SCANDINAVIAN STUDIES 430

MEDIEVAL STUDIES 430

THE VIKINGS

LECTURE SCHEDULE AND READING ASSIGNMENTS, FALL 1997

I.  BEFORE THE VIKINGS
 

Sep  3  W   INTRODUCTION

5  F  PREHISTORY OF SCANDINAVIA TO THE END OF THE ROMAN  IRON AGE (c400 A.D.)
         Reading:  A History of the Vikings, pp. 1-25      (middle)
 
 

8 M   THE GERMANIC IRON AGE (C400-C800 A.D.) AND THE      PERIOD OF THE GREAT MIGRATIONS:  THE ORIGINS OF      GERMANIC LEGEND
     Reading:  A History of the Vikings, pp. 25      (middle)-29 (bottom);
    "The Lay of Hlod"      (handout)

10 W   WAYLAND THE SMITH (I)
     Reading:  None

12 F   WAYLAND THE SMITH (II)
     Reading:  Poems of the Elder Edda, pp. 97-103
 
15 M   WAYLAND THE SMITH (III)
     Reading:  None

17 W   VOLSUNGS AND NIBELUNGS (I)
     Reading:  Poems of the Elder Edda, pp. 135-168

19 F   VOLSUNGS AND NIBELUNGS (II)
     Reading:  Poems of the Elder Edda, pp. 169-206

22 M   VOLSUNGS AND NIBELUNGS (III)
     Reading:  Poems of the Elder Edda, pp. 207-240

24 W   SCANDINAVIA DURING THE GERMANIC IRON AGE (c400-c800 A.D.:  THE EVIDENCE OF BEOWULF (I)
     Reading:  Beowulf, pp. 9-11; 27-79 (first three        lines only)

26 F   BEOWULF (II)
     Reading:  Beowulf, pp. 79 (fourth line)-101; 12-19

29 M   BEOWULF (III)
     Reading:  A History of the Vikings, pp. 29      (bottom)-54

Oct   1 W   KING HROLF AND HIS CHAMPIONS
     Reading:  Eirik the Red and Other Icelandic Sagas, pp. 221-318

3 F   THE HELGI POEMS
     Reading:  Poems of the Elder Edda, pp. 104-134
 

6 M   FIRST FIVE-WEEK EXAMINATION

II.  VIKINGS AT HOME
 

8 W   SCANDINAVIA DURING THE EARLY VIKING PERIOD (c800-c1000 A.D.) (I)
     Reading:  A History of the Vikings, pp. 59-96; Egil's Saga, pp. 21-73 (and make use of the maps at the end of the book, pp. 251 sq.)

10 F   SCANDINAVIA DURING THE EARLY VIKING PERIOD (c800-c1000 A.D.) (II)
     Reading:  A History of the Vikings, pp. 97-181

13 M   LANGUAGE
     Reading:  Re-read A History of the Vikings, pp. 69 (middle)-73 (middle); study the Indo-European language chart (handout)

 15 W   RUNES AND RUNIC INSCRIPTIONS (I)
     Reading:  A History of the Vikings, Appendix I, p. 419 f.; Rök-stone inscription (handout)

17 F   NO CLASS MEETING  

20 M   RUNES AND RUNIC INSCRIPTIONS (II)
     Reading:  None

22 W   VIKING ART
     Reading:  A History of the Vikings, pp. 315-353

24 F   THE POETIC EDDA
     Reading:  Poems of the Elder Edda, pp. xv-10
 
 

27 M   VIKING WISDOM
     Reading:  Poems of the Elder Edda, pp. 11-35

29 W   THE WORLD OF THE PAGAN GODS
     Reading:  Poems of the Elder Edda, pp. 36-96

31 F   DEATH, BURIAL, AND THE AFTERLIFE
     Reading:  A History of the Vikings, Appendix  III, pp. 425-430; Poems of the Elder Edda,  pp. 249-254
 
 III.  VIKINGS ABROAD

Nov  3 M   VIKING SHIPS AND VOYAGES; SWEDES IN THE EAST
     Reading:  A History of the Vikings, pp. 182-203;      241-268

5 W   NORWEGIANS AND DANES IN THE BRITISH ISLES AND FRANCE
     Reading:  A History of the Vikings, pp. 204-240 and Appendix II,
pp. 421-424; Egil's Saga, pp. 115-150

  7 F   1066, YEAR OF DESTINY 
     Reading:  A History of the Vikings, pp. 354-415; King Harald's Saga, pp. 45-163
 
10 M   SECOND FIVE-WEEK EXAMINATION

12 W   THE MOVEMENT WEST
     Reading:  A History of the Vikings, pp. 269-28  (bottom); Egil's Saga, pp. 74-115

14 F   THE ICELANDIC SAGAS 
     Reading:  A History of the Vikings, pp. 284  (bottom)-289 (bottom)

17 M   SKALDIC POETRY
     Reading:  Egil's Saga, pp. 151-163

19 W   EGIL'S SAGA
     Reading:  Egil's Saga, pp. 164-239

21 F   THE ANATOMY OF AN ICELANDIC SAGA:  HRAFNKEL THE PRIEST OF FREY (I)
      Reading:  Eirik the Red, pp. 89-125

24 M   HRAFNKEL THE PRIEST OF FREY (II)
     Reading:  None

 26 W   HRAFNKEL THE PRIEST OF FREY (III)
     Reading:  None

28 F   THANKSGIVING 
 
Dec   1 M   NJAL'S SAGA (I)
     Reading:  Njal's Saga, pp. 9-176 (bottom)

3 W   NJAL'S SAGA (II)
     Reading:  Njal's Saga, pp. 176 (bottom)-273

5 F   NJAL'S SAGA (III)
     Reading:  Njal's Saga, pp. 273-355
 
8 M   GREENLAND AND VINLAND (I)
     Reading:  A History of the Vikings, pp. 284 (bottom)-311; Eirik the Red, pp. 126-157

10 W   GREENLAND AND VINLAND (II)
     Reading:  None

12 F   CONCLUSION

16 T   THIRD FIVE-WEEK EXAMINATION
(12:25 P.M., place to be announced)