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

Enthralling Presentation of a Fascinating Subject

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

I highly recommend this lecture series. Professor Harl is a fantastic presenter thus making an interesting subject even more so given his depth of knowledgeable and dynamic coverage of Viking History.

I took a risk in choosing a lecture series for the first time on a subject I was only mildly interested in. The risk paid in spades. I honestly expected an arduous churn up a deep information stream and yet found I was shooting the rapids with a fascinating guy: great voice, dynamic spirit, excellent depth, intriguing side bars. I found myself consumed by the lectures and now seeking out more about the lore and history of Vikings.

Have you listened to any of Professor Kenneth W. Harl’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

This the first time I've listened to the work of Professor Kenneth W. Harl and he presents the subject in such a fantastic way, I'm already trying to pick the next lecture from this man.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

18 hours worth of material is too much for one sitting (IMO) but I'll be damned if I didn't churn through it within just a few days once I cracked it open. So well presented and logically divided by topic that I found myself absorbed by the work, focused on the subject and listening pretty much non-stop.

47 of 48 people found this review helpful

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.

43 of 46 people found this review helpful

Good Informational Listen

I liked it. I enjoy history, and with this book, history is what you get. The narration is obviously a bit different, since it is a compilation of lectures. College style. I know this might bore some listeners, but I enjoyed it. It is, what it is, no more, no less, an informative lesson on Norse history, a bit of Norse mythology, and what seems to be a true account, and a timeline, of the Scandinavian people, and their culture, their customs, and their history. If you enjoy history, and nonfiction, I think you should give it a shot. Especially if your of Norwegian heritage.

23 of 26 people found this review helpful

One of the best.

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

This is one of my favorites of The Great Courses, and not only because my ancestors would have been characters in its stories. Few are done as effectively and succinctly while introducing you to the wider depth of its base in the sagas and serious historical study.

4 of 4 people found this review helpful

A better title would be Geography of the Vikings

“And..ug....and...ug...and....and...and” The lecturer has problems. It is so hard to listen to all the “and’s” and “uuug’s.” Combine that speaking pattern with long passages of tributaries and rivers and geography, the result is very difficult to follow.


I generally enjoy the Great Courses series, but this Course was almost unbearable.

3 of 3 people found this review helpful

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.

3 of 3 people found this review helpful

One of the better introductions into the topic

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

I spent about 10-15 years reading a lot about the Scandinavian activities between 500 and 1200 (and still refuse to call that time just "the time of the Vikings", it just doesn't cover that). My interests cover a variety of topics: Politics, social life, religious beliefs - and, on top of everything, the "why". Why did people risk so many lives in undertaking enormous journeys oversea without guarantee of safely returning home? Why did a society function (quite well, as it seems) that seems to be based on "a human life is worth nothing more than its weight in goat skin"? Why did people believe in the "Gods" they believed in and why did they accept a single "God" over their established religious system?
And why, the heck, did it take nearly a thousand years to make that Christian believe system accept women to have their own rights (like kicking their husbands in the backs and get a divorce for the benefit of everyone) if those "stupid pagans" had it up and running for so long before those "well educated, culturally higher evolved" Christians?

I listened to D.C. Drout's "The Norsemen" (nicely excited tutor, some content should be taken with a LOT of salt there as Drout dislikes to give any proof for what he tells his audience, while he definitely seems to see some things differently to many book authors), I listened to J. Paxton's "The Year 1066" (very brief, a mere overview over political actions without much background, but a good, condensed reminder in that) from Audible. Among these three audio books this course by Mr. Harl is the one I'd recommend for getting some understanding of "what happened", even of some parts of the "why".

What does Professor Kenneth W. Harl bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Unfortunately I found Mr. Harl's presentation - while being well paced, dramatic, honest and emotionally moving - distracting at times.
The pro is, I loved the fact that I did never feel like falling asleep, there's just too much energy and heart felt action in his performance.

But why, please, does Mr. Harl insist in "American" pronunciations of names of people and places? I do not know of any "King Canude" or any "Hecken". Sure, I do understand that different languages come with different "renderings" of names, no problem. But if you are into HISTORY, if you want to discuss topics with other students, scholars, human beings (that are NOT American-only, that may speak in "foreign" - haha - language), it would make a lot of sense to use people's and place's original names (or at least some approximation of those). "Canude" is, it took me some time to realize, "Knut". "Hecken" is, it was easier to guess, "Håkon". The same goes for places (cities, villages, whatsnots).
If you do not know any of the names mentioned, this is probably not an issue. If you do have some previous knowing-of-who-is-who, you may well get lost as to who Mr. Harl is talking about.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

As with most course I listened to (through Audible or otherwise) the thing that I miss the most is PROOF. Where do the tutors get their knowledge from? Why can they say "it was this way and not the other way"? What makes them 100% certain that they know EXACTLY what happened? Where did they get their interpretations from?
If you have the slightest doubt about one topic or the other, it may "block" you from taking the best from these lectures, because you have no way of discussing questions with the tutor. You have to "forget" about UNDERSTANDING things if your personal recherche has come up with some different points of view.
So the best approach to enjoy a course like this is to "just listen, don't think".
This may sound a bit cloudy ... let me put it this way:I am not sure that Mr. Harl's personal area of expertise is "the Scandinavian history from 200-1200". I got the impression, at times, that he is just quoting, without any personal interpretation or even an attempt of critical (scientific?) doubt, what books and scholars present.
THIS he does greatly. Personally I would have wished for some more "I personally think that ..." and less "this is how it was".

Any additional comments?

My critique seems to be a bit negative. It isn't. I am trying to point out what I disliked, because, all in all, this course is well worth the time spent with it. You do get a great overview not only over the political history, the connections between many of the (Germanic and other) tribes/clans/families/peoples in (North- AND South) Europe. There isn't much time spent on "Gods and religions", but that's ok, as this course tries to concentrate on "worldly matters".
"The Vikings" (haha) had more to offer than just some believable, human-ish, crazy Gods.

27 of 33 people found this review helpful

Raiders on the Forefront of History

I absolutely love medieval history, but until now my knowledge of the Vikings was perhaps underserviced. The fault is mine alone, based on a misperception that the Norse raiders of old were essentially "ye olde biker gang" writ large. But no matter where you look in medieval history, the Vikings are right there at the forefront, so I knew needed to fill in some glaring gaps in my understanding.

The Great Courses series is generally fantastic on a wide range of topics, and this particular course is no exception. I am blown away at how much I learned in a relatively short amount of time. I've come to respect the Vikings' place in history, even if I can't always respect how they secured it. There are deeper layers to their culture that make them far more interesting as a study in contradiction, which in turn lends even more to the larger tapestry that they've woven themselves into. If you're looking for a solid course on just how much history has turned as a result of the Viking culture, look no further. This one's a winner.

10 of 12 people found this review helpful

They're not Hagar the Horrible after all.

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Yes. Dr. Harl was my favorite professor at Tulane, and he is true to form here. Every lecture is packed with information, presented in an interesting and even exciting way by an excellent public speaker who really knows his stuff.

What did you like best about this story?

Definitely the information about the Viking ships.

Which character – as performed by Professor Kenneth W. Harl – was your favorite?

It's a lecture series, so it hasn't really got characters. My favorite part was learning that the Battle of Hastings in 1066 was really just Viking on Viking, with the Angles, Saxons and native Britons waiting around to see what set of invaders would be running the show next.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

It would kill you to listen to that much history all at once.

Any additional comments?

I am glad Dr. Harl didn't throw in the nastiest stuff there is to know about the Vikings. I did an independent study based on Anglo-Saxon writings about the Vikings, and they were pretty terrible from the victim's standpoint. But they were also clever, good at fitting in wherever they went, incredibly brave, fine athletes, wonderful poets, and the founders of a surprising number of nations in addition to the Scandinavian countries. I think I'll just go and build myself a longship now.

9 of 11 people found this review helpful

Great topic, awful presentation

I have listened to about 40 titles from the Great Courses and this is the first one that I have actually disliked. The teacher is simply awful. He doesn't give context, just a random stream of facts and he continually shouts at the audience as he rushes through the material. As someone else said, you just can't remember most of what was said; not because it was complex, but because it was presented in such a 'stream of consciousness' kind of way.

So, I have listened to many history audiobooks and when I saw The Vikings, I thought "There's a group that I don't know much about, this should be interesting." And indeed the basic topic and material is interesting.

But can we please have a different professor give their account of this material? Kenneth Harl shouts unpleasantly loudly, especially when he gets passionate about a topic. Further, he talks too fast and gets even faster when excited (so now he's talking too fast and too loudly).

To make things worse, he gives no real context to each lecture or to compartmentalize each section within a lecture. So it's just a stream of facts -- frequently with digressions to completely random facts that he happens to remember at the time (as in an uncle saying "Oh yes, that reminds me of the time we went to Stockholm...". Seriously, he must have told us that Jahrl means Earl about ten times. I really get the impression that he hadn't prepared this material in detail and it was just "Hey, I've got this, I can just wing it because I know it so well". Yep, he does, but you won't.

Without this context, and with the headlong rush of too-fast presentation, you are relieved to get to the end of the lecture and then reflect on what you've learned. Oh great, I just can barely remember any of it. There is a tremendous amount of material here, but without context, it's just ephemeral and rather a waste of time.

When he covered 1066 and the battles of King Harold, I thought "Oh good, something I'm familiar with". After the lecture, my concerns with this lecture series became a lot clearer. Given how poorly and disjointedly this lecture was presented, on a subject that I already knew, *no wonder* I was finding the other lectures haphazard and unstructured!

Go listen to Robert Garland (The Other Side of History) -- there is a professor who is also passionate about his topic but is able to present complex ideas within context, adds humor and makes the knowledge accessible and memorable.

Great Courses, please have someone else do a lecture series on The Vikings, I'd like to see this material given the presentation that it deserves.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

More knowledge gained .

It was very informative , it also kept my interest though out . As I am not an academic I did wonder whether it would be difficult to understand but this wasn't the case . The readers enthusiasm for his subject showed throughout the lectures . Despite its length I shall listen to it again . I don't want to have missed anything .

3 of 3 people found this review helpful

Magnus

I loved these lectures,what a heroic,fearful time to live,a bit disappointed I never heard anything about Magnus barelegs but we can't have everything.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Great course!

Interesting course on the Viking period of Scandinavia. It's got everything you'd expect from the course. I liked the parts on discovery and settlement of Iceland; discovery of North America; how Christianity changed the Scandinavian economy and so relied less on Viking raids; the impact of Vikings on England e.g. King Alfred's defence of the raids and later when Harold defeated Harald in 1066 only to be defeated by William afterwards.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Spellbinding

Prof Harl weaves a grand tale over thousands of years. It is clear that he knows the cast of characters in considerably more detail than he can discuss in these spellbinding lectures.
The delivery is passionate. The story vacillates from horror, hilarity, crazy turns and byways leading to some bizarre situation. Quite in keeping with the Icelandic bards.
Poignant for me as this is my ancestry that, to my shame, I knew very little about beyond the cliches.
My understanding of European history has increased hugely giving me insights into religion, folk beliefs, legal systems and why we binge drink in large halls!
Brilliant. Thank you. Could you do one on the Icelandic Sagas please?

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Vikings!

More history than I expected.
Brilliant history to those interested (or not).
Lecturer is very interested in the topic which keeps it very engaging.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Good

Not as much on mythology as I would had liked. Aside from that very good, learnt a lot.

3 of 4 people found this review helpful

Informative, enthusiastic, memorable

This course gave me exactly what I wanted. I know the professor from previous classes, but I had mostly thought of him as focusing on Rome and Greece and Byzantium. This history of the Vikings is memorable, funny, fascinating, analytical, and detailed in the right places without getting lost in the detail.

wonderful background

loved it you can hear by his voice his passion for the subject, amazing amount of information. will listen to it again a few times to take it all in

A must listen fr those interested in the vikings

A brilliant and in-depth overview of the vikings. It was very insightful. I would definitely recommend.

Worth the effort

Its a bit of an epic, but well worth the effort if you want to find out as much as possible about the Vikings from one place.

Covers their escapades from Scandinavia to England, Ireland, France, Iceland North America, Russia the Byzantium Court and beyond, giving details on the how the happenings in one place influenced the happenings in many others.