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the_weirdling 's review for:
The Vikings: From Odin to Christ
by Martyn Whittock, Hannah Whittock
Martyn and Hannah Whittock have given history buffs a real gift in their book “The Vikings: From Odin to Christ”. Their book is a necessary corrective on the popular imagination regarding Vikings.
Vikings are stuck in the popular imagination as pagan raiders in horned helmets, sacking and looting, raping and drinking. One of the main thrusts of the Whittock’s book is to remind us that the perception of the first waves of Viking raiders by the rest of Europe applies to only a small period of their history and a small segment of their culture. Vikings were conquerors and nation builders. They were heirs of a vibrant cultural dynamic which deeply influenced nearly all European cultures, changing them irrevocably. Furthermore, even as they were changing the cultures they came into contact with, the Vikings were themselves being changed in profound ways. Perhaps the most important change was in their religious mythos, from Norse paganism to Christianity.
This history is first rate. Their case is well made from the start. Today, the average person knows almost nothing about the people we call Vikings. What’s more, most of what we do know is very unhelpful and misleading.
The writing is accessible for most lay readers with a rudimentary grasp of European history. Simultaneously, it provides in-depth charts, indexes, and reading suggestions for those who want to dive deeper into this story.
I’m convinced most readers will be blown away by this amazing saga of the Norse culture and the incredible transformation it underwent from the eighth century on. I could not put this book down.
Vikings are stuck in the popular imagination as pagan raiders in horned helmets, sacking and looting, raping and drinking. One of the main thrusts of the Whittock’s book is to remind us that the perception of the first waves of Viking raiders by the rest of Europe applies to only a small period of their history and a small segment of their culture. Vikings were conquerors and nation builders. They were heirs of a vibrant cultural dynamic which deeply influenced nearly all European cultures, changing them irrevocably. Furthermore, even as they were changing the cultures they came into contact with, the Vikings were themselves being changed in profound ways. Perhaps the most important change was in their religious mythos, from Norse paganism to Christianity.
This history is first rate. Their case is well made from the start. Today, the average person knows almost nothing about the people we call Vikings. What’s more, most of what we do know is very unhelpful and misleading.
The writing is accessible for most lay readers with a rudimentary grasp of European history. Simultaneously, it provides in-depth charts, indexes, and reading suggestions for those who want to dive deeper into this story.
I’m convinced most readers will be blown away by this amazing saga of the Norse culture and the incredible transformation it underwent from the eighth century on. I could not put this book down.