Like The Northman? Read These | Viking Age Book Recommendations

[@phoenixknight8837]

Great book discovery! Much appreciated!

[@BrandonsBookshelf]

You are so freaking knowledgeable! I've done a few sagas but that's all. I am adding a ton of these to my list. This is just what I wanted and can't wait to watch your thoughts on the Northman.

[@travelthroughstories]

Thanks, Brandon! There is so much wonderful medieval literature - I hope you decide to check some of it out!

[@ghastwriter]

Man your channel is awesome! So many good recommendations of books that I now want to read

[@travelthroughstories]

Thanks so much! Glad you found the video useful.

[@Strider1122]

Thanks man, I'm writing a story on Vikings and I've got quite a few books, but some you've mentioned I totally missed. I watched Eggars Northman, and it's by far the best Viking movie I've seen, also cinematic wise. Awesome stuff, thank you 🙏

[@travelthroughstories]

Thanks for watching!

[@jyuanc]

Out of all of these I`ve only ever read snippets of Beowulf and that was some time ago during undergrad English and I definitely did not pay attention to appreciate it enough! I think I`ll try reading it again, from the start this time and will follow along with your video series on it. Thanks for another really great video with awesome recommendations!

[@travelthroughstories]

Glad to hear it! Beowulf gets better and better each time I read it, especially as I get older - I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.

[@philcrawford7760]

Keep up the good work

[@viterzg1r]

'twas such good introduction of the viking ages. Nice books, many of them i knew already. Nice job, keep It up :)

[@csd8204]

Best viking book I've read is a little gem called Black Viking by Bill Downey. I was ready to write it off, and boy, was I pleasantly surprised. The seamless blend of history and lore around this fictional story was outstanding.

[@groundowl3098]

This is great. TY!

[@shubhadeepdasgupta6525]

So thankful I found this. ♥️

[@philcrawford7760]

This is a excellent video I love it

[@GreatKingEd]

Video came just in time. Really want to check out Egils Saga and some of the other poet warrior stories you mentioned in particular, so I think Ill pick them up over the next few weeks along with Beowulf. Excellent guide

[@travelthroughstories]

Glad I could help provide some direction! Egils saga really is brilliant. And Beowulf just gets better and better each time you read it (at least it does for me!).

[@blochhead6793]

Just recently found your channel and subbed. You’re making some great content. Keep it up! 👍🏼

[@travelthroughstories]

Thank you!

[@RafaelMarreroReiley]

Wonderful video and resource. do you mind me asking which edition of the sagas of Icelanders you have ? is it the hardback ? I could probably get it on amazon ?

[@travelthroughstories]

That one is the Viking/Penguin edition from 2000. The same edition was also published as a paperback in 2001. Both should be relatively affordable online, though I do recommend the hardcover if you're able to find it (the paperback is the exact same edition, but it's a rather flimsy construction).

[@erinh7450]

LOL, yes that will keep me busy! After your last video, I had thought to make a comment asking you where to start with the Eddas and Sagas, and look, you read my mind and made a whole video! Have you watched The Last Kingdom (on Netflix, based on a book series The Saxon Stories which I haven't read) - this all has me wondering what you'd think of that, as it's also lots of Danes and revenge.

[@travelthroughstories]

Haha! I've only seen the first season of The Last Kingdom, though I read most of the books a long time ago. I remember it being pretty good! I remember really liking the depiction of Alfred, but I'd have to rewatch it before commenting further!

[@revenantreads]

I somehow missed this when you first released it. Thank you for this awesome video. Terrific recommendations. Would you consider the works of HR Ellis Davidson still worth reading, or has archaeology and scholarship moved too far beyond?

[@travelthroughstories]

I think her stuff is still worth reading! I haven't read her recently and I don't see her cited too often anymore though. I suspect that a lot of her stuff is a bit dated in the way that most mid-20th century comparative mythology is kind of dated -- there has been many advancements in archaeology in the past 30 years, but that doesn't mean that her writings in folklore/religion are useless. If you're interested in more contemporary folklore/mythology that is often paired with more recent archaeology, I'd recommend Neil Price (whom you've read, I think!), Stephen Mitchell, John Lindow, Ármann Jakobsson, and Margaret Clunies Ross (her books Prolonged Echoes vol 1+2 are excellent if you can somehow manage to find them). HR Ellis Davidson is still safe to read though for sure -- she isn't obsolete. Her Gods and Myths of Northern Europe were one of my first introductions to Norse mythology!

[@revenantreads]

@@travelthroughstories Thank you for the thorough reply!

[@mondola]

Thanks for this list, I absolutely loved the Northman and straight after went on to read Njal’s saga (which was amazing). My question is regarding Neil Price’s book. From what I’ve read his archeological work is highly rated, but from what I’ve heard he seemed somewhat liberal with his interpretations related to gender/sexuality of the Vikings. What is your view on this and does this (significantly) detract from the book? Thanks.

[@travelthroughstories]

Thank you! I think Neil's interpretations of gender and sexuality in the Viking age are correct and add to the book's worth. He lays out a theoretical framework of interpretation that is both useful and valid.

[@sutherlandnoah]

I know absolutely nothing about vikings besides from what ive learned through the northman and amon amarth. loved the revenge of northman and am looking for more revenge focused material, any good starter recs?

[@dayleclarke4433]

Most of the sagas feature revenge and lots of it. In the first few chapters of Grettir's Saga there are multiple instances before he is even born.