The Viking Age. Volume 1 (of 2) / The early history, manners, and customs of the ancestors of the English-speaking nations

by Paul B. Du Chaillu

I cannot close this preface without thanking my old and ever true friend Robert Winthrop, of New York, descendant of the celebrated Colonial Governor of Massachusetts, to whom I dedicated “The Land of the Midnight Sun,” for his unfailing kindness and sympathy during the years I have been engaged in the present work.

Paul B. Du Chaillu.

New York, September, 1889.

CONTENTS OF VOL. I

CHAPTER I.
	PAGE
Civilisation and Antiquities of the North	[1]
CHAPTER II.
Roman and Greek Accounts of the Northmen	[7]
CHAPTER III.
The Settlement of Britain by Northmen	[17]
CHAPTER IV.
The Mythology and Cosmogony of the Norsemen	[27]
CHAPTER V.
Mythology and Cosmogony (continued)	[44]
CHAPTER VI.
Odin of the North	[51]
CHAPTER VII.
The Successors of Odin of the North	[62]
CHAPTER VIII.
The Stone Age	[69]
CHAPTER IX.
The Bronze Age	[84]
CHAPTER X.
The Iron Age	[125]
CHAPTER XI.
Runes	[154]
CHAPTER XII.
Northern Relics—Bog Finds	[193]
CHAPTER XIII.
Northern Relics—Ground Finds	[235]
CHAPTER XIV.
Description of some Remarkable Graves and their Contents	[247]
CHAPTER XV.
Greek and Roman Antiquities in the North	[259]
CHAPTER XVI.
Glass	[276]
CHAPTER XVII.
Horses—Waggons	[285]
CHAPTER XVIII.
Various Forms of Graves	[299]
CHAPTER XIX.
Burials	[320]
CHAPTER XX.
Religion.—Worship, Sacrifices, etc.	[343]
CHAPTER XXI.
Religion.—Altars, Temples, High-Seat Pillars, etc.	[356]
CHAPTER XXII.
Religion.—Human Sacrifices	[364]
CHAPTER XXIII.
Religion.—Idols and Worship of Men and Animals, etc.	[375]
CHAPTER XXIV.
Religion.—The Nornir and Valkyrias	[385]
CHAPTER XXV.
Religion.—The Volvas	[394]
CHAPTER XXVI.
Religion.—Ægir and Ran	[403]
CHAPTER XXVII.
Religion.—Sacrifices to the Alfar, Disir, Fylgja, Hamingja, and Landvœttir	[409]
CHAPTER XXVIII.
Valhöll-valhalla	[420]
CHAPTER XXIX.
Superstitions.—Shape-Changing	[430]
CHAPTER XXX.
Superstitions.—Witchcraft	[439]
CHAPTER XXXI.
Superstitions.—Omens	[450]
CHAPTER XXXII.
Superstitions.—Dreams	[456]
CHAPTER XXXIII.
The Struggle between Paganism and Christianity	[464]
CHAPTER XXXIV.
The Land	[478]
CHAPTER XXXV.
Divisions of People into Classes	[486]
CHAPTER XXXVI.
Slavery—Thraldom	[502]
CHAPTER XXXVII.
The Thing	[515]
CHAPTER XXXVIII.
The Godi and the Godiship	[525]
CHAPTER XXXIX.
The Laws of the Earlier English Tribes	[532]
CHAPTER XL.
Indemnity, Weregild	[544]
CHAPTER XLI.
The Oath and Ordeal	[553]
CHAPTER XLII.
Duelling	[563]
CHAPTER XLIII.
Outlawry	[578]
CHAPTER XLIV.
Revenge	[584]

A LIST OF THE PRINCIPAL SAGAS
QUOTED IN
THE VIKING AGE,
INCLUDING THE PERIODS WITH WHICH THEY DEAL.

Name of Saga.		Century with which they deal.
The Earlier Edda		These are Mythical, and no accurate date can be affixed to them.
The Later Edda
Fórnaldarsögur contains:—
	Völsunga	Partly Mythical.
	Hervara
	Thorstein Vikingsson’s (father of Fridthjof)
	Ketil Hæng’s sons
	Grim Lodinkinnis’
	Fridthjof’s
	Hrolf Kraki’s	VI.(?)
	Half’s	VI.(?)
	Sögubrot	VI.-VII.(?)
	Ragnar Lodbrok’s	VIII.(?)
	Ragnar Lodbrok’s Sons’	VIII.(?)
	Norna Gest’s	No date can be assigned to these.
	Gautrek’s
	Orvar Odd’s
	Herraud and Bosi’s
	Egil and Asmund’s
	Hjalmter and Ölver’s
	Göngu Hrelf’s
	An Bosveigi’s
⁂ The above dates are all more or less conjectural, and the Sagas are chiefly valuable as illustrating manners and customs.
	Egil’s	Middle of IX. to end of X.
	Njala’s	End of X. to beginning of XI.
	Laxdæla	IX.-XI. (886–1030).
	Eyrbyggja	IX.-XI. (890–1031).
Islandinga Sögur contains:—
I.	Hord’s Saga	X. (950–990).
II.	Hœnsa Thoris’ Saga	X.-XI.(990–1010).
III.	Gunnlaug Ormstunga’s Saga	X.-XI.
IV.	Viga Styr’s Saga	X.-XI.
V.	Kjalnesinga Saga	IX.-XI.
VI.	Gisli Súrsson	X.
Droplaugarsona Saga		X.
Hrafnkel Freysgodi		X.
Bjorn Hitdæla Kappi		First half of XI.
Kormak’s		X.
Fornsögur contains:—
I.	Vatnsdæla Saga	IX.-XI. (c. 870–1000).
II.	Floamanna Saga	X. (c. 985–990).
III.	Hallfred’s Saga	End of X.
Gretti’s Saga		X.-XI. (Grettir died 1031).
Viga Glum		X.
Vallaljots		Beginning of XI.
Vapnfirdinga		IX.-X.
Thorskfirdinga, or Gullthóri’s		X. (c. 900–930).
Heidar Viga (continuation of Viga Styr’s)		First half of XI.
Fœreyinga		X.-XI. (c. 960–1040).
Finnbogi Rami’s		X.
Eirek the Red
Thátt of Styrbjörn (nephew of Eirek the Victorious, who fell at the battle of Fyrisvellir, 983)		X.
Landnama		IX.-X. (the colonisation of Iceland).
Islendinga bok		IX.-XI. (c. 874–1118).
	Ljosvetninga	990–1050.
	Vemund’s Saga	End of X. century.
	Svarfdœla	First half of X. century.
Biskupa Sögur contains:—
	Kristni Saga	X.-XII. (c. 980–1120).
	Sturlunga	XII.-XIII. (c. 1120–1284).
Fornmanna Sögur contains:—
I.	Sagas of Kings of Norway
II.	Jomsvikinga Saga	X.
III.	Knytlinga Saga	XI.-XII.
IV.	Fagrskinna (short history of Kings of Norway from Halfdan the Black to Sverrir)	IX.-XII.
Heimskringla Saga contains the Ynglinga Saga, the great work of Snorri Sturluson		Written in first half of XIII. cent., giving history of the Kings of Norway and Sweden from Odin down to 1177.
Flateyjarbok contains lives of Kings of Norway, etc.
Fostbrædra Saga		XI. (c. 1015–30).
Konung’s Skuggsja		XIII.
Rimbegla		XIV.
Orkneyinga		IX.-XIII. (c. 870–1206).

A LIST OF THE PRINCIPAL KINGS OF DENMARK, NORWAY, AND SWEDEN,
SOME OF WHOM HAVE SAGAS OF THEIR OWN.

KINGS OF DENMARK.