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Ask Katrine all kinds of questions! |
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Heimskringla : History of the Kings of Norway by Snorri Sturluson, Lee M. Hollander (Translator). Beginning with the dim prehistory of the mythical gods and their descendants, Heimskringla recounts the history of the kings of Norway through the reign of Olaf Haraldsson, who became Norway's patron saint. Once found in most homes and schools and still regarded as a national treasure, Heimskringla influenced the thinking and literary style of Scandinavia over several centuries.
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The Race of the Birkebeiners by Lise Lunge-Larsen, Mary Azarian (Illustrator) (Hardcover). Imagine the bravest, fiercest Norwegian warriors that ever lived, carrying a baby prince across blizzard-wracked mountains to save his life. Picture the babe's mother undergoing a cruel, brutal test to prove her son is indeed the bona fide prince of Norway. A fairy tale? No, this is a true story, based on the account written in 1264 by Sturla Tordsson, about the Middle Ages' most powerful king during what are known as Norway's Golden Years. Norwegian-born author Lise Lunge-Larsen tells the story of this king's miraculous adventure in infancy, while woodcut artist Mary Azarian stunningly depicts the heroism of the birch-bark armored peasant warriors, the Birkebeiners.
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King Harald's Saga : Harald Hardradi of Norway: From Snorri Sturluson's Heimskringla. by Snorri Sturluson, Magnus Magnusson (Translator), Hermann Palsson (Translator). When his half-brother, King Olaf the Saint, was killed in battle, Harald Sigurdssen fled Norway at the age of 15. Harald traveled throughout Russia and Europe, became a mercenary soldier of the Varangian Guard in Byzantium, and eventually returned to Norway to claim the throne. Over the next twenty years he became known as Harald Hadradi (Harald the Ruthless). He ruled Norway with an iron hand, made constant war on Denmark, and won renown as the most feared warrior in Europe. At age 51 Harald undertook his most daring endeavor--the invasion of England. In 1066 he landed an army in Northern England, and did battle with the Saxons at Stamford Bridge.
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The Norwegian Invasion of England in 1066 by Kelly DeVries.
William the Conqueror's invasion in 1066 was not the only attack on England that year. On September 25, 1066, less than three weeks before William defeated King Harold II Godwinson at the battle of Hastings, that same Harold had been victorious over his other opponent of 1066, King Haraldr Hardrádi of Norway at the battle of Stamford Bridge. It was an impressive victory, driving an invading army of Norwegians from the earldom of Northumbria; but it was to cost Harold dear. In telling the story of this neglected battle, Kelly DeVries traces the rise and fall of a family of English warlords, the Godwins, as well as that of the equally impressive Norwegian warlord Hardrádi.
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A History of the Vikings by Gwyn Jones. The subject of this book is the Viking realms, Denmark, Sweden, and Norway, their civilization and culture, and their many sided achievements at home and abroad. A highly readable narrative follows the development of these Northern peoples--the Nordmenn--from their origins and the legendary pre-history to the military triumphs of Canute and the defeat of Harald Hardradi at Stamford Bridge in 1066, which symbolically ended the Viking age. The book recounts the Vikings' exploits in war, trade, and colonization: the assault on Western Christendom; the trading and military ventures to the Slav and Muslim worlds and to Byzantium; and the western voyages of discovery and settlement to Greenland, Iceland, and America. With mumerous photographs.
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The Vikings by Else Roesdahl. Revised Edition. A survey of Viking civilization, originally published in Denmark (1987), concentrating on the period c.750-c.1050. One chapter covers sources, and about one-third of the book deals with Viking expansion into Russia, Normandy, the British Isles, Iceland, Greenland, etc. (Only a few pages touch upon activities in North America.) Most of the book surveys the geography, people, society, religion, art, etc., of the Vikings' Scandinavian homelands, stressing the complexity of their civilization. The Vikings is a sober, factual, accurate, though somewhat pedestrian account accessible to laypersons and reflecting recent scholarship.
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