April 26, 2007

I'm inserting here a drawing of Egil, representing a moment that resembles the description of his raised eyebrow at the table of king Aethelstan, following the battle in which his brother was killed. Following an archeological discovery of a skeleton with a malformed skull, people have speculated that he may have had Paget’s disease, in which bone growth is pronounced. We know from the saga that he was uncommonly ugly, but also that his head could resist blows of an ax in battle. On p. 179 of our textbook, we read that “Aethelstan defeated a combined force of Scots and Norsemen from Dublin at the famous battle of Brunanburh.” This is the battle that Egil’s Saga describes for us.

Our readings for this week give us a multi-faceted look at the phenomenon of the Viking invasions, in the context of a series of conquests and invasions on the part of Muslims and Magyars as well. Our map on p. 195 indicates the range of their travels, both in war and in peace. Here are some terms and then questions for you to consider as you read the textbook:

• Khazars
• Magyars
• Battle of Lechfeld
• Lindisfarne
• Vladimir; Kiev
• King Harold Bluetooth
• Olaf Tryggvason and Olaf Haraldson
• Why were the Muslims able to conquer the Visigoths so easily?
• In what sense did the Mediterranean become a “Islamic lake,” (p. 208) and what were the consequences?

Homework Questions:

1. Compare the Collins account with our textbook’s account of two questions: (a) why the Vikings left home and went on the attack in the first place, and (b) the level of destructive as opposed to peaceful interactions between the Vikings and those they encountered. What is your conclusion, based on these authors’ arguments and what you read in the chronicles?
2. In the Collins reading, what are the differences between the Vikings’ encounters with the Carolingians and their encounters in the British Isles, and why?
3. What do we learn from Egil’s Saga about the nature of alliances in the world of the 10th century? What do we learn about the battles of that period?

   

   Laurel Carrington carringt@stolaf.edu
   Most recent update: April 24, 2007

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