"An utterly splendid book, quite the most brilliantly written, balanced, and explanative general work on the Vikings ever to appear in English or in any language."-- Scandinavian Studies
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...

Destiny, magic and chance, human strengths and weaknesses-The Mabinogion's stories are among the most compelling and beautiful in European literature.

Compsed in the golden age of Celtic story-telling in the eleventh century or earlier, they bring together the grotesque and the warmly human, the entertaining and the richly significant. Culhwch is here, perilously wooing the Giant's Daughter; Owain is here, winning the Lady of the fountain by Knightly feats of arms;and -a portent and a miracle both -King Arther is here for the first time as a prime mover in a significant...

Contains all Gwyn Jones' short stories, with those from The Blue Bed, The Water Music, Welsh Heirs, and Selected Poems. This book offers a critical analysis, addressing the literary context in which the stories, particularly the early ones, were produced, and their critical reception.