The Vikings; Life, Myth, and Art

This is a very interesting book on a subject about which there are many myths and a lot of misconceptions.I'll rate it four stars due to the following qualities that I think it has :The first two stars I give is for the very beautiful photos and illustrations. They give a rare glimpse of the lost viking world, I don't think that many people today realize the great artistic skill that the blacksmiths, woodcarvers and shipbuilders had when the viking kingdoms reached their zenith. Viking blacksmiths were masters of metallurgy and their complex, yet elegant designs leaves one often speechless, and with the distinct impression that these people were the cultural and trendsetting leaders of Europe, not just the ones who dominated it in the strictly military sense of the word. The photos and illustrations put it all nicely on display.The third star I give is for the very well written discription of the history of the Scandinavian countries, especially because it, which is rather unusual, also include a distinct description of the differences between the respective states. Often it is described as if it is all the same, but the Nordic countries over an area some four times bigger than France so obviously when you have such a huge area, there are considerable regional differences.The fourth and last star I give is for the detailed explanation that we get of the norse mythology with it's whole pantheon of gods and how it influenced the warriors, kings and aristocrats alike, in the viking armies, so as to be highly motivated to fight to the death to get to Valhalla. It resembles Islams idea of "Jihad" or holy war, where the dead heroes goes straight to paradise.Any downside? Yes one, I am a bit dissapointed about the fact that the author doesn't write anything about the underlying political reasons for the viking ekspansion, nothing as serious as centuries of prolonged military campaigns comes out of the blue, for no apparent reason. He seems to believe in the old myth that it "just happened", like a natural phenomenon such as an earthquake, a violent storm or an erupting vulcano. "Brave young men" simply felt like "going out on an adventure" to "explore the world" and "created a new life in freedom in new lands", a bit like settlers in Americas wild west in the 19.th century. There was no organization behind it, they just felt like doing it, so they did it - and when they didn't feel like doing it anymore, they stopped - end of story!Such a view is completely ridiculous and unhistoric. Around the year 800 A.D. a country like Denmark was amongst the most advanced and wellorganized communities anywhere in Europe, at least when you look at the military power of the king. The king's power was also much more centralized and strong than many people think, because they have this view of the Scandinavian countries as somewhat poorly organized in this period. So make no mistake; The viking expansion was not a result of "private enterprise", local people from tiny

Vikings: Battle At The End Of Time is a richly illustrated introduction to the culture and history of the Vikings, using artifacts and wonders to reveal the themes and symbols of the Viking world. Color photos abound in a presentation which lends a strong visual impact to early Viking history.