Viking: The Norse Warrior's [Unofficial] Manual

by John Haywood

Overview

Combines the latest research and discoveries with a humorous eye to take us inside the Viking world

So you want to be a Viking?
Vikings are the lords of the northern seas. Fame, glory, and wealth await those who brave storms and enemy spears to plunder far and wide in foreign lands. Who wouldn’t like to come home laden with silver, earning a reputation that will live on long after lesser men have been forgotten?
This book tells you everything you need to know to become a successful Viking warrior in the tenth century.

• How to join a Viking war band

• What to look for in a good Viking leader

• How to behave at a feast

• How to choose the right weapons and armor

• How to plunder a monastery and ransom a monk

• How to navigate at sea

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780500771419
Publisher:	Thames & Hudson
Publication date:	06/14/2013
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	208
Sales rank:	885,190
File size:	34 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.

About the Author

John Haywood is a fellow of the Royal Historical Society of Great Britain. His many publications include Viking: The Norse Warrior’s (Unofficial) Manual, on which So You Want to be a Viking is based.

Table of Contents

1 Why Become a Viking? 6

2 Joining Up 18

3 The Novice Viking's Guide to the Great War Leaders 41

4 Weapons and Tactics 54

5 Going to Sea 73

6 Have Longs hip, Will Travel 96

7 Life on Campaign 127

8 Battle 140

9 The Spoils of War 165

10 The Sword's Sleep 184

Map of the Viking World 196

Glossary 198

Acknowledgments 200

Further Reading 200

Sources of Quotations 201

Sources of Illustrations 203

Index 204

Editorial Reviews

Haywood’s newest (after Chronicles of the Ancient World) is a whimsical and informative how-to guide to becoming and living the life of a fearsome Scandinavian raider. The year is 991 C.E., and the glory of Olaf Tryggvason’s victory at the battle of Maldon in England this past summer has you, the reader, interested in becoming a Viking. If you are healthy and can handle a weapon, regardless of your class (save slaves), there is some chance that you’ll be chosen to join a ship captain on his raids; women need not apply. Haywood offers latent marauders advice on everything from weapons to life onboard a longship and on campaign. Battle tips are to be expected, but surveys of countries just itching to be raided, types of treasure, and historical asides on cultures contemporaneous with the Vikings are added bonuses. The author describes potential battle wounds and field treatment options (or the lack of same) in graphic detail, but for the most part he avoids rape and torture. Text and captions can be repetitious, and although there is a glossary, there’s no pronunciation guide—good luck with “hirð.” Nevertheless, anyone hoping to go a-Viking will find this manual to be fun and revealing. 135 illus., 29 in color. (June)

Publishers Weekly