The Viking World

Abstract

The list of contributors to this admirable compendium of knowledge contains 69 names, from Ambrosiani to Zachrisson. Their range of expertise combines to complement, but not compete with, the primarily literary Blackwell's Companion to Old Norse-Icelandic Literature and Culture, edited by Rory McTurk in 2004, and Philip Pulsiano's Medieval Scandinavia: An Encyclopedia, published in 1993. Instead, The Viking World ranges across all the relevant disciplines and encompasses a great array of subject matter. Contributions are of two sorts: short overviews of important themes, and even shorter entries on subjects of particular interest. The book aims to provide academic and discerning general readers alike with fresh perspectives on old favourites (the meaning of the word ‘viking’, or the status of Christianity in Iceland before 999), as well as recent excitements (DNA results, such as the possible eastern provenance of one of the women buried in the Oseberg ship). Parts I and III focus on Scandinavia, before and after its conversion to Christianity, while Part II covers the other areas of the ‘Viking World’. Anyone looking for a quick survey of a mainstream topic, a helpful account of the status quaestionis of a major issue, or an authoritative summary of what is known about an important item will be equally well served, as the authors are leading scholars and experts in their fields. Coverage includes major sites (including individual entries on already well-known trading centres and settlement locations, as well as recent excavations from the Canadian Arctic to Russia), famous names (Harald Bluetooth, Snorri Sturluson), and Big Subjects such as art, poetry, sagas, language, coins, and techniques of warfare (this last described memorably as ‘park-and-raid’) (p. 197). Each entry has its own bibliography of English- and Scandinavian-language publications, though many of the latter will not be widely available to general readers outside Scandinavia. The very useful illustrations and maps are of good quality. While readers might wish for even more of them, at 717 pages perhaps enough is enough. As entries are thematic, not alphabetical, a decent index is a necessity; although spellings can vary (Eiríkr or Erik, depending on the author's choice), cross-referencing is generally helpful, and, given the book's bulk, the selection of headwords is surprisingly generous (‘carpeting’ as well as ‘carpentry’, ‘strangling’ as well as ‘strap-ends’). There is much here for the general reader and the specialist, though not, alas, a decision on whether it should be ‘Viking’ or ‘viking’ (both were allowed). Assembling such a mass of material must have been a complex business. The result is well worth the labour.