Song of the Vikings: Snorri and the Making of Norse Myths
Written by Nancy Marie Brown
Reason for Reading: This book was provided by the LibraryThing Early Reviewers program in exchange for an honest review.
Review
This engaging biography describes the life of Snorri Sturluson, a powerful 12th-century Icelandic chieftain and the author of the poetic Edda – one of the oldest surviving documents of Norse mythology. As a novice of Viking history, I found this book fascinating and informative – though I suspect that there is much speculation and Brown isn’t always clear when she is speculating and when she has hard evidence for her claims. As such, I think this biography would be enjoyed by people who are interested in learning a bit about the Vikings, but not experts on the subject.
Brown started each chapter out with a legend out of Snorri’s Edda. Often, she told how this legend differs from other known versions and/or how it has affected modern culture. The rest of the book describes Snorri’s life – his youth in the household of “the uncrowned King of Iceland,” his marriage, his rise to political power, and his downfall. She seemed to get most of her hard evidence from a few primary documents and an outwardly biased biography written by Snorri’s nephew, so often she had to fill in the gaps by saying “it’s possible it happened more like this, since his nephew’s story doesn’t really jive with Snorri’s personality.” Of course, that makes me wonder if she had just as much positive bias towards Snorri as his nephew had negative bias. 🙂 Overall, though, I’d say this biography was a success. When there is so little information available, and when the book is intended for a popular crowd rather than an academic one, such speculation is necessary – it makes the book more fun.
Hibernator's Library 
Sounds like a very interesting. I really want to know more of the Vikings as I too know very little.
Lately I have read a few history books and biographies where the facts are obscure due to the passage of time and the author thus has struggled. Currently I am reading The Rise of Rome by Anthony Everitt and this is a major issue in this book. It is indeed a challenge for both reader s and writers.
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This book has been on my want list for awhile. Even if it may be a bit biased I think I'll still read it. Vikings fascinate me! Thanks for sharing this review. 🙂
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Like lots of other people I thought I knew lots about the vikings but in actuality probably don't so they sounds like an ideal read, thanks for recommending it.
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Yes, sometimes it's unavoidable to speculate in books like these – but I always appreciate reviews which tell me what sort of book it is…highly academic vs. popular, etc. I'll read books that are either, but it's good to know what I'm about to read! 🙂
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Well, I hope that you read it. I'm sure you'll enjoy it even if it is a bit biased. Most histories are.
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Yeah, I think Vikings are one of those things most people know a little bit about,but very few people REALLY know much at all. 🙂
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Would like to get a bit more time to read this one and will have to sit down and make time. I love the Vikings and hope it will be every bit as good as the review
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