Laughing Shall I Die

Lives and Deaths of the Great Vikings

Häftad, Engelska, 2020

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In this robust new account of the Vikings, Tom Shippey explores their mindset, and in particular their fascination with scenes of heroic death. The book recounts many of the great bravura scenes of Old Norse literature, including the Fall of the House of the Skjoldungs, the clash between the two great longships Ironbeard and Long Serpent and the death of Thormod the skald. The most exciting book on Vikings for a generation, Laughing Shall I Die presents them for what they were: not peaceful explorers and traders, but bloodthirsty warriors and marauders.

Produktinformation

Utgivningsdatum2020-09-14
Mått152 x 226 x 28 mm
Vikt545 g
FormatHäftad
SpråkEngelska
Antal sidor368
FörlagReaktion Books
ISBN9781789142174

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MapsPrefaceIntroductionPart I: Dying Hard1 The Viking Mindset: Three Case Studies2 Hygelac and Hrolf: False Dawn for the Vikings3 Volsungs and Nibelungs: Avenging Female Furies4 Ragnar and the Ragnarssons: Snakebite and Success5 Egil the Ugly and King Blood-axe: Poetry and the PsychopathPart II: Moving to the Bigger Picture6 Weaving the Web of War: The Road to Clontarf7 Two Big Winners: The Road to Normandy8 Furs and Slaves, Wealth and Death: The Road to MiklagardPart III: The Tale in the North9 The Jarls and the Jomsvikings: A Study in Drengskapr10 A Tale of Two Olafs; or, The Tales People Tell11 A Tale of Two Haralds: Viking Endgame12 Viking Aftermath: The Nine Grins of Skarphedin NjalssonAppendix A: On Poetry: Types, Texts, TranslationsAppendix B: On Sagas: Types, Texts, TranslationsAppendix C: Snorri SturlusonReferencesBibliographyAcknowledgementsIndex

Tom Shippey’s magnificent Laughing Shall I Die: Lives and Deaths of the Great Vikings explores the adventures and mind-set of these heroes and heroines, many of whom were actual historical figures who flourished during the Viking heyday of roughly 750 to 1100 AD. Their exploits were passed down orally and given literary form only as prose narratives in the 13th and 14th centuries . . . Writing for a popular audience has clearly punched up Shippey’s prose, which is lively, friendly and occasionally barbed (mostly when alluding to academic stodginess) . . . Shippey’s magnum opus provides not only an exhilarating, mind-expanding appraisal and retelling of Viking history but also an invitation to discover the cold-iron poetry and prose of the medieval North. Take up that invitation.