From runic inscriptions to sagas, this book introduces readers to the rich fictional and historical worlds of Old Norse-Icelandic literature.







Describes and illustrates the novelistic narratives of the renowned family sagas, Eddaic and skaldic verse, and the variety of other kinds of Old Norse poetry and storytelling.

Introduces the language and culture of the Viking age.

Develops readers' understanding of the literature's historical development.

Introduces the influence of Old-Norse Icelandic literature on works written in English.

Illustrates this influence with reference to writers from William Blake to Seamus Heaney.

Explains how Old Norse relates to English literature of earlier periods --even Hamlet appears in Old Norse texts.