The Vikings

By: Kenneth W. Harl, The Great Courses

Narrated by: Kenneth W. Harl

As raiders and explorers, the Vikings played a decisive role in the formation of Latin Christendom, and particularly of western Europe.

Now, in a series of 36 vivid lectures by an honored teacher and classical scholar, you have the opportunity to understand this remarkable race as never before, studying the Vikings not only as warriors, but in all of the other roles in which they were equally extraordinary - merchants, artists, kings, raiders, seafarers, shipbuilders, and creators of a remarkable literature of myths and sagas. Professor Harl draws insights from an astonishing array of sources: The Russian Primary Chronicle (a Slavic text from medieval Kiev), 13th-century Icelandic poems and sagas, Byzantine accounts, Arab geographies, annals of Irish monks who faced Viking raids, Roman reports, and scores of other firsthand contemporary documents.

Among the topics you'll explore are the profound influence of the Norse gods and heroes on Viking culture and the Vikings' extraordinary accomplishments as explorers and settlers in Iceland, Greenland, and Vinland. And with the help of archaeological findings, you'll learn to analyze Viking ship burials, rune stones and runic inscriptions, Viking wood carving, jewelry, sculpture, and metalwork. By the end of the series, you'll have a new understanding of what it meant to be a Viking and a richer appreciation of this remarkable race - a people who truly defined the history of Europe, and whose brave, adventurous, and creative spirit still survives today.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying reference material will be available in your Library section along with the audio.

©2005 The Teaching Company, LLC (P)2005 The Great Courses

Good but a bit dry

Obviously this is a series of lectures, so the format is rather dry and well lecture like. The information however is amazing and shows the depth of viking culture and influence on history. I made connections to all sorts of things in other historical periods and realized their roots.

Amazing

So I've seen other reviews say he butchers some of the Norse words and names. I can't speak to that because I just don't know. The material was great for someone like me that loves history. I will say that the last 2 or 3 hours was hard to follow because I don't know the region (at all). So it's hard to follow bizarre sounding names along with locations I have no map to look at. I might even go so far as to say I only followed a good deal of the book with ease because of watching the TV show Vikings on History Channel. I can put a face to a name even though the TV show is only a rough conglomeration of the characters from real life people. This was a great start to the material and I would say the best followup would be the book 'The Children of Ash and Elm' which I listened to immediately after this Great Courses lecture series.

Well-Organized Course

Dr. Harl did an excellent job thoroughly explaining Norse history. It was easy to understand, yet complete and logical. I highly recommend this course to those of you who live Norse history and legends.

A great education on the Vikings

If you enjoy The Great Courses audiobook and history this is a good one. I had never appreciated the impact that the Norse cultures had and the breadth of their impact.

Informative

The only negative is the Professors poor pronunciation of Danish words and towns as well as that of other Scandinavian languages. Otherwise very informative and highly recomendable course.