The Vikings · the Story of a People

The Nordic Viking, those that dominated Europe from 800 to 1100. In the east these Northmen thrust down the great rivers of Russia to the Caspian & the Black Sea. In the west they sailed along the Atlantic coasts, past Arab Spain, thru the Straits of Gibraltar & over the Mediterranean. They reached out across the unknown Atlantic, to Iceland, Greenland & America. How did it happen? Why did Europe permit Danes & Norwegians to rule parts of England, Ireland & France, & Swedes to form a ruling class in Western Russia? Why was Scandinavia strong, the rest of Europe weak? What inner forces led to the Viking raids?

Professor Brondsted's classic study examines the motives of their voyages & investigates the origin of the people, their industries & equipment, ships, armies, social organization, daily life & religious beliefs as they are reflected in runic inscriptions, burial customs & Icelandic medieval literature.

Acknowledgements & Note

Map of Scandinavia

Map of the Danevirke

Before the Vikings

The Viking Raids

The 9th Century

The 10th Century

The 11th Century

Weapons & Tools

Dress & Jewellery

Transport

Towns, Earthworks & Camps

Coins & Weights & Measures

Runic Inscriptions

Art

The Viking Way of Life

Religious Belief & Burial Customs

Poetry & the Viking Spirit

The Vikings' Place in European History

Select Bibliography

Index