Table of Contents 1
Pirates and Poets: Viking Encounters in
the British Isles
Contents
Week 2...................................................................................................................................................4
Ferguson, Chapter 3. The Causes of the Viking Age...........................................................................4
Prose Edda, p. 3-108..........................................................................................................................5
Prologue.........................................................................................................................................5
Gylfaginning (The Deluding of Gylfi)..............................................................................................6
Skaldskaparmal (Poetic Diction)...................................................................................................16
Lecture.............................................................................................................................................22
Eddic Poetry.................................................................................................................................22
Gods?...........................................................................................................................................22
Week 3.................................................................................................................................................23
Ferguson, Chapter 2. The Culture of Northern Heathendom..........................................................23
Poetic Edda......................................................................................................................................24
Skirnir’s Journey...........................................................................................................................24
Harbard’s Song.............................................................................................................................25
Hymir’s poem...............................................................................................................................26
Loki’s Quarrel...............................................................................................................................27
Thrym’s poem..............................................................................................................................29
Lecture.............................................................................................................................................31
The gods/ӔsirӔsirsir..............................................................................................................................31
Wisdom poetry............................................................................................................................31
Mythology....................................................................................................................................32
Skaldic poetry..............................................................................................................................32
Thrym’s poem..............................................................................................................................32
Viking believes.............................................................................................................................32
Week 4.................................................................................................................................................34
Ferguson, Chapter 7.........................................................................................................................34
Excerpts from the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle........................................................................................36
The Canterbury Manuscript.........................................................................................................36
The Winchester Manuscript.........................................................................................................36
Ӕsirlfric of Eynsham – AD ±945-±1010................................................................................................39
The Passion of Saint Edmund, King and Martyr...........................................................................39
, Table of Contents 2
Haraldskvæði...................................................................................................................................40
Introduction.................................................................................................................................40
Actual poem.................................................................................................................................40
Eiríksmál..........................................................................................................................................41
Introduction.................................................................................................................................41
Actual poem.................................................................................................................................41
Lecture.............................................................................................................................................42
Viking Villages..............................................................................................................................42
Women........................................................................................................................................42
Runes...........................................................................................................................................42
Different Alphabets......................................................................................................................42
Runestones..................................................................................................................................42
The Giants....................................................................................................................................43
Anglo Saxon Chronicle.................................................................................................................43
Saint Edmund...............................................................................................................................43
Week 5.................................................................................................................................................44
Ferguson, Chapter 11.......................................................................................................................44
Egil’s Saga........................................................................................................................................47
Lecture.............................................................................................................................................59
Æthelflӕd, Lady of the Merciansӕd, Lady of the Merciansd, Lady of the Mercians.................................................................................................59
Egil’s Saga....................................................................................................................................60
Week 6.................................................................................................................................................61
Ferguson, Chapter 16.......................................................................................................................61
The Battle of Maldon.......................................................................................................................64
Introduction.................................................................................................................................64
Actual Poem.................................................................................................................................64
Sermo Lupi Ad Anglos......................................................................................................................66
Wulfstan the Homilist..................................................................................................................66
Actual Text...................................................................................................................................66
Cnut’s Lawcode................................................................................................................................67
Lecture.............................................................................................................................................68
Vinland Sagas...............................................................................................................................68
Viking Hoards...............................................................................................................................68
Battle of Maldon..........................................................................................................................69
Sermo Lupi Ad Anglos..................................................................................................................69
Cnut’s Lawcode............................................................................................................................69
, Table of Contents 3
Week 7.................................................................................................................................................71
Ferguson, Chapter 17.......................................................................................................................71
Óláfs saga Tryggvasonar..................................................................................................................73
Lecture.............................................................................................................................................86
King Harald Gormsson – Bluetooth..............................................................................................86
Saga of Olaf Haroldsson...............................................................................................................87
Conversion of Scandinavia...........................................................................................................87
Óláf Tryggvason...........................................................................................................................88
Week 8.................................................................................................................................................89
Ferguson, Chapter 4.........................................................................................................................89
The War of the Geadhil....................................................................................................................91
Lecture.............................................................................................................................................95
Battle of Clontarf..........................................................................................................................95
Dublin..........................................................................................................................................95
, Chapter 3 4
Week 2
Ferguson, Chapter 3. The Causes of the Viking Age
Attempts to provide a single aetiology for the beginning of the Viking Age are numerous and often
cancel each other out. Because of the size of the Scandinavian homelands, there is no one single
thing that drove the Swedes to cross the Baltic.
Charlemagne and his missionaries set the terms of the encounters between Christians and pagans 1,
destroying religious sanctuaries and cultural institutions of those who refused to embrace
Christianity exclusively, and the pagans saw no reason not to respond in kind. There is evidence f a
stable North Sea community of people maintaining peaceful contact with each other as traders,
marriage etc. for three or four hundred years, so the tension only came when Charlemagne did his
thing.
1
The book uses ‘Heathens’ but bc of the negative connotation connected to that word I will chose to use the,
in my opinion, more neutral ‘pagan’
, Prose Edda – Prologue 5
Prose Edda, p. 3-108
Prologue
In the Beginning
God created heaven and earth and Adam and Eve, but people neglected God and He drowned
everyone. After the Flood, only those who were in the ark with Noah survived. Again people
abandoned God and everyone forgot about Him. Still, God gave the people wealth, happiness and
wisdom. People thought that a controlling being guided the heavenly bodies, as well as the weather.
The Three Parts of the World
The world is divided into three parts: Africa, with the scourging sun, Europe/ӔsirEnea, which is very
cold, and Asia, which is beautiful and rich and where the middle of the world is. The people from
Asia are the most endowed with blessings 2.
The People of Troy and Thor
Near the middle of the world is Troy. There are twelve kingdoms ruled by one high king. One of the
kings had a son named Tror/ӔsirThor, who killed his foster parents and took possession of
Thracia/ӔsirThrundheim. He married Sibyl/ӔsirSif, a prophetess. Eighteen generations later Voden/ӔsirOdin is
born, who marries Frigida/ӔsirFrigg.
Odin’s Journey Northward
Odin and his wife both had the gift of prophecy, so Odin knew he would be known in the northern
parts of the world so he travelled there. Odin took possession of the region now called Saxland and
had three of his sons guard the country: Veggdegg, Beldegg/ӔsirBaldr, and Siggi. They ruled in France.
Odin’s Journey Continues and the Ӕsir Settle in the North
Odin’s son Skjold becomes ruler of Denmark, his descendants are named the Skjoldings. Odin travels
to Sweden where the king tells him that he can have all authority over whichever land he wants
because the people believe that the Ӕsirsir bring prosperity. Odin chooses Sigtun and organises the
land as it was in Troy. Then, he travels to Norway and buts his son Seaming in power.
2
Racism who? The Vikings didn’t know her.
, Prose Edda – Gylfaginning 6
Gylfaginning (The Deluding of Gylfi)
King Gylfi and the Woman Gefjun
King Gylfi offers a travelling woman a piece of ploughland in his kingdom as large as four oxen can
plough in one day and one night, in exchange for the pleasure of her company. The woman is one of
the Ӕsirsir and ploughs so hard that it cuts the land loose, leaving a lake behind. The land is called
Sjaelland.
Gylfi Encounters the Three Chieftains of the Ӕsir
King Gylfi can do magic. He wants to know why the Ӕsirsir know everything and goes to Asgard in
disguise. The Ӕsirsir foresee his coming and conjure up visual illusions. When the king arrives he gives
Gangleri as a fake name and is taken through a hall filled with people and eventually sees three
thrones, with three men, named High, Just-as-High and Third 3. Gylfi asks for wisdom.
The All-Father
Gylfi4: ‘Who is the highest/Ӕsiroldest of the gods?’
High: ‘The All-father but in Asgard he has twelve names’
Gylfi: ‘Where is this God? What can he do/Ӕsirhas he done?’
High: ‘He is immortal and decides all things.’
Just-as-High: ‘He made everything.’
Third: ‘He created man and all who are righteous will live with him in Gimle/ӔsirVingolf, but evil men go
to Hell and from there into Niflӕd, Lady of the Mercianshel.’
Gylfi: ‘What did he do before heaven and earth were created?’
High: ‘Chillin’ with the frost giants.’
Niflheim and Muspellsheim
Gylfi: ‘What was the beginning?’
High: ‘Nothing, only Ginnungagap5’
Just-as-High: ‘Niflӕd, Lady of the Merciansheim was made before earth, and at its centre is a spring and from there flӕd, Lady of the Merciansow
rivers.’
Third: ‘First there was a world called Muspell, bright and hot and it flӕd, Lady of the Merciansamed and burns. Surt waits
there to defend it and he will set off the battle with his flӕd, Lady of the Merciansaming sword when the end of the word
comes.’
Ginnungagap and the Emergence of Ymir
Gylfi: ‘What was the world before mankind was there?’
High: ‘The rivers became ice and that grew in the Ginnungagap.’
Just-as-High: ‘That part of Ginnungagap became filled with ice, but the southern part grew light
because of Muspellsheim.’
Third: ‘At the borders life springs up and Ymir appeared, from him come the frost giants.’
Gylfi: ‘And were others created? Do you think Ymir is a god?’
High: ‘No. He was evil. Frost giants grew from his sweat.’
The Primal Crown Audhumla, Ymir and the Birth of Odin
Gylfi: ‘Where did Ymir live and what did he eat?’
‘The cow called Audhumla was also formed with Ymir, and four rivers of milk ran from her udders.’
Gylfi: ‘What did the cow eat?’
3
The thrones each higher than the other, the names are in order from lowest to highest throne.
4
The text calls him Gangleri from here on, but bc Gylfi is much shorter and is his actual real non-disguise name
I will keep using that.
5
The great void before creation.
Pirates and Poets: Viking Encounters in
the British Isles
Contents
Week 2...................................................................................................................................................4
Ferguson, Chapter 3. The Causes of the Viking Age...........................................................................4
Prose Edda, p. 3-108..........................................................................................................................5
Prologue.........................................................................................................................................5
Gylfaginning (The Deluding of Gylfi)..............................................................................................6
Skaldskaparmal (Poetic Diction)...................................................................................................16
Lecture.............................................................................................................................................22
Eddic Poetry.................................................................................................................................22
Gods?...........................................................................................................................................22
Week 3.................................................................................................................................................23
Ferguson, Chapter 2. The Culture of Northern Heathendom..........................................................23
Poetic Edda......................................................................................................................................24
Skirnir’s Journey...........................................................................................................................24
Harbard’s Song.............................................................................................................................25
Hymir’s poem...............................................................................................................................26
Loki’s Quarrel...............................................................................................................................27
Thrym’s poem..............................................................................................................................29
Lecture.............................................................................................................................................31
The gods/ӔsirӔsirsir..............................................................................................................................31
Wisdom poetry............................................................................................................................31
Mythology....................................................................................................................................32
Skaldic poetry..............................................................................................................................32
Thrym’s poem..............................................................................................................................32
Viking believes.............................................................................................................................32
Week 4.................................................................................................................................................34
Ferguson, Chapter 7.........................................................................................................................34
Excerpts from the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle........................................................................................36
The Canterbury Manuscript.........................................................................................................36
The Winchester Manuscript.........................................................................................................36
Ӕsirlfric of Eynsham – AD ±945-±1010................................................................................................39
The Passion of Saint Edmund, King and Martyr...........................................................................39
, Table of Contents 2
Haraldskvæði...................................................................................................................................40
Introduction.................................................................................................................................40
Actual poem.................................................................................................................................40
Eiríksmál..........................................................................................................................................41
Introduction.................................................................................................................................41
Actual poem.................................................................................................................................41
Lecture.............................................................................................................................................42
Viking Villages..............................................................................................................................42
Women........................................................................................................................................42
Runes...........................................................................................................................................42
Different Alphabets......................................................................................................................42
Runestones..................................................................................................................................42
The Giants....................................................................................................................................43
Anglo Saxon Chronicle.................................................................................................................43
Saint Edmund...............................................................................................................................43
Week 5.................................................................................................................................................44
Ferguson, Chapter 11.......................................................................................................................44
Egil’s Saga........................................................................................................................................47
Lecture.............................................................................................................................................59
Æthelflӕd, Lady of the Merciansӕd, Lady of the Merciansd, Lady of the Mercians.................................................................................................59
Egil’s Saga....................................................................................................................................60
Week 6.................................................................................................................................................61
Ferguson, Chapter 16.......................................................................................................................61
The Battle of Maldon.......................................................................................................................64
Introduction.................................................................................................................................64
Actual Poem.................................................................................................................................64
Sermo Lupi Ad Anglos......................................................................................................................66
Wulfstan the Homilist..................................................................................................................66
Actual Text...................................................................................................................................66
Cnut’s Lawcode................................................................................................................................67
Lecture.............................................................................................................................................68
Vinland Sagas...............................................................................................................................68
Viking Hoards...............................................................................................................................68
Battle of Maldon..........................................................................................................................69
Sermo Lupi Ad Anglos..................................................................................................................69
Cnut’s Lawcode............................................................................................................................69
, Table of Contents 3
Week 7.................................................................................................................................................71
Ferguson, Chapter 17.......................................................................................................................71
Óláfs saga Tryggvasonar..................................................................................................................73
Lecture.............................................................................................................................................86
King Harald Gormsson – Bluetooth..............................................................................................86
Saga of Olaf Haroldsson...............................................................................................................87
Conversion of Scandinavia...........................................................................................................87
Óláf Tryggvason...........................................................................................................................88
Week 8.................................................................................................................................................89
Ferguson, Chapter 4.........................................................................................................................89
The War of the Geadhil....................................................................................................................91
Lecture.............................................................................................................................................95
Battle of Clontarf..........................................................................................................................95
Dublin..........................................................................................................................................95
, Chapter 3 4
Week 2
Ferguson, Chapter 3. The Causes of the Viking Age
Attempts to provide a single aetiology for the beginning of the Viking Age are numerous and often
cancel each other out. Because of the size of the Scandinavian homelands, there is no one single
thing that drove the Swedes to cross the Baltic.
Charlemagne and his missionaries set the terms of the encounters between Christians and pagans 1,
destroying religious sanctuaries and cultural institutions of those who refused to embrace
Christianity exclusively, and the pagans saw no reason not to respond in kind. There is evidence f a
stable North Sea community of people maintaining peaceful contact with each other as traders,
marriage etc. for three or four hundred years, so the tension only came when Charlemagne did his
thing.
1
The book uses ‘Heathens’ but bc of the negative connotation connected to that word I will chose to use the,
in my opinion, more neutral ‘pagan’
, Prose Edda – Prologue 5
Prose Edda, p. 3-108
Prologue
In the Beginning
God created heaven and earth and Adam and Eve, but people neglected God and He drowned
everyone. After the Flood, only those who were in the ark with Noah survived. Again people
abandoned God and everyone forgot about Him. Still, God gave the people wealth, happiness and
wisdom. People thought that a controlling being guided the heavenly bodies, as well as the weather.
The Three Parts of the World
The world is divided into three parts: Africa, with the scourging sun, Europe/ӔsirEnea, which is very
cold, and Asia, which is beautiful and rich and where the middle of the world is. The people from
Asia are the most endowed with blessings 2.
The People of Troy and Thor
Near the middle of the world is Troy. There are twelve kingdoms ruled by one high king. One of the
kings had a son named Tror/ӔsirThor, who killed his foster parents and took possession of
Thracia/ӔsirThrundheim. He married Sibyl/ӔsirSif, a prophetess. Eighteen generations later Voden/ӔsirOdin is
born, who marries Frigida/ӔsirFrigg.
Odin’s Journey Northward
Odin and his wife both had the gift of prophecy, so Odin knew he would be known in the northern
parts of the world so he travelled there. Odin took possession of the region now called Saxland and
had three of his sons guard the country: Veggdegg, Beldegg/ӔsirBaldr, and Siggi. They ruled in France.
Odin’s Journey Continues and the Ӕsir Settle in the North
Odin’s son Skjold becomes ruler of Denmark, his descendants are named the Skjoldings. Odin travels
to Sweden where the king tells him that he can have all authority over whichever land he wants
because the people believe that the Ӕsirsir bring prosperity. Odin chooses Sigtun and organises the
land as it was in Troy. Then, he travels to Norway and buts his son Seaming in power.
2
Racism who? The Vikings didn’t know her.
, Prose Edda – Gylfaginning 6
Gylfaginning (The Deluding of Gylfi)
King Gylfi and the Woman Gefjun
King Gylfi offers a travelling woman a piece of ploughland in his kingdom as large as four oxen can
plough in one day and one night, in exchange for the pleasure of her company. The woman is one of
the Ӕsirsir and ploughs so hard that it cuts the land loose, leaving a lake behind. The land is called
Sjaelland.
Gylfi Encounters the Three Chieftains of the Ӕsir
King Gylfi can do magic. He wants to know why the Ӕsirsir know everything and goes to Asgard in
disguise. The Ӕsirsir foresee his coming and conjure up visual illusions. When the king arrives he gives
Gangleri as a fake name and is taken through a hall filled with people and eventually sees three
thrones, with three men, named High, Just-as-High and Third 3. Gylfi asks for wisdom.
The All-Father
Gylfi4: ‘Who is the highest/Ӕsiroldest of the gods?’
High: ‘The All-father but in Asgard he has twelve names’
Gylfi: ‘Where is this God? What can he do/Ӕsirhas he done?’
High: ‘He is immortal and decides all things.’
Just-as-High: ‘He made everything.’
Third: ‘He created man and all who are righteous will live with him in Gimle/ӔsirVingolf, but evil men go
to Hell and from there into Niflӕd, Lady of the Mercianshel.’
Gylfi: ‘What did he do before heaven and earth were created?’
High: ‘Chillin’ with the frost giants.’
Niflheim and Muspellsheim
Gylfi: ‘What was the beginning?’
High: ‘Nothing, only Ginnungagap5’
Just-as-High: ‘Niflӕd, Lady of the Merciansheim was made before earth, and at its centre is a spring and from there flӕd, Lady of the Merciansow
rivers.’
Third: ‘First there was a world called Muspell, bright and hot and it flӕd, Lady of the Merciansamed and burns. Surt waits
there to defend it and he will set off the battle with his flӕd, Lady of the Merciansaming sword when the end of the word
comes.’
Ginnungagap and the Emergence of Ymir
Gylfi: ‘What was the world before mankind was there?’
High: ‘The rivers became ice and that grew in the Ginnungagap.’
Just-as-High: ‘That part of Ginnungagap became filled with ice, but the southern part grew light
because of Muspellsheim.’
Third: ‘At the borders life springs up and Ymir appeared, from him come the frost giants.’
Gylfi: ‘And were others created? Do you think Ymir is a god?’
High: ‘No. He was evil. Frost giants grew from his sweat.’
The Primal Crown Audhumla, Ymir and the Birth of Odin
Gylfi: ‘Where did Ymir live and what did he eat?’
‘The cow called Audhumla was also formed with Ymir, and four rivers of milk ran from her udders.’
Gylfi: ‘What did the cow eat?’
3
The thrones each higher than the other, the names are in order from lowest to highest throne.
4
The text calls him Gangleri from here on, but bc Gylfi is much shorter and is his actual real non-disguise name
I will keep using that.
5
The great void before creation.
