ENG 1172 - Viking Myth & Sagas

Credits: 4
“How soft your fields so green can whisper tales of gore,” as Led Zepplin put it in their famous song about the Old Norse world and its Vikings. In this class, we will explore the simultaneous beauty and brutality represented in Icelandic literature of the Viking age. Through studying myths and sagas, we will examine how patterns of migration, challenges of establishing a new society, landscape, resources, and yes, raiding and plunder, all influenced artistic production in early Iceland and inspired a unique literary aesthetic. As we explore the literature and culture of Iceland c. 870-1264, we will also consider the enduring imaginative appeal of Viking culture in our 21st-century society as it appears in contemporary film, TV, and novels.
McDaniel Plan: International; Textual Analysis