, was betrayed by his own lapdog, and of the time Svein three times politely asked Arni to settle a debt before driving an ax into his skull, and of Uni's cleverness in sabotaging his enemies' watchfires, among many other memorable incidents.  It is the poetry, though, that truly enchants.

     I fear my fate

     turns my face from Ermingerd;

     many a man

     would match her if he might.

     Her brow's such a beauty -

     I'd bed her gladly, even

     once would be worth it,

     a wish come true.

Beowulf

Beowulf by Santiago Garcia and David Rubin, 189 pages

This graphic adaptation of the epic poem generally avoids the banal postmodern revisionism of other adaptations, reducing the story down to the essential confrontations between four monsters - Grendel, his mother, a dragon, and the great Geat himself.  The art is stylized, the colors muddy, the overall effect undeniably ugly - which, however, both suits the brutal directness of the narrative and emphasizes the fleshy substance of the monsters, which are here portrayed not as elusive magic fairies but as viscerally real beasts, perhaps more real than some men.

Ballad of the White Horse

The Ballad of the White Horse by GK Chesterton, 154 pages

Chesterton's remarkable epic poem takes as its subject the legendary history of King Alfred - the great king of Wessex who defeated the Danes at the battle of Ethandune and drove them from the south of England.  Chesterton celebrates this as a triumph of Christian civilization over a barbarous paganism, but he also understands that all such victories are provisional (and providential), for the barbarians always return, like grass on the chalk horse.

     And all the while on White Horse Hill

     The horse lay long and wan,

     The turf crawled and the fungus crept,

     And undid the work of man.

Yet this is not fatalism, for it is the fatalism of the pagans that Chesterton denounces as nihilism.

     'What have the strong gods given?

     Where have the glad gods led?

     When Guthrum sits on a hero's throne

     And asks if he is dead?'

He suggests that such is always the result of attempts to know - and thus control - what is to come.

     'The wise men know all evil things

     Under the twisted trees,

     Where the perverse in pleasure pine

     And men are weary of green wine

     And sick of crimson seas.

     'But you and all the kind of Christ

     Are ignorant and brave,

     And you have wars you hardly win

     And souls you hardly save.'

And with Alfred's voice he directs every generation to the necessary work of recovery.

     'And though the skies alter and empires melt

     This word shall still be true

     If ye would have the horse of old

     Scour ye the horse anew.'

Guts & Glory: The Vikings

Guts & Glory: The Vikings by Ben Thompson     320 pages

History comes alive for kids like no textbook can in this epic account of the time of the Vikings that's perfect for history buffs and reluctant readers! From battle-axe-wielding tribes plundering the greatest cities of Europe to powerful kings and queens ruling their dominions with iron fists, the Vikings were some of the most feared and fearless figures in European history. Find the bravest heroes, the most menacing villains, and unbelievably awesome facts and myths inside this action-packed overview that will amaze kids with tales of a people so incredible...it's hard to believe they were real.

This book is a great piece of narrative nonfiction for any young child looking to increase their knowledge of vikings without feeling like they're reading a textbook. This is one book in a series written by Thompson that attempts to make history interesting and readable to young readers. I think he accomplishes that goal handily with this book, which tells of the history of Vikings and how they shaped world history.

Using more modern terms and humor, Thompson easily engages the reader as he sets off telling Viking history through one historic Viking figure at a time. Each chapter is dedicated to a specific historic figure, with Thompson including bits and pieces that, as he admits, are probably embellished or myths about the figure that were passed down through the ages. The writing style and the subject matter combine to make one fascinating read that is sure to engage kids. It feels more like a chapter book than a history book, and that's so great.

I will definitely be recommending this book to young readers looking for a fun read, especially if they're fans of Vikings, but even for those who like books about knights and warriors.

The Vikings

The Vikings by Professor Kenneth W. Harl               Audio Book: 18 hours (Great Courses)     250 pages            

Excellent lectures on a subject I have always been intrigued by.    Professor Harl is a charismatic speaker.   You can tell he truly loves the subject he is teaching because he talks about the places in such depth you can picture the landscape and feel the cold wind and icy waters.  If you are a Game of Thrones fan like I am visualize Jon Snow at the Wall how all encompassing that is when you see it.   I always have to put on a sweatshirt or blanket to watch those scenes they are so vivid you get the sensation of cold on your skin just viewing it.   Those green screens are amazing!   It is like that with Professor Harl’s lectures.   A fun and informative teacher.    He speaks with such joy that when he talks about the historical figures it is as if he is telling you facts about dear friends of his.   Almost like he is telling tales out of school at times, as when he refers to some of the early Norse queens being bratty or when he imparts little known quirky facts about some of the Kings and warriors, and oh yes, there is that nymphomaniac you will learn about, she caused a real stir back in the day!   He brings the times to life describing their struggles, travels and migrations and the effects they had on their surroundings and the cultural contributions that can be seen even to this day.    I learned so much I hadn’t learned previously.   I knew that the Vikings explored, o.k. rummaged and pillaged, a lot of the other countries they could get to by water, but, it had never occurred to me that many of the lands, some of the Vikings actually decided to stay in and set up homes there.   Or many went back home and like the Beverly Hillbillies, loaded up the boat and moved to Saxony!   I always thought they got in their ships, went wherever, made war with whoever lived where they got out and then loaded up the booty they won then went back home till the next time they needed supplies then back out in the water pillage somemore get a lot of booty to trade or supplies for their own homes and that was sort of the cycle I saw, however, my eyes were opened and I was enlightened to  just how often new colonies were formed in Scotland, England – there was even a Danish King of England!  King Canute, who as King of Denmark, was able to conquer England (and Norway) sitting on the throne as one of the best Kings to rule that country.   His praises are sang in verse and song as far away as Iceland which when the Vikings reached Iceland, the King convinced a number of his people in Denmark to move there to set up a new colony.    Most of the written history, ancestry, poetry, stories, legends, songs and information on the deities they worshipped, Odin, Thor, Loki, etc. have been handed down in written form from the colonists who settled in Iceland.    In all of the countries, the Vikings settled in there are place names and descendents of the mighty Vikings there to this day.   I also learned about the Berserkers which were kind of like Hitler’s Wehrmacht, getting hyped up on some kind of Viking joy juice before going out to take down another society.   It helped to pump them up and get them in a riled up mood beating their clubs against their chests and helmets – picture football fans before a game – I had heard the term Berserkers (from which we get the word berserk) but I didn’t really know the gist of what was up with them.    Some kind of stimulation along with a night of the raid leader playing coach before the big game and Professor Harl shares the excitement of the moment so well you can feel yourself sitting at a rough hewn oak table pounding, your two-headed axe (yeah, they invented that, too) handle on the floor as you stamp your feet and scream a growl out, “Ja, lad os fa dem!”  (Yeah, let’s get them! – Old Norse/Danish.   Excellent!  If you like history, archaeology, cultural anthropology, Vikings, etc. You will love this for everyone else – you will get a kick out of the telling of a lot of history in an incredibly interesting way.   Professor Harl breaks the difficult down into conversational, easy to understand and relate to lectures that cover Viking life and lore if not from a-z certainly close.   Bravo!   Well done.