Pirates of the North Sea
Viking Armada by Edward Moran, via Wikimedia Commons
“If one cannot enjoy reading a book over and over again,” suggested Oscar Wilde, “there is no use in reading it at all.” People often forget the books that captured their imagination when they were young. But sometimes you stumble across a long-forgotten novel and memories come flooding back.
I was reminded of this recently when going through a stack of books belonging to my youngest son when he was having a clear-out. An unusual event, it must be said. But to be celebrated, nonetheless!
Amongst the dusty volumes was a copy of Viking’s Dawn by Henry Treece. I’d bought him this a few years back when he was going through a Viking phase. And it was one of my favourites when I was a young’un.
The lure of the unknown
Set in AD.780, it’s a fabulous tale of a Norse boy, Harald Sigurdson, who, on seeing his house in flames, decided to go ‘a-viking’ and joined the great warrior Thorkell Fairhair on his ship The Nameless. They sailed away to plunder the helpless coastal villages of England and Scotland, experiencing adventures and misfortunes along the way.
It’s the first of a trilogy. The story continues in The Road to Miklagard. A voyage sparked by news of a fabulous hoard of treasure. Where he joins the famous Varangian Guard in Constantinople.
And Viking's Sunset. Roused from a peaceful life with wife and sons, this is his last journey. This time made not for material gain but to seek revenge on the blood enemies who have attacked his village.
Together they weave a rousing story about the incredible feats of the Vikings, whose thirst for adventure took them on incredible voyages through icy waters, terrible hardships and bloodthirsty resistance. The books reveal the complexity of these hardy people. Their ruthlessness as well as their loyalty. Their cruelty as well as their bravery.
These were hard times. There are conflicting arguments as to what caused the Viking raids. Various theories have been developed, revolving around population pressures in Scandinavia, a colonialist search for new lands and the need to follow the herring shoals that were a major part of their diet.
The development of new trading networks across Europe also brought them into contact with silverware, spices and other exotic goods from the east. While the technological revolution represented by the Viking long-ships provided the means to extend their reach.
What is clear is that while piratical raids were a feature of the early Viking Age, the Norse people were also farmers, fishermen and merchants. And the raids led to political settlement on a widespread scale across northern Europe, changes in land ownership, their assimilation into indigenous cultures as well as the extension of Scandinavian cultural and linguistic influences.
Older readers will recall Magnus Magnusson, the writer and presenter of Mastermind. Born in Iceland, he was something of an expert on Viking history. And once wrote that “Today, there is... less emphasis on the raiding, more on the trading, less on the pillage, more on the poetry and artistry, less on the terror, more on the technology, of these determined and dynamic people, and the positive impact they had.”
This complex story is reflected in the etymology of the word ‘Viking’ itself. Used to denote people of Scandinavian origin, it refers to those active in piracy and raiding as well as trading and settlement. The sea was the common element. A route to new worlds and new experiences.
One of the interesting things about Treece’s treatment of the Viking Age is that he doesn’t avoid the moral ambiguities of the world he explores. There’s a bitter-sweet quality to the stories, which, rich in historical detail, offer a glimpse of a different world. One populated by characters drawn with considerable depth, grappling with the turbulent world they faced.
Treece was fascinated by periods of history where societies undergo great change. What he called the ‘cross-roads of history’. His refusal to resort to easy answers is part of the novels’ charm. Which makes them stand out from the simplistic triumphalism of many adventure stories.
Stepping into the past
Rereading old favourites gives us an opportunity to rediscover not just the story itself, but an earlier version of ourselves. We might find that we have misremembered certain features. But we can also look at the story afresh. Using an adult lens to explore elements we may have missed at the time. Familiar emotions are generated as you journey into your past. You can also reflect on the trajectory your life has taken over the years.
It’s no accident that the Norse legacy has provided fertile ground for writers in genres as diverse as historical novels, comic books and the modern retelling of Norse myths. This was a dramatic period of history which lends itself to dramatic storytelling.
The poet Adrienne Rich once said, “Every journey into the past is complicated by delusions, false memories, false namings of real events.” This presents us with a challenge. But it also reminds us that we are in a constant process of interaction with our former selves, an unending dialogue between the past and the present.