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The Vikings

By: Kenneth W. Harl, The Great Courses
Narrated by: Kenneth W. Harl
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Publisher's Summary

As raiders and explorers, the Vikings played a decisive role in the formation of Latin Christendom, and particularly of western Europe.

Now, in a series of 36 vivid lectures by an honored teacher and classical scholar, you have the opportunity to understand this remarkable race as never before, studying the Vikings not only as warriors, but in all of the other roles in which they were equally extraordinary - merchants, artists, kings, raiders, seafarers, shipbuilders, and creators of a remarkable literature of myths and sagas. Professor Harl draws insights from an astonishing array of sources: The Russian Primary Chronicle (a Slavic text from medieval Kiev), 13th-century Icelandic poems and sagas, Byzantine accounts, Arab geographies, annals of Irish monks who faced Viking raids, Roman reports, and scores of other firsthand contemporary documents.

Among the topics you'll explore are the profound influence of the Norse gods and heroes on Viking culture and the Vikings' extraordinary accomplishments as explorers and settlers in Iceland, Greenland, and Vinland. And with the help of archaeological findings, you'll learn to analyze Viking ship burials, rune stones and runic inscriptions, Viking wood carving, jewelry, sculpture, and metalwork. By the end of the series, you'll have a new understanding of what it meant to be a Viking and a richer appreciation of this remarkable race - a people who truly defined the history of Europe, and whose brave, adventurous, and creative spirit still survives today.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying reference material will be available in your Library section along with the audio.

©2005 The Teaching Company, LLC (P)2005 The Great Courses

What listeners say about The Vikings

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Vikings more than horned helmets

In fact they did not wear them. Being totally ignorant of Viking history, I learned a lot.

It was fascinating to learn of the huge impact upon Europe and beyond that the Vikings had.

I loved the nick names they had for so many of their leaders. And the place of Icelandic saga writing and why it occurred there.

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4 people found this helpful

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    3 out of 5 stars
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Some good information

This lecture series is definitely not for anyone without prior understanding of the medieval period (in which the Viking age sits) and the major events that occurred in that era. There are too many unexplained references to medieval events and people that are confusing unless you already know those events and names. I would suggest some of the other Great Courses on the Medieval Period before trying this one.

Although the lecturer has a tendency to go off on tangents and constantly explain events which he then says "we will cover in another lecture", the actual information is detailed and useful.

The lecturer also has an extremely patronising tone of voice; he starts every lecture sounding like he would rather be doing something else and that he is really annoyed at having to tell someone all this information. As he gets into his story, the tone gets a little better, but he still sounds like he's is being made to do this lecture series under duress.

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3 people found this helpful

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    4 out of 5 stars
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A rollicking good tale

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

This was a great book, it really took you into the Viking world, how they became the expert raiders they were and even more interesting how they came to have such a dramatic influence on the shape of the Middle ages.

What other book might you compare The Vikings to, and why?

I have listened to a number of the 'Great Courses' books, but this one is among my favourites.

What does Professor Kenneth W. Harl bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you had only read the book?

Pof Kenneth, bring a wealth of knowledge and enthusiasm to the narration of this book, and I would never have been able to pronounce many of the names. In fact my main criticism of the narration is that he gets so excited about the events that he talks too fast and it is hard to keep up. The battle of 1066 went by so fast that I had to rewind and listen again to be able to catch it all he was so excited. But such enthusiasm gives the book even greater interest.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

The great Courses cannot be listened to in one sitting as you need to concentrate more than a normal novel so I can usually only listen for a couple of hours, but this book held my interest better than many others and I was sorry when it ended.

Any additional comments?

I would strongly recommend this book to any others who want to learn what the viking were really like.

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3 people found this helpful

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Brilliant!

This story was absolutely brilliant from beginning to end. I was informed, entertained and captivated throughout.

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2 people found this helpful

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Possibly the best series on Norse history.

This was amazingly detailed, insightful, enthusiastic and well backed up by research, but everything not in modern English was so mispronounced, with nothing pronounced the same way twice, it took extra concentration to keep up with it.
Still one of the greatest resources for anyone interested in Norse history.

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1 person found this helpful

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Outstanding lectures

It’s very detailed, with a lot of information and explanation. I loved it. One of the best lectures in history.

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  • Overall
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Great lectures very informative

Always great lectures done my Kenneth w.Harl. You can always feel his passion for it. Never listened to anything of his I didjnt like

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  • Overall
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Outstanding lecture

An amazing and comprehensive history of the Vikings! As a person of Swedish heritage, I’ve learnt more through this lecture than I have in 45yrs of life. Absolutely superb in its detail and delivery…a masterpiece!

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  • Overall
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Excellent overview.

I thought this was excellent covering pre to post Viking era and making it clear how and why the Scandinavians had such an impact.

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took me a little

the first 2 lectures, I found hard to retain.. but by 3rd, 4th lectures, I improved, and from there on, found whole thing addictive. Brilliant!

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