The Vikings

By: Kenneth W. Harl, The Great Courses

Narrated by: Kenneth W. Harl

Length: 17 hrs and 59 mins

Publisher's summary

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

Excellent

Logically organized and passionately delivered. Harl’s account is detailed, yet accessible, allowing a novice like me take in the basic origins, history, and legacy of the Vikings.

Thorough and lively

The lecturer presents a history of Scandinavia (Denmark, Norway, and Sweden) with a focus on the Vikings Age. The lectures start in the Bronze Age and end in the aftermath of the Black Death with a special emphasis on the politics, technical achievements in shipbuilding, society and religion, and interplay between Scandinavian societies and European ones. A lecture is dedicated to Iceland for its importance in recording sagas and events related to the period of interest. The course is quite informative and the lectures lively. Really enjoyable :)

Excellent course full of interesting material

I enjoyed the content as well as the presentation. This course was comprehensive and well organized.

Excellent Lecture Series!!!

Outstanding lecture series on the Viking Age! I enjoyed Dr. Harl’s coverage of the period before and after the Viking Age. This provided context to the historical facts. The overall exploration of historical cause, consequence, change, and continuity was excellent.

Wonderful

Interesting information, outstanding storytelling and a great listen. Covers early Scandinavia to just before the black death.

Thor, of course, and Bluetooth(!?)

Savage and violent aggressors, looters, slave traders, the Vikings do indeed make the perfect mindless "heroes" in video games! And it's very hard to picture them in the guise of the meek, mild, socialistic Scandinavians of today.

Professor Harl presents us with the real story, and, in some ways, it matches our preconceptions of the massive, feared raiders of movies and TV. Did you know, for instance, that there was a Viking king called "Bluetooth?" And, sadly, that the Vikings did not wear those cool horned helmets? What they did was learn from the cultures they dominated; they intermarried and absorbed much of the culture of their conquests.

In fact, they had an enormous influence on Britain, Germany, Iceland, Eastern Europe, even Russia. Yet that relentless warrior ethic sort of melded into the cultures of all these places and leaves little trace at home.

This course is very long, and some of the details may be most interesting only to specialists and/or those of Scandinavian descent, but there is much here for the listener with a more casual interest in history. The Professor presents a full range of Viking legacies - financial, military, artistic and literary - with enthusiasm and full command of his subject.

Once again, the Great Courses comes through with a fascinating presentation.

Awesomr

The best Viking history I have read. The author brings all of the history to life

Good History

Very long, so I left and came back several time just for a change in scenery and narration voice. It took a month to get through, but I left with an overall better vague image of the vikings (I would have to go through it again a few times to strengthen my memory of everything presented).

A most excellent presentation

What did you love best about The Vikings?

Author was well spoken, knowledgeable. This contains detailed information not available anywhere else.

What other book might you compare The Vikings to and why?

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Which scene was your favorite?

He keeps interest by his interesting anecdotes and humor that he infuses on occasion. Not boring in the least.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

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Any additional comments?

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A historical perspective based on evidence

Any additional comments?

The set of lectures feels like an exhaustive insight into where the Vikings came from and how they changed into a medieval political power. If you're looking for historical background, not just the anecdotes, this is an excellent choice. This comes at a price of a hurried delivery of the lecturer, but the evidence mentioned and the methods of finding conclusions are priceless.