Volsungasaga, a compilation of legends about Sigurd the dragon slayer written in the 1200's, begins with a one page history of his great-grandfather Sigi. Little is recorded about this ancestor of the greatest family of Norse heroes, who simply is identified as a "son of Odin." Nothing in the saga explains what it means to be a son of the most powerful god in the Norse pantheon. A Telling recounts the coming-of-age of an orphan among the Norse at a time before Viking culture exploded across Europe. The earthy ruggedness of the characters is shaped by demands of land and sea, but does not mask...
Volsungasaga, a compilation of legends about Sigurd the dragon slayer written in the 1200's, begins with a one page history of his great-grandfather S...
The climax of the Norse Volsungasaga is the story of Sigrd, the son born of Sigmund after his death. The saga writes "when folk tell of all the mightiest champions, and the noblest chiefs, then ever is he named the foremost." Sigrd revenges his slain father, re-forges his father's shattered sword, slays a dragon, and recovers a treasure which includes a cursed ring. His treacherous murder by his wife's brothers precipitates the downfall of dynasties in a Europe convulsed by Hun invasions. Underlying the story are elements of Norse tragedy that have resurfaced countless times from the unknown...
The climax of the Norse Volsungasaga is the story of Sigrd, the son born of Sigmund after his death. The saga writes "when folk tell of all the mighti...
Civil war surged across Iceland in the first half of the thirteenth century. In addition to land and sea battles, civic leaders were assassinated and gangs fired homes with families inside. As violence subsided an unknown author sat down to write about mob killings, burnt halls, revenge and the reconciliation that has to happen if life is to go on. Although this story was set more than two hundred years in the past, for both author and audience the tale was as true as the tragedies they had witnessed in their own lifetimes. Family genealogies, farmstead locations, and even legal texts from...
Civil war surged across Iceland in the first half of the thirteenth century. In addition to land and sea battles, civic leaders were assassinated and ...
We know all too well the sorry history of the decline and fall of the "eternal" city of Rome. Sometimes we forget that Romans of the time did not "know" this final outcome. Some were complacent, some were connivers, some were downright corrupt, but none envisioned the abandonment of their western capitol by all the powers which Rome itself had fostered during its centuries of growth. None foresaw the complete collapse that marked the middle decades of the fifth century. Those caught in this tumultuous epoch only knew wars were continuous, victories seldom, and motivation to keep fighting very...
We know all too well the sorry history of the decline and fall of the "eternal" city of Rome. Sometimes we forget that Romans of the time did not "kno...
