A spectacular and informative guide to the daring adventurers of the Viking Age, now in a revised paperback format For 300 years, the Vikings took Europe by storm, sacking monasteries and towns in their search for booty and new lands to settle. This collection of superb photographs brings their story vividly to life. More than just wild pirates, the Vikings were skilled engineers and craftsmen. See their fine jewellery and woodwork, as well as real longships and a reconstruction of a Danish trading ship. Look inside a typical Viking home, andd learn how Viking women spun and wove clothes. See memorial stones inscribed with legends, and trace Viking history from the earliest raids to the introduction of Christianity to Scandinavia. Featuring many objects from leading museums in Scandinavia, Britain, and Ireland, Viking is a unique and exciting introduction to these daring warriors, explorers and traders. — Superb colour photographs of Viking ships and swords, clothes and shields, memorial stones and beautiful brooches, offer a unique 'eyewitness' view into the lives of the Norsemen and their outstanding achievements — See a Viking battle-axe; the magnificent ship used in the funeral of a Viking Queen; a Viking fortress; a beautiful ceremonial sledge; the tools of a Swedish swordsmith — Learn why the goddess Freya cried tears of gold; how longships were made; how Greenland got its name; why walruses were used to make ship ropes; what happened to Thor when he caught the world serpent; how warriors got to Valhalla — Discover why Erik the Red had to leave Iceland; how Viking women applied for a divorce; how Viking sailors navigated; what was on the menu at a Viking Feast; how to put down an empty drinking-horn; the legend of Sigurd the dragon-slayer