Laughing Shall I Die : Lives and Deaths of the Great Vikings

"Viking literature is dominated by famous last stands, famous last words, death songs and defiant gestures, all laced with grim humour. Much of this mindset is alien to modern sentiment, and academics have accordingly shunned it. And yet, it is the same worldvew that has always powered the popular public image of the Vikings - with their berserkers, valkeyries and cults of Valhalla and Ragnarok - and has also been corroborated by archaeological discoveries. Was it this mindset that powered the sudden eruption of the Vikings onto the European scene? Was it a belief in heroic death that made them so lastingly successful against so many bellicose opponents? Weighing the evidence of sagas and poetry against the accounts of the Vikings' victims, Tom Shippey considers these questions as he plumbs the complexities of Viking psychology and recounts many of the great bravura scenes of Old Norse literature, including the Fall of the House of Skjoldunds, the clash between two great longships Ironbeard and Long Serpent, and the death of Thormod the skald."--Jacket.;Appendix A: On poetry: types, texts, translations -- Appendix B: On sagas: types, texts, translations -- Appendix C: Snorri Sturluson.;Preface -- Introduction -- Part one: Dying hard (1. The Viking mindset: three case studies ; 2. Hygelac and Hrolf: false dawn for the Vikings ; 3. Volsungs and Nibelungs: avenging female Furies ; 4. Ragnar and the Ragnarssons: snakebite and success ; 5. Egil the Ugly and King Blood-axe: poetry and the psychopath).;Part two: Moving to the bigger picture (6. Weaving the web of war: the road to Clontarf ; 7. Two big winners: the road to Normandy ; 8. Furs and slaves, wealtha nd death: the road to Miklagard).;Part three: The tale in the North (9. Thje Jarls and the Jomvikings: a study in Drengshapr ; A tale of two Olafs; or the tales people tell ; 11. A tale of two Haralds: Viking endgame ; 12. Viking aftermath: the nine grins of Skarphedin Njalsson).

Laughing Shall I Die explores the Viking fascination with scenes of heroic death. The literature of the Vikings is dominated by famous last stands, famous last words, death songs, and defiant gestures, all presented with grim humor. Much of this mindset is markedly alien to modern sentiment, and academics have accordingly shunned it. And yet, it is this same worldview that has always powered the popular public image of the Vikings—with their berserkers, valkyries, and cults of Valhalla and Ragnarok—and has also been surprisingly corroborated by archaeological discoveries such as the Ridgeway massacre site in Dorset.Was it this mindset that powered the sudden eruption of the Vikings onto the European scene? Was it a belief in heroic death that made them so lastingly successful against so many bellicose opponents? Weighing the evidence of sagas and poems against the accounts of the Vikings' victims, Tom Shippey considers these questions as he plumbs the complexities of Viking psychology. Along the way, he recounts many of the great bravura scenes of Old Norse literature, including the Fall of the House of the Skjoldungs, the clash between the two great longships Ironbeard and Long Serpent, and the death of Thormod the skald. One of the most exciting books on Vikings for a generation, Laughing Shall I Die presents Vikings for what they were: not peaceful explorers and traders, but warriors, marauders, and storytellers.

Laughing Shall I Die explores the Viking fascination with scenes of heroic death. The literature of the Vikings is dominated by famous last stands, famous last words, death songs, and defiant gestures, all presented with grim humor. Much of this mindset is markedly alien to modern sentiment, and academics have accordingly shunned it. And yet, it is this same worldview that has always powered the popular public image of the Vikings—with their berserkers, valkyries, and cults of Valhalla and Ragnarok—and has also been surprisingly corroborated by archaeological discoveries such as the Ridgeway massacre site in Dorset. Was it this mindset that powered the sudden eruption of the Vikings onto the European scene? Was it a belief in heroic death that made them so lastingly successful against so many bellicose opponents? Weighing the evidence of sagas and poems against the accounts of the Vikings' victims, Tom Shippey considers these questions as he plumbs the complexities of Viking psychology. Along the way, he recounts many of the great bravura scenes of Old Norse literature, including the Fall of the House of the Skjoldungs, the clash between the two great longships Ironbeard and Long Serpent, and the death of Thormod the skald. One of the most exciting books on Vikings for a generation, Laughing Shall I Die presents Vikings for what they were: not peaceful explorers and traders, but warriors, marauders, and storytellers. Preface -- Introduction -- Part one: Dying hard (1. The Viking mindset: three case studies 2. Hygelac and Hrolf: false dawn for the Vikings 3. Volsungs and Nibelungs: avenging female Furies 4. Ragnar and the Ragnarssons: snakebite and success 5. Egil the Ugly and King Blood-axe: poetry and the psychopath). Part two: Moving to the bigger picture (6. Weaving the web of war: the road to Clontarf 7. Two big winners: the road to Normandy 8. Furs and slaves, wealtha nd death: the road to Miklagard). Part three: The tale in the North (9. Thje Jarls and the Jomvikings: a study in Drengshapr A tale of two Olafs or the tales people tell 11. A tale of two Haralds: Viking endgame 12. Viking aftermath: the nine grins of Skarphedin Njalsson). Appendix A: On poetry: types, texts, translations -- Appendix B: On sagas: types, texts, translations -- Appendix C: Snorri Sturluson.