Warrenss2 | 26 Sep 2011 7:51 p.m. PST |
I know this is a "miniatures" forum, but there is a vast amount of knowledge in all of you guys brains
I have to tap into that. I'm planing on running a RPG based on the Vikings (Norse). I'm looking for some recommendations for some inspirational reading material to help me get the right flavor for the game. I have: Eaters of the Dead – Micheal Criton. Eric Brighteyes – H. Rider Haggard. The Last Kingdom – Bernard Cornwell. Beowolf – ???. War of the Gods – Poul Anderson. The Kalevala – ???. Please
more recommends. Thanks, Warren |
willthepiper | 26 Sep 2011 8:14 p.m. PST |
Look for any of the Icelandic sagas. They may seem a bit intimidating at first, with long genealogies given for every minor character that appears (you can see where Tolkien was coming from!), but once you get into them the stories will pull you along. In particular, I recommend Egil's Saga – Egil Skalagrimson will really let you know how a viking should behave! |
Black Cavalier | 26 Sep 2011 9:00 p.m. PST |
I'm reading an excellent book called The Whale Road by Robert Law. It was one of the books suggested in the recent Wargames Soldier & Strategy magazine's articles on inspiring reading. The author is a heavy Viking reenactor, so it oozes with atmosphere. I'm really impressed with how many viking life details are included, but unfortunately, the author doesn't explain most of them. It would have been a very simple thing for the author to have giving a parenthetical definition when he introduced a new viking word for the 1st time. But, in spite of that, it's still an excellent read. |
Grelber | 26 Sep 2011 9:28 p.m. PST |
The Long Ships by Frans Bengtsson (The 1963 movie was very loosely based on this book) Hrolf Kraki's Saga by Poul Anderson The Sea of Trolls by Nancy Farmer is a children's Norse fantasy book. Freydis and Gudrid by Elizabeth Boyer, a novel about the Norse in North America. Boyer also wrote a series of fantasies based on Norse floklore and mythology. I'll second the suggestion that you look at the sagas. Eyrbyggja Saga has ghosts and witchcraft, and Njal's Saga has some great fights(key figures for Njal's Saga have recently been released by Gripping Beast in 28mm, and they've had an Egil Skallagrimson figure for several years). I can't help but think that, if Egil Skallagrimson moved in next door, property values would drop, and police would mark my neighborhood in red on their maps. Grelber |
runs with scissors | 26 Sep 2011 11:55 p.m. PST |
The Viking series by Tim Severin. Very much in the Bernard Cornwell vein. |
macconermaoile | 27 Sep 2011 3:42 a.m. PST |
Check out the battle of Clontarf. Epic. |
ashill2 | 27 Sep 2011 3:49 a.m. PST |
I second the recommendation for Robert Low. He wrote a trilogy of which The Whale Road is the first part. The rest are just as good. |
Henrix | 27 Sep 2011 6:10 a.m. PST |
Kalevala is not something I'd recommend if you want to read about vikings. It doesn't have anything much to od with them. It's the great finnish epos, and involves an entirely different mythos, ethos and way of living. Others have mentioned Njal's and Egil Skallagrim's saga, which both are great, at least given good translations. Gunnlaug Wormtongue's saga is another of my favourites. I'd also recommend the Poetic Edda (and Snorre's Edda, for that matter). Perhaps not always an easy read, but good sorces for viking thinking and myths. |
Skrapwelder | 27 Sep 2011 6:10 a.m. PST |
Avalon Hill put out a Runquest supplement for Vikings that had a lot of good material in it. Mongoose had one as well. Not sure if it is just an updated reprint or not. They both are fairly frequent on E-Bay. |
bsrlee | 27 Sep 2011 7:17 a.m. PST |
I'll second the Elizabeth Boyer adult novels as a good ead. However, be aware that the last few titles are basically the same story told by different protagonists. I think 'The Thrall & the Dragon's heart' is one of her best. |
T Meier | 27 Sep 2011 11:20 a.m. PST |
A second for 'The Long Ships' also sometimes called 'Red Orm's Saga'. About the only thing the book has in common with the movie is the title. |
batesmotel34 | 27 Sep 2011 1:01 p.m. PST |
"The Complete Sagas of the Icelanders" is a beautiful set containing all of the Icelandic saga. It's expensive but worth it if you're seriously interested. Best price is from the publisher at sagas.is/yfirlit.htm. Chris |
SonofThor | 27 Sep 2011 1:29 p.m. PST |
Hrolf Kraki's Saga – Poul Anderson The Iron Lance- Stephen R. Lawhead (not completely a viking story but it starts out with vikings in it.) The Havamal – Classic Norse Mythology |
Parzival | 27 Sep 2011 2:29 p.m. PST |
Sword Song by Rosemary Sutcliff. |
Warrenss2 | 27 Sep 2011 3:12 p.m. PST |
WOW!!! I KNEW you guys wouldn't let me down!! Thanks for all the suggestions to date. Ummmm
SonofThor, eh? My father had a great sense of humor, shortly before he passed to Asgard and into the halls of Valhalla, he swore I was the bastard son of Loki because of my tricky mischievous humor and pranks. @ batesmotel34 – The link is not working for me. :( |
Skrapwelder | 27 Sep 2011 4:38 p.m. PST |
Not strictly Saga stuff but King of the Wood by John Maddox Roberts was a good read. link |
batesmotel34 | 28 Sep 2011 11:58 a.m. PST |
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kabrank | 29 Sep 2011 5:56 a.m. PST |
Latest Cornwall out today in UK and cheap at Amazon and Sainsburys [and I suspect others] |