THE VIKING SAGAS CLASS WEB PAGE
- WHY THIS PAGE IS HERE, AND WHAT YOU WILL FIND ON IT
- RHONDA KNIGHT'S INTRODUCTION: WHAT THE CLASS HAS ENCOUNTERED AND THE PURPOSE OF THE CLASS
- BOOKS AND SAGAS THIS CLASS HAS READ
- LINKS TO OTHER VIKING SITES
- FOLLOW THESE LINKS TO THE PAPERS STUDENTS HAVE WRITTEN FOR THIS CLASS
As a college freshman, one of my classes is called Viking Sagas, taught by Rhonda Knight. A class of 24 students, including myself, started this class at Binghamton University in NY in the spring of 1997 for different reasons. Some of us took it to fulfill requirements, others because it was expected to be an easy class and even others because the topic interested them. I believe I can speak for most of the class in saying that this class has proven to be not only interesting, but enlightening. And those of us who thought the class would be easy have found that there was certainly work involved.
There have been several books the class has read, which you can find listed below. Also, a few of the Viking Sagas are available on the internet, and if myself or Rhonda finds this page, a link will be placed below for your reading pleasure. While outside research has not been the focus of this class, two six to eight page papers were completed by each of the students, as well as a final project, which were to be based upon our own knowledge, information we picked out of the discussions and lectures in class, but most especially on the books we read. The first paper was due after only one saga was read - Njal's Saga. The paper that followed was handed in after having read two more of the sagas: The Saga of the Jomsvikings and The Vinland Sagas which includes both the Greanlandinga Saga and Eirik's Saga. These have been specified for one reason - this page is my final project, and the page when finished will contain most of the papers students have done. Any reading you may do will probably be based on these works. Occasionally, you will see a third paper by an individual. These papers were two page responses to Daniel Boorstin's book Discoverers chapters 27 and 28, in which he talks of the Norse in America and their landing here around 1000 AD.
For anyone looking for other interesting Viking web sites, follow the links called "other links" below.
This class is an attempt to look at the figure of the Viking through a few
Icelandic sagas and see more than a male sea-going figure (in a horned
helmet), harrying the coasts of Christian Europe, burning, pillaging and
raping. I wanted to examine most closely in this class Viking encounters
with other cultures, especially through the avenues of exploration and
trade, the place of women in Icelandic culture, and the cultural tensions
created through conversion to Christianity. By looking at many aspects of
Icelandic culture (and more tangentially, Greenlandic, Norwegian, Swedish,
and Danish), we found a violent society, certainly, but one that functioned
within its own set of laws, punishments and justifications. We discovered a
culture preoccupied with legality, honor, and justice--three perspectives
were rarely in agreement in any situation. During the course of the class,
the term "horned helmet" became a shorthand reference for portrayals and
attitudes towards the Vikings that were (more often than not) created by
the British in the 19th century and still have a big influence on attitudes
today. While this class tries to debunk many Viking myths, it does not try
to create a kinder, gentler Viking, but does try to examine the reasons
behind the actions that lead to the myths and to show that there was more
to this culture than warriors in longships raiding English monasteries.
Note on the sagas: The original authors of sagas are generally unknown. Most were penned approximately two to three hundred years after the events happened. Obviously, some of the events in the sagas are the authors invention, however much of what is found in them is true, verified through archeaological finds and historical documents. There are numerous references throughout some of the sagas of a man named Ari the Learned who was an accurate historian and learned of the events through his uncle who was a man living in the times the events are supposed to have been taking place. What is read in these sagas can not always be taken at face value, but usually the events took place very simillarly to what is read. Following is the list of books this class has been reading, in the order we have been assigned them.
- Njal's Saga, translated by Magnus Magnusson and Herman Palsson for Penguin Books, copyright 1960, printed in England by Clays Ltd.
- The Saga of the Jomsvikings, translated by Lee Hollander for Univerity of Texas Press, copyright 1955, printed in 1990 in USA.
- The Vinland Sagas: The Norse Discovery of America which includes both the Graenlandiga Saga and Eirik's Saga, translated by Magnus Magnusson and Herman Palsson for Penguin Books, copyright 1965, printed by Clays Ltd.
- Vollman, W. The Ice-Shirt. Penguin books, 1990, printed in USA.
- Laxdaela Saga, Translated by Magnus Magnusson and Herman Palsson for Penguin Books, copyright 1969, printed by Clays Ltd.
The Ice-Shirt is a novel, not a saga.
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since 5/6/97
Questions or comments, or other links to follow? e-mail me at jdowl33910@aol.com
last updated 7/9/97 by Jeremy Dowling.