The Viking Way

Magic, sorcery, and witchcraft. We’re talking the stuff straight out of the great medieval Icelandic sagas and poems. They’re like the bread and butter of our understanding of the Viking Age, or so they claim. But here’s the kicker, despite this being the consistent picture painted, we’ve barely scratched the surface with archaeological or historical research to figure out what all this hocus pocus really meant to those Vikings back in the day.

Enter this book, it digs deep into the evidence for Old Norse sorcery, unpacking its meaning, its function, who was practicing it, and how it was all tangled up with gender and sexual identity.

Now, hold on to your seats, because we’re about to get into some serious stuff. Sorcery wasn’t just some side gig for the Vikings. It was a fundamental domain of power, especially for the ladies. Women slinging battle spells and getting down with combat rituals, all to empower that Viking way of life. It’s like they were tapping into some supernatural energy, linking themselves with the gods, the dead, and even the future.

What’s emerging here is a whole new image of the Viking world, one where magic wasn’t just a sideshow; it was woven into the very fabric of their society. I’m talking every aspect of life, folks, and you better believe it was all geared for war.

Now, in this second edition of The Viking Way, Neil Price is taking us through this uncharted territory. We’re talking about meeting the Sámi, who shared some of this crazy mental landscape with the Norse. And Viking beliefs about the mind and soul, their blurred lines between humans and animals, and a whole buffet of spiritual beliefs.

And guess what? We’re finding magic everywhere. It’s in their bedrooms, on their battlefields, and yeah, we’re even meeting the sorcerers themselves through their mind-blowing burials and their mystical tools of the trade.

This book, it’s like the ultimate mashup of archaeology, history, and literary scholarship, with a sprinkle of Germanic and circumpolar religion thrown in for good measure. And let me tell you, it’s winning awards left and right. We’re seeing the Vikings like never before!