Description Includes pictures Includes medieval accounts Includes online resources and a bibliography for further reading Over the centuries, the West has become fascinated by the Vikings, one of the most mysterious and interesting European civilizations.
It is true that the Norsemen, who traded extensively throughout Europe, often increased the profits obtained from their nautical ventur.
However, the Vikings\' reputation for ferocious seaborne attacks along the coasts of Northern Europe is no exaggeration.
They were often slanted to legitimize a clan or leader\'s authority by emphasizing an ancestor\'s bravery and skill in pillaging opponent\'s communities.
Similarly Norse sagas written down in the post-Viking Age fixed what had hitherto been flexible oral tradition.
The colorful bloody tales were certainly based on more than grains of truth, but they were also purposefully augmented to inject drama into history.
These chronicles speak of the heathen Viking depredations of monastic treasuries and the ferocious torture and killing of Christian monks.
Furthermore, the most scathing tales of Viking raids are contained in the histories of monastic communities which were targets of Norse rapacity.
The written records of the History of the Viking period, consisting mostly of Norse sagas, metaphoric poems called skalds and monastic chronicles, were written down well after the events they described and tended to be lurid accounts rife with hyperbole.
Like many civilizations of past millennia, the Vikings are remembered in popular culture more for the fantastical accounts of their History than for reality.
Were they fierce and fearsome warriors? Were they the first Europeans to visit North America? It seems some of the legends are true, and some are just that, legend.
In addition to being perceived as a remarkably unique culture among its European counterparts, what\'s known and not known about the Vikings\' accomplishments has added an intriguing aura to the historical narrative.
Description Includes pictures Includes medieval accounts Includes online resources and a bibliography for further reading Over the centuries, the West has become fascinated by the Vikings, one of the most mysterious and interesting European civilizations
