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The Vikings
This is a romance set against the background of the brutality of the wars between the Saxons and the Vikings.
When the messenger arrives at the Saxon settlement with the news that a band of Viking raiders is only a few miles away the head of the family takes the decision to flee. There is an old uncle who lives behind the defences of Lundenburg fifty miles away and the family can go to him.
But what about eleven-year-old Edmund? He is lying unconscious with a broken leg. There is nothing for it. He will have to be left behind to take his chance.
Edmund is left in the care of an old man. The Vikings come and a cruel savage kills the old man. He is about to kill Edmund too when he is stopped by his young brother who has noticed Edmund's flaming red hair. The young brother wants Edmund for his slave. So Edmund is spared. He is taken to the place which the Vikings have made their base - an old Roman fort.
For a time Edmund is kept chained up. His leg is tended by a doctor. The Viking boy who had saved him often comes to see him. His name is Rollo. The cruel man who had wanted to kill Edmund is his elder brother Ohtar.
After a while Edmund is unchained and then he begins to find out what it means to be a slave. First there is the pain of being branded on the back. Then he is made to swear an oath that he will not try to escape. But the oath is not enough for Ohtar. He tells Edmund that if he tries to escape he will cut off his hands.
Despite this, for a time, Edmund begins to feel that being a slave is not too bad. These Vikings have come to settle and are building up a farm. They are led by the kindly Ragnar. Rollo is more like a friend than a master.
Then another young slave tries to escape. He is caught and with one blow from his great sword Ohtar cuts off one of his hands and throws it to his dog. He is about to cut off the other hand when Edmund hurls himself at him and stops him. Then Ragnar arrives and takes charge. Losing one hand is considered a just punishment but not two. As for Edmund, he is tied up and severely flogged - three times. But even worse is the fact that he has made a bitter enemy of Ohtar.
Then something happens which increases Ohtar's hatred of Edmund. Ohtar has a sister about the same age as Edmund. The beautiful Estrid. They are little able to do more than cast the occasional glance at each other but they still manage to fall in love.
Four years pass. Ohtar has been away fighting for Cnut against the Saxon Edmund Ironsides. Ohtar comes home for reinforcements. It is rumoured that he is going to take some of the slaves. Edmund is among those chosen but before they leave Ohtar catches him saying good-bye to Estrid. Once again Ragnar stops his son from killing Edmund but he does not save him from another savage punishment. But despite it Edmund leaves for battle the next day. He is so weak that he has to ride behind Rollo.
There follows a detailed description of the brutal hand to hand fighting of a battle. Edmund sees a severed leg go flying through the air, a man with an axehead through his scalp, and another man with no head at all but who still seems to take an age to fall. Eventually Edmund finds Ohtar standing over him with his sword drawn. Ohtar is going to make sure that Edmund cannot go back to his sister Estrid.
But Ohtar is stopped by the sudden arrival of Wistan - Edmund's elder brother whom he has not seen for some years. Wistan is there under the command of King Cnut who has given him permission to gather the Saxon dead. If Ohtar crosses Wistan he will answer to Cnut himself. Wistan also says that Edmund stays with him.
Edmund is now free. He can stay with Wistan. But what about Estrid? She has been promised to the repulsive son of the King of Mercia - who is himself a turncoat and traitor. Now he is free Edmund decides to return to Ragnar and ask for the hand of Estrid. But Ohtar arrives when he is at the settlement. Edmund and Estrid escape. Wistan has an estate for them but Ohtar has vowed to hunt them down. They will never be safe as long as Ohtar lives. Will they ever be free from his threat?
Firehead vividly brings out the brutality, savagery and cruelty of the wars between Saxon and Dane just before King Cnut became King of England. But the intrinsic violence of the book is tempered by the main characters. Edmund does not want to be a soldier. He would much rather be a farmer on the estate Wistan promises him. As for Rollo, all he wants is to be a sailor. And even when they are fleeing from Ohtar, Estrid and her maid still find time to enjoy the London market.
A touching story of a young couple's search for happiness amid the callousness of war.
Teenage
This book is one of Hodder Headline's teenage imprint, Signature. It shows the darker side of Viking life.
Ran is going to be sacrificed to Odin, the king of the gods. But just as she is about to be hanged there is a raid on the settlement and in the confusion and fighting she is rescued and escapes with Toki, a blind musician. She is now a fugitive because she has been offered to Odin.
They embark on a ship bound for Iceland where they settle down on the farm of Agnar Thorfast and for a time all is well. But there are many dangers ahead for Ran before she can finally carve out a new life for herself. There is a land shortage in Iceland, and, because of it, fighting and the slaughter of men, women and children. Then there are the forces of nature to contend with - a flood and a volcanic eruption.
Told in the first person by Ran. There is much detail about the Vikings but this book definitely emphasises the harsher side of Viking life.
This book was shortlisted for the Guardian Children's Fiction Award.
Teenage
England shortly after the Norman Conquest. High up among the fells of the Lake District is a secret valley where the Northmen (or Vikings as they are sometimes loosely called) have their last stronghold - or shield ring. The Normans want to crush this last group of Northmen and bring the whole country under their control. To this end they build a castle in Carlisle and an army is sent north under Ranulf de Meschin.
The story of the resistance of the Northmen is told from the viewpoint of two young people - Frytha, an orphaned Saxon girl who has sought refuge in the valley after her home had been burnt by the Normans, and Bjorn, the Bear-Cub, the foster son of the old harper. Bjorn longs to be allowed to play the Sweet-singer - the special harp owned by his foster father. The Sweet-singer is smaller than the hall harp and strung with Irish white bronze, not horse hair. The old harper realises that one day Bjorn will be a harper and he starts to teach him how to play the little harp.
Life goes on in the valley - lambing, shearing, spinning, harvesting, and singing and story telling in the great hall in the evenings. But always there is the need to prepare for a Norman attack. Bjorn has a secret fear. Several times in the past the Normans have captured Northmen and put them to the torture to try to force them to say where the hidden valley is - but no Northman has ever betrayed the vital secret. Bjorn wonders how he would act if he were ever in that position. Would he be strong enough to withstand the torture? He fears he would not.
The Northmen are outnumbered. They must use cunning if they are to outwit the Normans. They build the Road to Nowhere - a road which will lead the Normans into an ambush.
But even the Road to Nowhere is not enough. They need to know the size of the Norman army, what weapons they have and much else. They need to send someone into the Norman camp. Bjorn volunteers. He knows he is the only one who can go. He speaks enough Norman to get by and he is a harper and a harper can go anywhere.
So Bjorn sets out for the Norman camp knowing that if he is found to be a spy he will be tortured - his secret fear from childhood. But he does not go alone. Frytha follows him.
This book gives a good picture of the daily lives of the Northmen. Details of domestic life are contrasted with those of the War Host. The characters are well drawn and Bjorn and Frytha really come to life. And all this is set against the background of the Lakeland fells - the fast flowing beck, the birch trees, the yellow of the whin bushes, the curlews and the shadows over the high fells.
A fascinating read for older children and for all who love the Lake District.
12+
Sadly Rosemary Sutcliff died in July 1992. She was working on this book when she died. She was two thirds through the second draft. It was transcribed by Anthony Lawton.
Her earlier book, The Shield Ring, was about the Vikings of the Lake District. Sword Song is also about the west coast Vikings. It starts and ends in Rafnglas (or Ravenglass) which is very near the setting for The Shield Ring.
Sixteen year old Bjarni Sigurdson did not mean to kill the holy man who had kicked his dog but the horse-pond was near and Bjarni did not think the old man would drown in the short time he held him under. But he did and Bjarni was guilty of man-slaying. To make matters worse Rafn, his Chief, had once sworn an oath that, in his settlement, the followers of Christ should be safe so Bjarni had made his chief an oath-breaker.
Bjarni is given a sword and banished from the settlement for five years. What is he to do? All he can think of is to hire his sword. For the next five years he is a mercenary swordsman. Descriptions of seafights are interspersed with domestic matters such as harvests and weddings. Much of the story is set in the western islands of Scotland. There is even a chapter set on Iona.
At last Bjarni's five years are up and he decides to return to his own settlement. But there are more dangers in store for him. He is shipwrecked and gets involved with a girl who is in danger of being killed because she is thought to be a witch.
A worthy tribute to the memory of Rosemary Sutcliff.
12+
This book was first published in 1976.
The story starts in the study of an elderly physician in Constantinople. Jestyn the Englishman sits in the dusk waiting for his wife Alexia to bring the candles. As he waits he reflects on his life and the events which brought him to Constantinople.
As a twelve year old herdboy, Jestyn is captured by a band of Vikings and taken to Dublin and the slave market. He is bought by Thormod, another Viking. One evening Jestyn goes to find Thormod to give him his lucky talisman. He finds Thormod being attacked by a band of Irishmen. Jestyn helps Thormod fight off his assailants. He has fought shoulder to shoulder with Thormod who now frees his former thrall. When Thormod returns to Denmark Jestyn goes with him.
On returning home Thormod finds that his father has been killed. Thormod is determined to avenge his father's death - and this means following the killers to Miklagard, as the Vikings call Constantinople. Jestyn says he will come too. There is the ritual wrist cutting and mingling of blood and Jestyn and Thormod are now blood brothers. So Jestyn has taken up the Death Feud, the Blood Feud. He has exchanged one form of bondage for another.
They become part of the crew of the Red Witch and sail up the Baltic and down the Russian rivers to Kiev. Then they join Prince Vladimir's war host and help to defend Miklagard against the Bulgars. Finally they become part of the Varangian Guard - the thousand Vikings who form the personal bodyguard of the Byzantian emperor.
This is a fascinating account of the adventures of the eastern Vikings. There is a detailed description of the Great Portage - when they take the ship across land from one river to another - and the cities of Kiev and Miklagard are vividly brought to life. But the story is dominated by the harsh honour of the Blood Feud. Jestyn still has the mark of the Blood Feud on his forehead. He is bound to that before all else. How does he manage to break free and eventually become the elderly physician we meet in the first pages of the book?
A gripping story with much information about 11th century Russia and the Byzantium Empire. A story which also shows the ruthless and brutal code of the Vikings.
12+
A Viking community of peaceful farmers, traders and craftsmen is devastated by a raid from a band of outlaws. But help comes in the form of the appearance of a huge, ghostly hound.
A thousand years later the area is still being terrorised by the spectre of the mysterious hound - until two teenagers, and a very spirited little Yorkshire terrier called Filey, decide to banish the ghostdog for ever.
A carefully researched historical adventure story. An exciting and eerie ghost story for older children - and dog lovers of all ages. All set against the backdrop of the low rolling hills of South West Scotland, and the vast sands and fast flowing tides of the Solway.
Includes workbook
10+
This book forms part of the Cambridge
Reading Scheme for Key Stage Two.
The story, set amid the rich farmlands, snowy mountains and glaciers,
and lava plains of Viking Iceland, is written around the theme
of mistaken identity.
One stormy evening a stranger seeks shelter in the house of Ingrid's
foster parents. They take him in and find he is an old man. Then
the slave boy Kjartan rushes in and warns them that a band of
armed men is riding towards the house. Ingrid's Uncle Egil hides
the stranger. When the armed men arrive they inform Egil that
the stranger he has sheltered is an evil sorcerer who has been
casting spells and causing sheep and babies to die. The men, led
by Grim Helgisson, search the house but when they do not find
anyone they ride away again. Egil then orders the stranger, who
is actually a gentle Irishman by the name of Ruadh, from his house.
That should have been the end of it as far as Egil's household
is concerned but Ingrid feels sorry for the old man. She wants
to help him and she rides after him but she comes across the real
sorcerer instead. He lets her go and she returns to the farm.
Ingrid is not the only one who wants to help the old Irishman.
The slave boy Kjartan knows where he is hiding and takes food
to him. Kjartan is a very unusual slave. He considers that he
should not be a slave and is very insolent. Soon, despite her
better judgement, Ingrid finds herself involved too although she
knows that if she is found helping a man believed to be the sorcerer
she could be put to death. Finally a daring plan is formed to
try and get Ruadh out of Iceland and on a ship to Ireland.
The story moves at a fast pace and races to the final scene where
Ruadh and the real sorcerer finally confront each other on a cliff
top above a deep fiord. Will the Christian Ruadh defeat the forces
of evil? And what is the real identity of Kjartan?
Sorcery and Gold paints a comprehensive picture of early
Viking Iceland. The superstition of the Vikings; their religion;
Viking raiding; the Assembly or Althing; Viking feuds; all is
brought into the story. There is also a useful historical note.
Told in the first person by Ingrid who really comes alive. She
is a very caring person with a lot of courage. She does not set
out to be a heroine but when she finds she is inadvertently faced
with danger she does not flinch from it.
A first rate story with a sound historical background.
9+
A note at the beginning of this book tells of the discovery of some animal hides covered in Viking runes. On closer investigation these turn out to be the diary of Gorblime Leifitouttson, the court poet or skald of Erik Bloodaxe, sometime King of Norway, the Hebrides and Jorvik (York).
The skald's name, Gorblime, shows at once what kind of book this is going to be. It is a humorous account of the life of Erik interspersed with puns (the Viking code of honour - the Norse code), deliberate anachronisms and witticisms. An example. At regular intervals there is the page of the Norse newspaper, "The Norse of the World." At the foot of the page are references to what is inside - e.g. an advertisement for bingo. "Eyes down for a full longhouse."
The above should give some idea of the style of this Lost Diary.
Once appointed as skald Gorblime has to do his best. His own style is of a poem in the form of a modern limerick. His first effort about the death of Erik's father, Harald Finehair, goes like this,
There once was a King called Harald,
Who wasn't the slightest bit bald,
Vikings would stare,
At his mop of Finehair,
Which stopped the top of his head
getting cold.
This would suggest that this is just a fun book, but not so, as is shown by Gorblime's second effort. Erik tells Gorblime he must do better and, as he does not want to be dog meat, Gorblime produces the following,
Harald and his heroes held up their hands
Bright shone their swords, brain-biters,
Fearful, their foes fretted and fumbled,
Great was the slaughter, grisly and gruesome;
Buckets of blood and gobbets of gore...
This shows a completely different aspect of the book. It shows that there is research and substance behind the modern, jokey facade. The above verse is a serious effort to write in the style of Viking scaldic verse, with its intricate pattern of alliteration, assonance and internal rhyme.
This continues to be the pattern of the book, moderisms and witticisms interspersed with serious historical facts about the Vikings. There is a great deal of information on how the Vikings dressed, what they ate, how they built their ships, Viking trade to Spain and North Africa, as well as the details of Erik's life and the Viking Kingdom of Jorvik.
And there are lots of savage battles to satisfy bloodthirsty little boys.
The book ends with a note pointing out some of the anachronisms and denouncing the diary as a fraud.
Children will enjoy this book and laugh at the jokes, but to get the most out of it they will need the help of a teacher to explain the truth behind the humour.
One note of warning to teachers. Erik finds out that the Moors turn their slaves into eunuchs. He explains that the Moors "cut their thingies off … their danglie bits." Moments of classroom embarrassment perhaps?
A deceptively informative book which, if used judiciously, could be of help in a school project on the Vikings. Illustrated throughout in black and white.
10+
This is one of the Flashbacks series for children of 7 - 11.
Aslak and his sister Astrid are born slaves. Aslak is freed, but not his sister. When they are grown up Aslak goes a-viking while Astrid stays and works on the farm where she was born. One day Aslak returns from one of his expeditions to find that his sister has been sold. He at once sets off to try and find her and buy her back.
He finds Astrid on a farm in Denmark but his quick temper results in his friend being killed and he himself enslaved again. He is taken to the market place at Hedeby and then across the sea to Jorvik in Northumbria where he is sold to a wealthy farmer. The farmer's old mother takes a liking to Aslak and is kind to him. Then she dies and Aslak finds that her son had promised her that Aslak would be her servant in the Other World. Aslak is to be killed at the funeral ceremony but before he is to be put to death the funeral procession is attacked by the Saxons. Aslak joins in the fight against the Saxons and is freed a second time and is therefore able to continue his search for Astrid.
Although short this book contains much information about the Vikings. The action moves between Norway, Denmark and England. The trading town of Hedeby is described in detail as also is the farm outside Jorvik with its extensive dairy and kitchen. We also learn about the clothes of the better off Vikings with their good hide boots and woollen socks, their died woollen tunics and expensive linen shirts and heavy woollen cloaks with fur linings. This is contrasted with the grey homespun clothes worn by the slaves.
Despite all this the main emphasis of the book is on the darker side of Viking life.
This book is intended for very young children and, bearing this in mind, some people might have reservations about the detail given about the various relationships - particularly the relationship between the Viking farmer and his Saxon slave woman.
I also have reservations about the part where Aslak is going to be killed to accompany his mistress to The Other World.
I would suggest that parents and teachers should read this book themselves first and then decide whether or not it is suitable for their own children.
Fantasy-adventure about the Vikings.
Erik and his men set sail in the "Golden Dragon" to find the land where the sun goes at night. They have many adventures with dragons, giants, the Dogfighters and the Old Man of the Sea.
8+
This is one of the Sparks series of stories linking with the History National Curriculum Key Stage 2.
Edmund and Leoba are making their way to the settlement where their aunt and uncle live. Their parents have been killed in an accident and they hope their aunt and uncle will take them in and look after them. But they never reach their destination because they are captured by some Viking raiders and are taken across the sea to the trading town of Hedeby on the Jutland peninsula. Harald, the Viking captain, is a cruel and greedy man and he plans to sell Edmund and Leofa in the slave market. Many of the slaves are taken south by the Arab traders and they are never seen again but all Harald is interested in is the silver he can get for Edmund and Leoba.
But Olaf, one of Harald's men is kind hearted. Moreover his own two children have just been drowned. He would like to adopt Edmund and Leoba and save them from their fate. But will he be able to persuade Harald?
This story may be told simply but it does move at a good pace and it certainly held my attention. As well as being a good story it still manages to impart much information about the Vikings. It highlights the fact that as well as being raiders and fighters the Vikings were also craftsmen and traders.
There are useful notes at the back about Viking raids, Viking ships and Hedeby.
This little book is an excellent introduction to historical fiction for young people.
This is one of the Sparks series of short historical novels linking with the History National Curriculum Key Stage 2. It is the story of a young boy in Jorvik, the Viking city of traders and craftsmen. Jorvik which later became known as York.
When Erik's father dies his grandfather sends him to his uncle in Jorvik. His uncle is a blacksmith and he had expected Erik to be big and strong like all the other members of his family. When he sees how small Erik is he at once decides that Erik is useless and is unkind to him. His wife is dead and he makes Erik do the housework.
Erik has one special talent which he keeps a secret from his uncle. He can play the pipes beautifully. It is his skill on the pipes which eventually lets him escapes from his uncle's clutches.
This book gives a good picture of the busy trading town of Jorvik. It comes with useful notes on; Jorvik, jewellery, Viking justice -- and pipes. A set of Viking pipes was found during an excavation of York so there is a sound basis for Erik's skill as a musician.
7+
This is from Egmont's Yellow Bananas
series of chapter books for newly fluent readers -- books which
include a story, facts and activities.
This is a simple story for young readers. Hal lives on a fjord
with his widowed mother, his young sister, his uncle and grandfather.
One night Hal and Grandfather sit up late while Grandfather's
dog gives birth to her puppies. The next day Grandfather falls
ill and later dies. He is later buried with his possessions. His
horse and dog are killed and buried with him. Hal's uncle drowns
the puppies but Hal manages to save one which he calls after his
Grandfather -- Olaf.
Then Hal hears that he is to leave his home and go far away. Grandfather
had let his mother and children live with them but his uncle is
not prepared to do so. Hal, his mother and sister are to go to
England to stay with a cousin there.
Hal is rather afraid of leaving his home for ever and going to
a new country. But to make sure that he never forgets the fjord
he begins to carve a roof post. He decides that his post will
tell the story of Olaf, of how he was born from his mother and
then born again from the sea and kept alive so that he could protect
Hal and his family.
Eventually the day when Hal must leave arrives. The trading ship
arrives and is loaded and Hal soon finds himself aboard. During
the voyage there is a storm and Hal and his sister are washed
overboard. Hal manages to save his sister. Then the sailors hold
out his roof post to him and, when he manages to grab it, lift
him safely aboard. They arrive in England and Hal meets his young
cousins. The boys are wary of each other at first but Olaf makes
friends with their dog and the boys soon follow the canine example.
A simple story for young children which is, nevertheless, quite
emotional in places as when the puppy is saved and when Hal is
full of trepidation at the idea of leaving his home for ever.
Beautifully illustrated in full colour throughout. Comes with
short but comprehensive notes on the Vikings. And for activities
there is a message in the runic alphabet to be worked out.
This story emphasises some of the ways in which we are able to
learn about the Vikings -- in this case by their carvings which
still exist.
Recommended.
7+
Walking home from school in the middle
of a storm the three Binkerton children shelter in the doorway
of the Good Times Travel Agency. Little Libby pushes against
the door and they all fall inside. Mr Pettigrew, the owner, picks
up one of his travel guides -- one on the Vikings. On the front
is a little rhyme
Open this book
And your journey's begun.
Read every word
And your journey's done.
Before her elder brother and sister can stop her Libby has opened
the book -- and the children find themselves back in Viking times.
Then follows a series of exciting adventures. The Binkertons stay
on a farm and then journey to the Thing. Then, when sailing away
from the Thing, they experience a Viking raid. Finally they are
made slaves. But to get home all they have to do is to read Mr
Pettigrew's guide. But it is taken by a berserker? Do the children
get the guide back and do they get back to their own time?
This is a large format book with colour pictures on every page.
The story is told at the top of the page -- partly in graphic
form. The bottom part of the page contains factual notes about
the Vikings.
This book is an excellent example of a story book and fact book
combined. Children will learn a great deal from this book without
realising they are doing it.
Fact or fiction? This book gives the best of both worlds. Excellent.
8 -- 12
Out of Print
This book was first published in 1968.
This is a fictionalised account of the vision of a remarkable woman and of the early Viking settlements in Iceland. The story sticks very closely to the known historical facts.
In the far north of Scotland, on the shores of the Pentland Firth, is the Hall of Aud, called the Deep-minded because of her great wisdom. Aud is the mother of Thorstan the Red, the conqueror of Caithness and Sutherland. Thorstan goes on a raiding foray to the south and is killed by the Scots. His thirteen-year-old son Anlaf is now the man of the family.
What is Anlaf to do now? Is he going to defend his father's conquests against the Scots? Although only thirteen it is for him to decide. Anlaf asks if there is anything else which can be done with honour. His grandmother has an answer. It is not only the Scots Anlaf has to worry about. There is also Earl Sigurd of the Orkneys. Earl Sigurd is the liegeman of King Harald of Norway and King Harald's father had made Anlaf's grandfather an outlaw.
Anlaf has two uncles in Iceland, the land the ravens found. Aud thinks that they should go to Iceland. After listening to her Anlaf agrees.
They build a ship. As they do not want their intentions to leak out they build it in the shelter of the forest and only bring it out when it is ready to be launched. Then those chosen set sail for Iceland. The party is a mixture of Norse and freed Scots thralls.
The voyage is difficult and dangerous but eventually a safe landfall is made in Iceland. Contact is made with Aud's kinsfolk. Aud stakes her claim to a land-holding and has a new hall built. The land is cleared and planted. Although a woman it is Aud who guides her little community through their first years in Iceland. She gradually gives parcels of land to the others who had come from Scotland with her. She lives long enough to see them all settled and Anlaf married.
There is a historical note at the end. The skeleton of this story comes from the Landnamabok, the account of the families who settled in Iceland in the ninth and tenth centuries. There is a translation called the Origines Icelandicea.
This book forms a valuable counterpart to the many books which show the Vikings as raiders and fighters. That aspect is mentioned but in The Land the Ravens Found the emphasis is on domestic life and the Vikings as farmers. There is also a chapter on the Icelandic Thing and the primitive system of law and order. This book would form a useful supplement to a more serious study of the Vikings.
The story of Aud and her expedition to Iceland also forms an important part of Sword Song by Rosemary Sutcliffe.
10+
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