"NORSE WARFARE by Martina Sprague" Topic

Hippocrene Books 2007

This book purports to be ' fresh light and scholarly eye' on 'these fiercely independant people' who 'lived by a moral code different from their comtemporaries on other parts of Europe'.
This book covers the usual ground of arms and armour, ships, organisation etc. then has chapters on individuals.
It is illustrated with the authors own photographs in b/w.

I hope this book would contain something original, authored as it is by someone with an M.A. in Military History. But it treads familiar ground. Insisting on calling Vikings(sic) 'a miitary race' and then piling on the mystique and evil reputation without providing anything new. The author seems to think sagas are history and several chapters are just paraphrased versions from Snorri and other well known sagas. For any historian Jomsvikings were killed, extinct, ex-, dead, stiff, in 1955 but not yet here. Although Swedish in origin the author lives in Salt Lake City and such a big move may have confused her geography because she thinks the Orkneys are on the way home for Danes who have raided France. Such errors actually lead me to believe this author was badly let down by her publisher and the book seems to have been badly proof-read, so it could have been better. She is certainly enthusiastic about the subject. So much is wrong here that it is hard to say anything more than do not use your hard earned cash on this book. Read it from the library by all means. But there is nothing here for historical wargamers.

Some errors which show the book is fundamentally flawed:
Asatro is presented as a viking religion. And Oden is used instead of Odin.
A quotation from a modern novel is used as a chapter heading without making it plain that is what it is.
Most vikings died young, from battle or…ringworm.
Large battleaxes gave a high risk of 'friendly fire' in
battle.
The' zig-zag shield formation' is not explained.
Apparently vikings spent the night sleeping under their shields with their helmet on and sword under the head.
Mail shirts were such a nuisance that warriors often got rid of them before the fighting began.
'If a weapon could be manufactured of wood, it was:'

And that MA in Military History would be from… where, exactly?

modernfighter.com

link

By the way, she doesn't like crybabies, so you might want to stay awau from SLC for a while.

Allen

"But I also know a secret: When you study history, you become smart because you become a critical thinker."

Take it easy. She is not reliable, just another crackpot.

"And Oden is used instead of Odin."

Which is fully correct. Odin is west norse, and Oden east.

Sometimes researching the author's background a bit before buying the book pays dividends.

In Westviking by Mowat Farley he claim's that the Viking's where some warrior race superimposed on Scandinavian society.

I can't find anything to back that up, can anyone?

sorry if OT.

As noted in the title, the people are Norse, "Viking" is more of a job description.

David S.

"Viking" is a farmer going on vacation.

They were the Biker gangs of the Dark Ages, except they used ships. Russ

The book is in modern English so Odin is usual spelling…
Yes, Allen, I'm waiting for the knock on the door. A total history of knives swords and bayonets.. this we have to see.

Norse is a linguistic term but historians have largely dropped it because it is so misused. 'Viking' has no national implication and is used as perjorative meaning 'pirate' or 'plunderer'. It probably originated as a reference to people from Bohuslan and Oslofjord who were largely pirates and plunderers in pre-viking(as we know them) times.

No, Vikings are not a race, or class. It is what you call someone who gets the best of you and steals your stuff. The last vikings were Letts, Estonians et al from the eastern Baltic.

Farley Mowat is a prolific but dubious Canadian author. His viking book was wierd in 1965 and has not become less so.

Anyway, Sprague got my money so perhaps she really is a viking after all.

Old Glory, that's not a bad analogy, mind if I pinch it?