Why do we need a new book on the Vikings? It is true that syntheses of the period appear
with some regularity, most often written for a popular audience, together with well-illustrated …

Myths and narratives about the origins of ruling dynasties are at the centre of this study.
From the perspective of a historian of religion mythology is always of central importance …

Each of the different cultural zones of what used to be called 'The British Isles'(namely Britain
and Ireland, with their associated smaller islands; Davies 2000) had its own tradition or …

One of the main topics of discussion in research on the translated riddrasögur has been their
intended purpose and function. Earlier research on the subject has suggested that the …

By the early middle ages vernacular aristocratic traditions of heroic narration were firmly
established in Western and Northern Europe. Although there are regional, linguistic and …

The textual accounts of the legendary leaders of the pre-Christian past in Scandinavia have
extensive references to the mythic or divine heritage of the ruling elite, and their importance …

O ne of the main themes in the theory of the probable sacral rulership of pagan Scandinavia
has been a genealogical one: the question of whether the king or the earl was looked upon …