Special Themes in Literature: World of the Vikings--Writing Intensive

Did you watch the “Viking Row” of the Norwegian fans during the 2026 World Cup and have wondered how much rowing Vikings really did?

Have you seen the TV show Vikings and are curious what the historical Vikings were really like? 

And who really were Odin and Thor, Frigg and Loki, and Baldur and Heimdall, and what did they do?

In this course, students study the literature, history, and culture of medieval Scandinavia, which has not only passed down to us cryptic, entertaining, and culturally informative poetry, but also produced the earliest extensive corpus of non-religious prose writings in Europe. We will cover readings from Norse mythology about the beginning of the world and the deeds of the gods, to legendary and sometimes supernatural semi-historical figures, to the Old Norse-Icelandic sagas set during the Viking Age. These famous texts tell of love and violent feuding among Norse families as well as their histories and adventures, including the voyages to North America around the year 1000 C.E. We will study and discuss such topics as the pre-Christian heritage of the Norse peoples and its portrayal by later Christian writers, society and the law, women in Old Norse literature and society, the Viking expansion across Europe and the Atlantic, contemporary uses and abuses of Scandinavian history and culture, and more. While exploring these and other issues, we will also draw on historical and archaeological records to complement our understanding of the rich literary corpus and this perennially fascinating time period. 

This class is a writing intensive course!