The Children of Ash and Elm

They were traders, sorceresses, poets, and kings – the Vikings were far more than seagoing, axe-wielding warriors. In this new and exciting history – based on the current thinking and archaeology – Neil Price breathes fresh life into the Norse world, revealing a people of astonishing complexity. The narrative ranges across the whole of the Viking diaspora, from Greenland to Britain to Constantinople, from peaceful settlements to conquered land, and explores the changes in Scandinavian society when the Norse took to the ocean to explore and conquer. Especially, the book takes us inside the Norse mind, showing us how the Vikings saw themselves, inhabiting a mysterious world where gods, spirits and humans co-existed, informing life from the cradle to the grave. Forget the clichés – this is the real Viking Age.