Viking: The Norse Warrior's (Unofficial) Manual

A practical guide to the Norse world of the tenth century AD

So, you want to be a Viking warrior? Fame, glory and wealth await those who brave storms and enemy spears to plunder far and wide in foreign lands. Who wouldn’t like a piece of the action? To come home laden with silver, earning a reputation that will live on long after lesser men have been forgotten?

Discover everything you will need to become a successful Viking warrior: how to join a war band; what to look for in a good leader; how to behave at a feast; what weapons and armour to choose; how to fight in a shield wall; where to go raiding; how to plunder a monastery and ransom a monk and how to navigate at sea. The humorous text peppered with quotes from sagas and chronicles will take you on an engrossing journey from joining a raiding party to how to die gloriously.

Written by a leading authority on the period and combining the latest archaeological discoveries with modern-day reconstructions, tales from the Norse sagas and 16 pages of colour illustrations, this book paints a vivid picture of what it was like to be a Viking warrior.

'Well illustrated, boisterously light-hearted, and crammed with solid historical and archaeological information, this is a vivid window into the Viking Age'
Current World Archaeology

'Scholarly and witty … contains many gems of irresistible information … excellent'
School Librarian

'If you fancy yourself as a looting, raiding, farming, treasure-making, pagan god-worshipping expert seafarer, you need Viking … witty and informative'
The Big Issue

'Stunning'
Daily Mail

Contents List

1. Why Become a Viking? • 2. Joining Up • 3. The Novice Viking’s Guide to the Great War Leaders • 4. Weapons and Tactics • 5. Going to Sea • 6. Have Longship, Will Travel • 7. Life on Campaign • 8. Battle • 9. The Spoils of War • 10 The Sword’s Sleep

About the Author

John Haywood is Honorary Research Fellow in the Department of History, University of Lancaster and a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society of Great Britain. A highly experienced cartographic editor and author, his many publications include The Great Migrations, The Penguin Historical Atlas of Ancient Civilizations and The Penguin Historical Atlas of the Vikings.