English 401: Viking Studies The Vikings in Britain

Required Texts
	What books do I need? When will I need each book? Back to Index

What books do I need?
 

Byock, Jesse L., trans. The Saga of King Hrolf Kraki. Penguin Classics ed. New York: Penguin, 1998. (ISBN: 014043593X) Amazon: $9.56;  B&N: $10.75 (or "Readers' Advantage Price" $10.21)

Byock, Jesse L., trans. The Saga of the Volsungs : The Norse Epic of Sigurd the Dragon Slayer. Penguin Classics ed. New York: Penguin, 2000. (ISBN: 0140447385) Amazon: $10.40;  B&N: $11.70 (or RAP $11.12)

Fee, Christopher with David Leeming. Gods, Heroes, and Kings : The Battle for Mythic Britain. Oxford: Oxford UP, 2001. (ISBN: 0195134796) Amazon: $22.00;  B&N: $17.60 (or RAP $16.72)

Fox, Denton and Hermann Palsson, trans. Grettir's Saga. Toronto: U of Toronto P, 1974. (ISBN: 0802061656) Amazon: $17.95;  B&N: Unlisted

Gordon, E.V. An Introduction to Old Norse. 2nd rev. ed. Oxford: Oxford UP, 1990. (ISBN: 0198111843) Amazon: $35.00;  B&N: $35.00

Hall, Richard. Viking Age Archaeology in Britain and Ireland. Buckinghamshire: Shire Archaeology, 1999. (ISBN: 0747800634) Amazon: $12.00;  B&N: $12.00 (or RAP $11.40)

Heaney, Seamus, ed. Beowulf: A New Verse Translation. Reprint ed. New York: W.W. Norton & Company, 2001. (ISBN: 0393320979) Amazon: $11.16;  B&N: $12.55 (or RAP $11.92)

Jones, Gwyn. A History of the Vikings. 2nd rev. ed. Oxford: Oxford UP, 2001. (ISBN: 0192801341) Amazon: $14.36;  B&N: $16.15 (or RAP $15.34)

Loyn, Henry. The Vikings in Britain. Malden, MA: Blackwell , 1995. (Only the hardback seems readily available: ISBN: 0631187111) Amazon: $29.95;  B&N: $43.95 (Cheaper paperback copies are sometimes available: ISBN: 063118712X)

Magnusson, Magnus and Hermann Palsson, trans. King Harald's Saga.Penguin Classics ed. New York: Viking Penguin, 1987. (ISBN: 0140441832) Amazon: $8.76;  B&N: $9.85 (or RAP $9.36)

Page, R.I. Norse Myths. The Legendary Past Series. Austin: U of Texas P, 1991. (ISBN: 0292755465)  Amazon: $10.36;  B&N: $10.95 (or RAP $10.40)

Page, R.I. Runes. Reading the Past Series. Berkeley: U California Press, 1989. (ISBN: 0520061144)  Amazon: $11.96;  B&N: $13.45 (or RAP $12.78)

Palsson, Hermann and Paul Edwards, trans. Egil's Saga. Penguin Classics ed. New York: Viking Penguin, 1987. (ISBN: 0140443215)  Amazon: $10.36;  B&N: $11.65 (or RAP $11.07)

Palsson, Hermann and Paul Edwards, trans. Orkneyinga Saga: The History of the Earls of Orkney. Penguin Classics ed. New York: Viking Penguin, 1987. (ISBN: 0140443835)  Amazon: $11.16;  B&N:$13.95 (or RAP $13.25)
 
 

When will I need each book?

Week 1 (8/29/01): The Dawn of the Viking Age: A History of the Vikings (1-54); The Vikings in Britain (1-20)

Week 2 (9/05/01): Life in Early Scandinavia: A History of the Vikings (59-140)

Week 3 (9/12/01): The Creation of the Vikings and the Birth of the Longship: A History of the Vikings (145-203)

Week 4 (9/19/01): Britain in the Context of the Coming of the Vikings and Britain as Launching-Pad: A History of the Vikings (269-311; 334-353); The Vikings in Britain (21-29)

Week 5 (9/26/01): The History of the Vikings in Britain I--from Lindisfarne through the Danelaw: A History of the Vikings (204-240; 421-424); The Vikings in Britain (30-51); Heroes, Gods, and Kings: The Battle for Mythic Britain ("Sagas of Anglo-Saxon England"--161-162; "Anglo-Saxon Historical Sagas and Heroism"--162-166); An Introduction to Old Norse ("The Expansion": xvii-xxix)

Week 6 (10/03/01): The History of the Vikings in Britain II--The Northern Isles: Orkneyinga Saga (9-224); The Vikings in Britain (64-76); Heroes, Gods, and Kings: The Battle for Mythic Britain ("Sagas of Norse Britain"--153-155)

Week 7 (10/10/01): Introducing the Gods of the North: Heroes, Gods, and Kings: The Battle for Mythic Britain [N.B. Focus on Germanic--i.e. Norse and Anglo-Saxon--material;  the Celtic material will add context and depth, but is not of primary importance to us.] ("Preface"--ix-xi; "Introduction"--3-9; "The Pantheons"--13-63; "Deity Types"--75-99;  "Sacred Objects and Places"--111-116; "Heroes and Heroines"--117-124; "Creation and Apocalypse"--139-145)

Week 8 (10/17/01): Interpreting the Gods of the North: Norse Myths (Page) (7-78); A History of the Vikings (315-334)

Week 9 (10/24/01): The Archaeological Record of Viking Britain: Stones and Bones and the Riddle of Runes: Viking Age Archaeology in Britain and Ireland (5-59); Runes (6-62); An Introduction to Old Norse ("Runic Inscriptions": 181-193); A History of the Vikings (419-420); The Vikings in Britain (77-117)

Week 10 (10/31/01): Beowulf and the Northern Imagination I--The Hero and the Troll: Beowulf ("Introduction" and ll. 1-836); The Saga of King Hrolf Kraki (vii-xxxii and 1-78); Heroes, Gods, and Kings: The Battle for Mythic Britain ("Germanic Demigods and Spirits"--101-108; "Heroic Battles with Monsters"--127-130; "The Sagas"--147-148; "Norse Echoes of English Heroic Sagas"--155-158); An Introduction to Old Norse ("The Earliest Norse Poetry", "The Poetry of the Skalds", & "The Sagas": xxxvi-lxi)

Week 11 (11/07/01): Beowulf and the Northern Imagination II--The Hero and the Descent into the Water-Wife's Cave: Beowulf (ll. 837-2199); Grettir's Saga (viii-xiii and 3-187); Heroes, Gods, and Kings: The Battle for Mythic Britain ("The Hero’s Descent into the Otherworld"--124-127; "Norse Echoes of English Heroic Sagas"--158-161)

Week 12 (11/14/01): Beowulf and the Northern Imagination  III--The Hero and the Dragon: Beowulf (ll. 2200-3182); The Saga of the Volsungs (1-109); Heroes, Gods, and Kings: The Battle for Mythic Britain ("Heroic Battles with Monsters"--130-137; "Beowulf and the Anglo-Saxon Heroic Saga as History"--166-168); An Introduction to Old Norse ("The Heroic Literature of the North": xxix-xxxvi and "The Preservation of Texts": lxi-lxvi)

Week 13 (11/21/01): Thanksgiving Break--NO SEMINAR

Week 14 (11/28/01): Egil comes to York--The Icelandic Personal Saga and the History of Britain: Egil's Saga (7-239); Heroes, Gods, and Kings: The Battle for Mythic Britain ("Sagas of Norse Britain"--151-153)

Week 15 (12/5/01): The Twilight of the Viking Age: A History of the Vikings (354-415); King Harald's Saga (9-163); The Vikings in Britain (52-62); Heroes, Gods, and Kings: The Battle for Mythic Britain ("Sagas of Norse Britain"--148-150)