Historiansplaining: A historian tells you why everything you know is wrong cover image

The Vikings, pt. 1 -- In the Norsemen's World

Historiansplaining: A historian tells you why everything you know is wrong

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The Sources of Norse Poems

First there is Skaldic poetry, which were poems written by public performing poets called Skalds. The next big source of Norse poetry is the Eddas, and these are two collections of old Norse poetry mostly originating it seems from the Viking Age. Now after poetry, there is then the next type of documentary source, which is the Norse Sagas. These are long narratives, mainly prose, describing great deeds, leaders, and events. They are mostly originally Icelandic. A lot of them deal with specific towns or valleys or families in Iceland; often tracing them back to Norway or even further into ancient and mythic times.

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