Author and university lecturer Eleanor Parker adds an interesting new dimension to the search for the people we now call the Vikings. In her 2018 book, Dragon Lords: The History and Legends of Viking England, Parker argues that medieval English legends have much to tell us about the Scandinavian people who eventually settled and ruled England during the Middle Ages. By focusing on several of these legends, Parker weaves a compelling narrative of the Scandinavian influence on the English people in the Middle Ages and beyond.
Though this book has a narrow focus, each chapter goes into great depth and could be read as a standalone essay. The introduction lays out the stereotypical perspective the medieval English people had of the Danes, as the Vikings were named in the writings of the period. Though these invaders are portrayed as bloodthirsty plunderers, the English throughout the medieval period were nonetheless captivated by them. However, Viking depictions changed as English writers attempted to explain why the invaders had come to England, which also showed the effects the Scandinavian settlers had on the country. The introduction also gives a short history lesson of the Vikings in England, from the first mention of their ships on England’s shores in 787 CE to the last great Viking battle between the English and Harald Hardrada, immediately before the Norman invasion of 1066 CE. Also included is the explanation of how this Anglo-Scandinavian history morphed into legend in later centuries.
The rest of the book is laid out in roughly chronological order. Chapter 1 covers legends written down at the end of the tenth century. These texts focus on stories of earlier Vikings, because the English at the time were being bombarded by a new Viking threat. The chapter discusses the legend of St. Edmund, and shares how it and other stories evolved during the reign of Cnut, England’s Danish king who came to the throne in 1016 CE, and again under the rule of the Normans after 1066 CE.
The second and third chapters introduce legends written down in the eleventh century. Chapter 2 discusses Ragnar Lothbrook—a Norse character who appears to have had an equivalent figure in England known only as Lothbrok. Parker traces the various stories of Ragnar and his sons and connects them to the cult of St. Edmund. Chapter 3 introduces Siward, a well-documented historical figure from Denmark who became an earl in Northumbria in the early eleventh century. He is mythologized in an English origin story, which includes Scandinavian symbols such as a prophetic Odin disguised as an old man, and the introduction of a bear instead of a human as Siward’s ancestor.
Several myths of the twelfth and thirteenth centuries are explored in chapter 4. Viking history infiltrates the popular romance stories of the time and can be seen in such works as the Estoire des Engleis by Geffrei Gaimar and the adventures of Guy of Warwick. Parker connects these legends topically, suggesting these stories contain evidence that the Danes were invading land that had once been theirs, and may have felt they had a right to rule England.
The final chapter discusses the twelfth- and thirteenth-century legend of Havelock. This legend endures today and has been adopted as the origin story of the entire town of Grimsby. Parker suggests that the positive portrayal of the Danes in the Havelock legend is not the usual depiction of Scandinavian peoples found in earlier English literature, but has evolved to include a more nuanced approach to the depiction of the Vikings in England.
Also included in this book is an epilogue that discusses the effect these Scandinavian stories have had on the people of England since the medieval period. Stories about place-names or supposed sites where the Vikings fought or died were “fertile ground for nurturing stories about a link to the Danes” (190), and several English traditions and folklore can be traced to these origins. These include burial traditions, stories about ancient door coverings, nicknames of English plants, and festivals that continue to this day.
Parker is eminently qualified to discuss Anglo-Scandinavian literature. Her postdoctoral research has focused on the medieval literature surrounding the Danish Conquest, and her exceptional research ability is the strength of this book. She draws from every aspect of British literature and history to make connections between the English and the Vikings. By providing forty-eight pages of footnotes and a twenty-two-page bibliography separated into primary and secondary sources, Parker left no metaphorical stone unturned in her search for Scandinavian influence in England’s legendary tales. Though much of her research is geared toward medieval literary scholars, Parker makes it easy for the general public to access and understand the wealth of information in this book through a thorough index at the back and front matter that includes a list of illustrations, a timeline, and a map of Anglo-Saxon England.
If there is one weakness in this book—and it is a rather small one—it is that the author hints that historical sources are closer to fiction, and then attempts to convince readers that a fictionalized legend contains important historical facts. This conflation of fact and fiction does make it difficult to follow some of Parker’s reasoning, but this difficulty is easily overcome if readers are aware of the murky waters of medieval historical texts and the rich history of oral storytelling. Dragon Lords it is a true masterpiece of medieval scholarly work and presents a solid narrative approach to the influence of the Vikings in England as seen through English legends.
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[Review length: 921 words • Review posted on February 4, 2021]