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Why did the Vikings sail to England? Were they indiscriminate raiders, motivated solely by bloodlust and plunder?
List of contents
List of Illustrations
Timeline of Key Texts and Events
Acknowledgements
A Note on Names
Map of Anglo-Saxon England
Introduction
1. 'From the north comes all that is evil': Vikings, Kings and Saints, c. 985-1100
2. The Sons of Ragnar Lothbrok
3. The Story of Siward
4. Danish Sovereignty and the Right to Rule
5. 'Over the salt sea to England': Havelok and the Danes
Epilogue: The Danes in English Folklore
Notes
Bibliography
Index
About the author
Eleanor Parker is Lecturer in Medieval English Literature at Brasenose College, University of Oxford, UK. She also writes a regular column for History Today.
Summary
Why did the Vikings sail to England? Were they indiscriminate raiders, motivated solely by bloodlust and plunder? One narrative, the stereotypical one, might have it so. But locked away in the buried history of the British Isles are other, far richer and more nuanced, stories; and these hidden tales paint a picture very different from the ferocious pillagers of popular repute.
In this book, Eleanor Parker unlocks secrets that point to more complex motivations within the marauding army that in the late-9th century voyaged to the shores of eastern England in its sleek, dragon-prowed longships. Exploring legends from forgotten medieval texts, and across the varied Anglo-Saxon regions, she depicts Vikings who came not just to raid but also to settle personal feuds, intervene in English politics and find a place to call home. Native tales reveal the links to famous Vikings like Ragnar Lothbrok and his sons, Cnut, and Havelok the Dane. Each myth shows how the legacy of the newcomers can still be traced in landscape, place-names and local history. Meticulously researched and elegantly argued, Dragon Lords uncovers the remarkable degree to which England is Viking to its core.
Foreword
The rich and nuanced history of the Vikings in medieval England that moves far beyond the stereotype of pillage and plunder.
Additional text
Part literary study, part historical investigation and part folkloric inquiry, it makes a riveting and rewarding read.
