Eastern Europe in Icelandic sagas : East Is East and West Is West

Based on the material of the Old Norse Icelandic sources written down in the twelfth to fourteenth centuries, this book demonstrates how medieval Scandinavians imagined Eastern Europe. It reconstructs the system of medieval Scandinavian perception of space in general, and the eastern part of the oecumene in particular. It also examines the unique information of these sources, of which the Russian chronicles were unaware: namely, the saga and skaldic poetry data concerning the visits of the four Norwegian kings to Old Rus in the late-tenth and mid-eleventh centuries. The book, based on the material of the Old Norse Icelandic sources written down in the twelfth to fourteenth centuries, demonstrates how medieval Scandinavians imagined Eastern Europe. It reconstructs the system of medieval Scandinavian perception of space in general, and the eastern part of the oecumene in particular. It also examines the unique Old Norse sources, of which the Russian chronicles were unaware Based on the material of the Old Norse Icelandic sources written down in the twelfth to fourteenth centuries, this book demonstrates how medieval Scandinavians imagined Eastern Europe. It reconstructs the system of medieval Scandinavian perception of space in general, and the eastern part of the oecumene in particular. It also examines the unique Old Norse sources, of which the Russian chronicles were unaware Contents Preface Introduction: Sources, Aims, Conventions Part 1. Eastern Europe in the Old Norse Weltbild Part 2. Four Norwegian Kings in Old Rus’ Conclusion Bibliography Index Uniquely combining Old Norse sources and Russian evidence, this book demonstrates what a large part Eastern Europe played in the lives and imagination of medieval Scandinavians