Norse Mythology explores the magical myths and legends of Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Iceland and Viking-Age Greenland--outlining along the way the prehistoric tales and beliefs from these regions that have remained embedded in the imagination of the world. The book begins with an Introduction that helps put Scandinavian mythology in place in history, followed by a chapter that explains the meaning of mythic time, and a third section that presents in-depth explanations of each mythological term. These fascinating entries identify particular deities and giants, as well as the places where they dwell and the varied and wily means by which they forge their existence and battle one another. We meet Thor, one of the most powerful gods, who specializes in killing giants using a hammer made for him by dwarfs, not to mention myriad trolls, ogres, humans and strange animals. We learn of the ongoing struggle between the gods, who create the cosmos, and the jotnar, or giants, who aim to destroy it. In the enchanted world where this mythology takes place, we encounter turbulent rivers, majestic mountains, dense forests, storms, fierce winters, eagles, ravens, salmon and snakes in a landscape closely resembling Scandinavia. Beings travel on ships and on horseback; they eat slaughtered meat and drink mead. Spanning from the inception of the universe and the birth of human beings to the universe's destruction and the mythic future, these sparkling tales of creation and destruction, death and rebirth, gods and heroes will entertain readers and offer insight into the relationship between Scandinavian myth, history, and culture.

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Osprey PL - WBH 22 - Christopher Gravett - Bitwa p od Hastings 1066 (2010).jpg

Rok 1066 to chyba najsłynniejsza data w historii Anglii. Ludzie żyjący w tamtych czasach domyślali się, żc czeka ich wiele zmian. Stary król Edward, zwany Wyznawcą, leżał na łożu śmierci. Ponieważ nie miał dzieci, nic było wiadomo, kto obejmie po nim tron. Sprawa była tym trudniejsza, że Edward pozostawał w przyjaznych stosunkach z księstwem Normandii po drugiej stronic kanału La Manche i chciał, by koronę po nim otrzymał tamtejszy władca, książę Wilhelm.

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Richard Perkins - Thor the Wind-raiser and the Eyr arland Image (2001).jpg

Sometime around 1816, during excavations at Eyjafjörður, in northern Iceland, a small bronze image of a seated male figure was discovered. The object was cast by the "lost wax" process, sometime in the 10th century or earlier, and perhaps had once been gilded. It is 3-dimensional, 6.7 cm. tall. The seated figure appears to be naked except for a conical hat or helmet. His mouth is open, and he grips with both hands two vertical columns that descend from the vicinity of his chin and terminate between his knees in a clover-leaf design.

For reasons that are not entirely clear, the so-called Eyrarland image (EI) was already identified as a likeness of Þórr in 1820, when the first illustrations of the figure were published in the Swedish journal, Iduna. That identification has persisted to the present day, and many descriptions of EI confidently identify the object that is being grasped with both hands as Þórr's hammer, Mjöllner. The only problem is, it doesn't resemble other representations of Mjöllner, nor does it match the description of the hammer the dwarfs fashioned for Þórr. Partly for this reason, other theories have been advanced from time to time to explain the object in the figure's grasp. Among the more interesting was one proposed by Lotte Motz in a 1992 article in The Mankind Quarterly, that EI represents a musician "playing an instrument which shows a close resemblance to a double flute."

In Thor the Wind-Raiser, Richard Perkins presents what is probably the definitive explanation of the Eyrarland image, one that accepts the figure's traditional identification as a likeness of Þórr, yet is not far from Motz's vision of a wind-instrument player. Perkins begins by reviewing the importance of wind-power in early societies, and the widespread invocation of particular deities to assure favorable winds. This would have had especial relevance for Viking Age Scandinavians, who were distinguished for their seafaring exploits. Favorable winds bestowed advantage in trading and warfare; a contrary wind or becalmed seas could mean loss of fortune or even one's life. Yet the wind was a fickle and mysterious force. As Hávamál counsels,

much veers the wind ere the fifth day
and blows round yet more in a month.

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Richard Perkins - Thor the Wind-raiser and the Eyr arland Image (2001).pdf

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James H. Barrett - Contact, Continuity, and Collap se (2003).jpg

This collection of ten papers investigates the Norse colonization of the North Atlantic region, starting with Viking expansion in Arctic Norway and ending with a discussion of the longterm implications of medieval Scandinavian exploration of the New World. Each chapter provides a short regional synthesis of the archaeological evidence and, where appropriate, addresses three interrelated themes: the relationship between native and newcomer; the creation of local identities in the settlement period; the relationship between archaeology, history and the construction of modern national identities. In sequence, the chapters focus on North Norway, the Faeroes, Scotland, Ireland, Iceland, Greenland, the Inuits of Smith Sound, L'Anse aux Meadows and Vinland, together with introductory and concluding chapters.

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James H. Barrett - Contact, Continuity, and Collap se (2003).pdf

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Viking art class.jpg

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Viking art class.pdf

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Rory McTurk - A Companion to Old Norse-Icelandic L iterature and Culture (2005).jpg

This major survey of Old Norse-Icelandic literature and culture comprises 29 chapters written by leading scholars in the field, over a third of whom are Icelanders. At the same time, it conveys a sense of the mainland Scandinavian origins of the Icelandic people, and reflects the ongoing contact between Iceland and other countries and cultures.

The volume highlights current debates among Old Norse-Icelandic scholars specializing in different aspects of the subject. Coverage of traditional topics is complemented by material on previously neglected areas of study, such as the sagas of Icelandic bishops and the translated knights’ sagas. Chapters on ‘archaeology’, ‘social institutions’ and ‘geography and travel’ make it possible to view the literature in its wider cultural context while chapters on ‘reception’ and ‘continuity’ demonstrate the ways in which medieval Norse-Icelandic literature and culture overflow into the modern period.

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Rory McTurk - A Companion to Old Norse-Icelandic L iterature and Culture (2005).pdf

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Sojer - Epoha Vikingov (2006).jpg

Книга известного английского историка Питера Сойера посвящена викингам, "неистовым воинам", одно упоминание о которых наводило страх на народы Западной Европы. На основе тщательного изучения многочисленных исторических источников автор раскрывает причины и следствия скандинавской экспансии с конца VIII века на территорию христианской Европы.

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Greta Arwidsson, Gosta Berg - A Viking Age Tool Ch est from Gotland (1999).jpg

The chest was found in Mastrmyr on the the island of Gotland, Sweden in 1936. More than 200 objects were found in and around it. Most are tools that were used by blacksmiths and carpenters, many of them amazingly modern in appearance.

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Greta Arwidsson, Gosta Berg - A Viking Age Tool Ch est from Gotland (1999).pdf

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Jennie Hall - Viking Tales (2005).jpg

A teacher in Chicago at the beginning of the last century, Jennie Hall wrote a number of engaging history books for children. In addition to Viking Tales, she authored Buried Cities, Four Old Greeks, Men of Old Greece, The Story of Chicago, and Our Ancestors in Europe, An Introduction to American History.

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Katherine Holman - Historical Dictionary of the Vi kings (2003).jpg

The remarkable achievements of the Vikings become clear in this A to Z guide. The entries reflect the great distances that the Vikings travelled, the people and cultures they encountered both to the east and the west, the conflict between Christianity and paganism, the archaeological sites they left behind, their runes, inscriptions and artefacts, and the sagas and legends that are still read today. The cross-referenced entries are informative and scholarly, although brief, and followed by an extensive bibliography. and a list of museums with Viking collections. 383p

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Katherine Holman - Historical Dictionary of the Vi kings (2003).pdf

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John Haywood - Historical Atlas of the Vikings (19 95).jpg

Viking marauders in their longships burst through the defenses of 9th-century Europe, striking terror into the hearts of monks, peasants, and rulers. But the Vikings were more than seaborne terrorists. This atlas shows their development as traders and craftsmen, explorers, settlers, and mercenaries, and follows the routes of Viking merchants from Constantinople to the new world. Full color.

About the Author
John Haywood is the author of a number of books, including The Penguin Historical Atlas of the Vikings and The Historial Atlas of the Celtic World (Thames & Hudson). He lives in Lancaster.

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David M. Wilson, Ole Klindt-Jensen - Viking Art (1 963).jpg

In this book we have attempted to outline the history of the art of the Vkings - 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.

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Alfta Reginleif - Religious Practices of the Pre-C hristian and Viking Age (2002).jpg

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Alfta Reginleif - Religious Practices of the Pre-C hristian and Viking Age (2002).pdf

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Else Roesdahl - Historia Wikingów (1996).jpg

Wikingowie i ich historia budzą wciąż ogromne zainteresowanie czytelników i historyków, graniczące nierzadko z zauroczeniem ich kulturą, pragnieniem przygody i wolności. Else Roesdahl odtwarza w swej książce obraz epoki wikingów: ich domostw, miast, zwyczajów, podbojów i zdobyczy. Wraz z autorką jesteśmy świadkami narodzin, rozkwitu i zmierzchu kultury legendarnych odkrywców i łupieżcow, ich wielkich batalii i codziennych wysiłków.

Else Roesdahl - profesor uniwersytetów w Aarhus i Nottingham, uznany autorytet w dziedzinie badań nad epoką wikingów i wczesnym średniowieczem.

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R. Allen Brown - Historia Normanów (1996).jpg

Normanowie byli ulubieńcami Fortuny, gdyż uczyniła ona epoka ich ekspansji wiek XI, a był to okres gwałtownego rozwoju w każdej sferze życia, okres otwartych granic i wielkich możliwości, kiedy to wszystko mogło się zdarzyć i często się zdarzało. Z pewnością Normanowie korzystali z każdej nadarzającej się sposobności, jaka nadarzała się przed nimi w nowym, wspaniałym świecie feudalnej Europy. Żyć w takiej epoce było niewątpliwie błogosławieństwem, ale urodzić się wówczas Normanem musiało być szczęściem zgoła niebiańskim [...] Normanowie byli nie tylko Rzymianami swojego świata, ale i jego Grekami. (fragment książki)

Autor wprowadza czytelników w świat normańskich podbojów. Przedstawia ich historię – założenie własnego państwa na terenach dzisiejszej Normandii, podbój Anglii, rolę, jaką odegrali na południu Europy – we Włoszech i na Sycylii oraz w pierwszej wyprawie krzyżowej.
Atutem tej niewielkiej pod względem objętości książki jest barwny język oraz bogactwo materiałów, którymi autor się posiłkuje – przez co mamy do czynienia z szeroko rozwiniętym aparatem naukowym (przypisy i bibliografia).
Pozycja jest doskonałym wprowadzeniem w świat historii średniowiecznej Europy, której dziejów nie uda się poznać bez znajomości historii Normanów.

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F.Donald Logan - The Vikings in History (2003).jpg

In the second edition of this lovely and comprehensive book, F. Donald Logan examines the role of the Vikings in European history. Drawing upon archaeological, literary, and historical evidence, Donald Logan describes the Viking expeditions overseas, and their transformation from terrifying raiders to assimilated settlers whose rich culture played an influential role in European civilization.

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F.Donald Logan - The Vikings in History (2003).pdf

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Eric Christiansen - The Norsemen in Viking Age (20 06).jpg

Histories of the Vikings have recently tended to emphasize political or social transitions. Eric Christiansen separates the Nordic peoples from the organizing principles which others have used and attempts to describe life in their homelands and colonies in terms of more, or less, ingenious responses to hostile environments at home and overseas.

Guiding readers past some traditional and current controversies surrounding the Norsemen in the period 750-1050, the author discusses twelve key topics. After a survey of the ecology, social conventions and self-awareness of individuals and groups, he moves on to cover the major areas of Norse activity; politics, war, work and migration. The final chapters reconstruct viking-age ideas about the past, present and future in order to offer insight into contemporary behaviour.

Runic, poetic and archaeological evidence is used to illustrate the author's arguments, whilst an appendix sketches the outline of modern research and the directions it is taking.

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Aidan Meehan - Celting Design, The Dragon And The Griffin, The Viking Impact (1995).jpg

The designs and patterns of the Celts, expressed in their metalwork, stonework and jewelry, and continued in the manuscript illumination of Celtic Christianity, are an art form whose legacy has fascinated both Celtic and non-Celtic peoples for centuries. This book adds to the series of practical, step-by-step guides on Celtic design for designers and craftspeople. It studies the intricate dragon and griffin patterns that form the basis of the distinctive style of art that arose after the Viking's invasion of Ireland around 850 AD.

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Aidan Meehan - Celting Design, The Dragon And The Griffin, The Viking Impact (1995).pdf

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A.G. Smith - Viking Designs (1999).jpg

Over 175 dynamic, copyright-free motifs—in a wide range of styles—.taken from the metalwork, woodwork, textiles, carving, and ceramics of the Viking homelands. Sinuously intertwined patterns, mythological animals, dragon-slaying heroes on horseback and many more. Now available in this inexpensive volume, these authentic images will provide endless inspiration and striking embellishments to graphic projects for artists, illustrators and craftspeople.

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