The one who was desperately brave during his lifetime will see Valchalla - the abode of heroes. And he will be there to appeal and fight together with the spirits of noble ancestors. And despicable panties after the death of Norna carry in Hel, where they are destined to frown in the hellish cold. Many viking legends are based on the manifestation of such qualities as valoring, courage. Northern peoples constantly conducted war, which, of course, affected them .

In the legends of Vikings always wins the strongest. However, it should not be assumed that the northern peoples in their mythology did not try to introduce the idea of \u200b\u200binevitable retaliation for the evil caused. A good illustration of this example is the legend of the ancient Vikings on the punishment, incurred Loki.

How the gods punished Loki

Loki tried to hide from the wrath of the gods, on the mountain of the waterfall, he built a special home for himself. The hut was four doors, which allowed Loki at the same time to look at all sides of the world. Seeing his pursuers, Loki was to turn into salmon and dive into the water. The wise crows municipality and Khugin opened his asylum and reported this one.

Meanwhile, Loki melted the network to make fishing with it. Having freezing the approaching man, he, not thinking, threw a network into the fire, and he dived into the water. The gods immediately understood why Loki burned the network, they splrew exactly the same. The first attempt to throw the network turned into a failure, the gods caught a little small fish for the second time. Throwing the network for the third time, they managed to catch a fatty salmon in which Loki turned.

Loki led to the cave and tied it to three stones. A snake hung above him in such a way that her poison of Loki's poison on her face. Having done his revenge, the gods retired. In the meantime, the faithful wife of the Loki, which was called Sigun, sneaked into the cave and substituted the bowl under the dripping poison. Since then, she is patiently and waits for a bowl will not be filled with home. Then for a few minutes Sigun leaves to empty the bowl. At this time, the drops of poison shed on the face of Loki, causing him a terrible pain, he was torn with strength, shaking the earth. Loki is destined to be in the shakes to the death of the gods ...

Twilight of the gods - the hour of battle struck

For many days, the sacred abode of the gods enveloped the Terrible and dark clouds. Fenrier's wolf's sons pursued the sun and the moon everywhere to generate dusk and cold. Hurricanes raged throughout the land, drove huge waves and turned with the roots of century-old trees. And even to Asgard himself, the eroad of the storm came.

As a whole, the giants were hatched plans for the attacks on the gods. God alone prefigreled that he struck the hour of battle, he armed with a spear of Gunger and changed his big hat on his helmet. And urged one of his personal guardian - the best warriors, which were nicknamed fierce madmen. In his Palace Valhalla, he collected all the gods. One announced that the Spirit of Fire Loki and Wolf Fenriro managed to free themselves that they were led by the troops of the giants and the battle hour is nearing. They are sent to the rescue from the ship driving the undead.

All Asgard was waiting for an unprecedented battle. The earth's crust was covered with fissures, raging snow tumans. And once pierced the rooster lingering on the fortress wall Valhall. The gods, headed by Odin, came to meet their enemies. And only one knew what the outcome of the battle would be ...

At first glance, it may seem that the legends of the Vikings. However, having studied the myth-resistance of the peoples of the North in more detail, the researcher understands that most of the ancient legends are not deprived of a kind of charm. Vikings believed that some items were able to bring misfortune.

Cursed Ring Andvarinaut

Among the northern peoples, the ring was considered a symbol of glory, wealth and power. In some cases, the rings replaced the money, these decorations also gave on the occasion of a significant celebration. Many Viking Legends also mention magic rings. So one myth tells about the anniversary ring, which brought many misfortunes to the gods.

Forged the ill-fated ring one dwarf named Andvari. It was lucky to know this wicked, where river maids keep their gold. Having spoiled this gold, Andbani manufactured a kind of magic ring, distinguished by a great power. Meanwhile, the river maidens so mourn the loss of their treasures that even the water washed.

Andvari's cunning dwarf hid in the underground lake after he hidden the stolen gold. The magic ring, manufactured by Andvari, wished to get both gods and their enemies. In search of the magic treasure, the Gods of Freigg, one, Loki, Hönir, Freir went: For these purposes, they visited the world of people - Midgard.

The ancient legends of the Vikings are narrating oh, capable of serving talismans or a prediction system, depending on the need of the one who uses them. Runic letters on the legend passed to people God alone, who nailed himself to the tree of Igdrasil and was in this position for nine days. As the legends of Norwegian Vikings tell, the sacral meaning of the runes was opened on the ninth day.

Runes were used not only as a written system. They were also used to predict the future. But the greatest distribution was obtained, which were manufactured to protect against enemies or to attract good luck.

Universe Viking

The following worlds appear in the legends of the Vikings:

Mitgard - Creation of asces and peace of people. But this is not just the usual earth, but a kind of center of the universe, the point of reference in the universe. It was in Midgard that the last battle of the gods with the army of giants, formed Loki takes place.

Jotunheim - The kingdom of giants. The ancient legends of the Vikings are filled with such characters like yotany (corporate giants) and trolls. Giant are an embodiment - they are strong, but they are devoid of mind. Jotany are raised to the world of people, bad weather, snow avalanches and storms.

Sullheim and Niflheim (literally translated as the house of fire and the house of the cold). The inhabitants of these worlds are fiery and snowy giants. As the legends of the Viking, the inhabitants of the "Ice" and "Fiery" never bent each other. On the contrary, they were allies and more than once provided services to each other.
Wanana is the abode of good spirits. A certain mythical country, located west of Asgard and Mitgard. Good spirits are not leaving the limits of Wanana, and therefore are not found with any asams or people. Vanya helps to make the soil fertile.

Mentioned in the legends of the Vikings and the worlds of dwarfs - Waltphaheim (abode of black dwarfs) and Lesvalphaheim (elves kingdom). Gnomes are engaged in gold and jewelry, the development of underground mines. Among them you can find a lot of wise men.

Asgard - The abode of the gods. The main task of the gods is to protect the world of people from the invasion of giants. It should be noted that the legends of the Vikings do not attribute the asam of infallibility. The gods are responsible for their actions, they fight and kill, violate the data of the oath. Nevertheless, they need humanity as the only protection against giants.

My beautiful Elizabeth, the princess of the Vikings, in the veins of which the blood of true Normans is still boiling

Thanks

I express my sincere thanks to Steve Cromwell, who created a magnificent cover for the book "Rye Viking. White strangers "than a lot contributed to her success, and who kindly agreed to create the same miracle and with this novel. I am grateful to Katie Lynn Emerson, the author of the terrific series "confrontation" and many other novels in the genre of historical fiction, for the fact that she generously shared with me information about the use of medicinal herbs in the Middle Ages, and Nathaniel Nelson, which has truly encyclopedic knowledge about Scandinavian mythology . I am grateful to Edmund Yorgensen for help in swimming on unfamiliar waters of publishing activities on the Internet.

And, as always, I tend to Liza, which for more than two decades it gives me my love and support.

Prologue
Saga about Torgirlime Son Ulf

He lived, Viking named Torgirth Son Ulf, who was called Torgirim Night Wolf.

He did not differ in a giant growth, nor the width of the shoulders, but with force possessed great and was considered an experienced and respected warrior, but at the same time he had won the poet's ringing glory. In his youth, he went hiking with a brilliant, a wealthy husband on the nickname of the Ornolph restless.

Cashing raids and robbery, Torgirim Greed and married to the daughter of Ornolf Hallberry, a fair-haired beauty of the meek and soft in the face, which gave him two healthy sons and two daughters. After that, Torgrim decided to stay on his farm in Vike, in the country of Norway, and no longer go to raids.

Becoming an agriculture, Torgrim Night Wolf also succeeded. He also conquered universal love and respect.

Let he avoided the excesses and was restrained in the speeches, because he did not find much pleasure in unrestrained fun, he walked the most welded and gathering, never refused to be tired travelers overnight and place at his table. During the day, Toggirim was distinguished by enviable good-natured and benevolence to his people and slaves, but the evenings often found Handra and irritability to him, and then no one risked to him. Many secretly believed that Torgrim was a werewolf, and despite the fact that no one could say with confidence, as if he had seen a barmery from a person to anyone else, he began to call him a night wolf.

Years, the Ornolph was a restless and crushed, but did not lose any enterprise, no thirst for activity.

After the wife of Torgrim, which he loved very much, died at the birth of their second daughter, the Ornolph persuaded Torgrim again to look for happiness for the sea.

By this time, the eldest son of Torgrima Oda has already become a man and acquired its own economy and family. Although he had an incomplete strength and sharp mind, Torgirim did not take him with himself in a raid, believing that Odda with his family is better to stay at home - just in case.

The younger son of Torgrim called Harald.

He could not touch the special mind, but was distinguished by loyalty and hard work, and by fifteen years he became such a strong person that he was already called not otherwise as Harald strong hand. Torgrim, going on a hike along with the ornolph restless, took Harald with himself, so as to teach him an arbitrary case. It was 852 years old on the Christian calendar, and just one winter passed from that day, Harald Son of Black, who was prepared to become the first king of Norway on Norpaniya Harald Beautiful.

At that time, the Norwegians built a fort on the eastern coast of Ireland in the place that the Irish was called Oak Lynn. There and decided to go on my dragon "Red Dragon" ornolph, without suspecting that the Danes knocked out from the Norwegians and captured the fortress.

On the way to Dub-Lynn, Vikings plundered several ships, including those, on board who was the crown, which the Irish called the crown of the three kingdoms. According to custom, the king, who gets the Crown of the Three Kingdoms, must be committed to the neighboring states and their rulers. The crown was supposed to hand over the king in the town called Tara, and he intended to take advantage of his power to him to knock out Normans from Oak Linna, but the Ornolph and his people, capturing the crown in personal use, violated these plans.

The loss of the crown led to serious unrest among the Irish, and the king in Tara stated his subject: "We will not stop before, but we will refund the crown to throw these oak gall beyond our country. " Oak gall Irish in those days called Danes, and they called the Norwegians fin Gall.　

The king and his warriors tried to beat off the crown, as a result of which they had to survive a lot of adventures and desperate fights with Vikings.

At about the same time, Olaf White expelled the Danes from Oak Linna.

Ornolph, Torgrim and those of their people who still stayed alive, entered this battle, after the victory in which they were waiting for a warm welcome in Forte. And really, the ornolf liked Oak-Lynn so much that he had forgotten about what he needed to return to his wife, which was famous for the sharp and grumpy temper.

But Torgirma, on the contrary, Ireland quickly bored, and he only dreamed of returning to his farm in Vike.

But the sea took himself a dragon on which they sailed to Ireland, and Torgrem began to look for himself and Harald a different means to get home.

Scandinavian sagas

Tale of God

Creating peace

At first there was nothing: neither the earth, no sand, no cold waves. There was only one black abyss Ginnunghap. To the north of it lay the kingdom of fogs by Niflheim, and to the south - the kingdom of fire Svillyim. Quietly, Light and hot was in Sullheim, so it is hot that no one, except for the children of this country, fiery giants, could not live there, in Niflheim, on the contrary, the eternal cold and darkness dominated.

But in the kingdom of fogs scored Spring Gergelmir. Twelve powerful streams, Evaligar, took their beginning from him and rapidly flowed to the south, depighted into the abyss of Ginnunghap. The cruel frost of the kingdom of the fogs turned the water of these flows into the ice, but the source of Herghelmir Bil without ceasing, the ice boulders grew and get closer and closer to Sullheim. Finally, the ice came up so close to the kingdom of fire, which began to melt. Sparks flying out of Sullheim mixed with melting ice and breathed life into it. And then, over the endless ice, the giant figure suddenly rose from the abyss of the Gennunghap. It was Giant Iirm, the first living creature in the world.

On the same day, a boy and a girl appeared under the left hand of Imir, and the hexagon giant of the worklmir was born from his feet. So it was necessary to start the genus of the giants - Grimtursen, cruel and insidious, as ice and the flame, created them.

At one time, the giant cow of Audumbla arose with giants from the driving ice. Four dairy rivers flowed out of her nipples, giving food to imir and his children. There was no green pasture yet, and Ahundumbla graced ice, licking salted ice boulders. By the end of the first day, hair appeared on the top of one of these blocks, another day - a whole head, to the outcome of the third day, a powerful giant storm came out of the boulder. His son Ba took his wife a giant shaon, and she gave him three sons of the gods: Odin, Vili and Ve.

The brothers did not like the world in which they lived, they did not want to demolish the domination of cruel imir. They rebelled against the first of the giants and after a long and cruel struggle killed him.

Iirm was so huge that in the blood that looked out of his wounds, and the rest of the giants, drowned and the cow of Audumbla. Only one of the grandchildren of Imir - Bergelmir managed to build a boat on which he saved along with his wife.

Now no one has prevented the gods to arrange the world at will. They made from the body of imir land, in the form of a flat circle, and placed it in the midst of a huge sea, which was formed from his blood. The gods called the land "Mitgard", which means "middle country". Then the brothers took the Skull of Imir and made heavenly arch from him, they made mountains from his bones, from the hair - trees, from the teeth - stones, and from the brain - clouds. Each of the four corners of the heavenly arches of the gods were killed in the form of the horns and put in the wind in the wind: in North - Nordri, in South - Sudri, in West - Vestri and Eastern - Austy. From the sparks flying out of Sullheim, the gods made the stars and decorated with them the heavenly arch. Part of the stars they strengthened motionless, others, in order to recognize the time, placed so that they moved in a circle, bypassing it in one year.

Having created the world, one and his brothers conceived him to populate. Once on the seashore, they found two trees: ash and alder. The gods cut down them and made a man out of the ash, and from Alder - a woman. Then one of the gods breathed life in them, another gave them a mind, and the third - blood and ruddy cheeks. So the first people appeared, and called them: a man - ASK, and a woman - an Emblem.

Do not forget the gods and giants. For the sea, east of Mitgard, they created the country with Yotunheim and gave it to possession of Bergelmir and his descendants.

Over time, the gods have become more: a lot of children were born from the brothers, they built for themselves the country high above the ground and called it asgard, and they tell them as them, but also about Asgard and about the Asahs, we will tell you later, but now listen about how the moon and the sun were created.

Mundilfer and his children

He sadly lived first people. All over the world reigned eternal night, and only dim, shimmering light of the stars slightly dispel the darkness. The sun and the moon were not yet, and without them in the fields are not greenery of crops, and the trees did not bloom in the gardens. Then, in order to illuminate the land, one and his brothers got the fire in Sullheim and made the moon and the sun out of him, the best and most beautiful of everything that they had ever managed to create. The gods were very pleased with the fruits of their work, but could not come up with anyone who will carry the sun and the moon across the sky.

At this very time, a person lived on Earth, named Mundilferi, and he had a daughter and son of unusual beauty. Mundilferies were proud of them, which, having heard about the wonderful creations of the gods, called his daughter Sul, which means the sun, and the son - mani, that is, the moon.

"Let everyone know that the gods themselves cannot create anything more beautiful than my children," he thought in his arrogance. But, however, soon he seemed a little. Having learned that in one of the villages, the young man lives nearby, whose face is so beautiful that shines as the brightest star, for which he was nicknamed Glen, that there is a "glitter", Mundilferi decided to marry him on her daughter to children Glen and Sul There were even more beautiful fathers with the mother and all the other people on earth worshiped them. The design of the Gordeza became known to the gods, and that is the very day when he was going to give the daughter to marry, one unexpectedly appeared.

You are very proud, Mundilferi, "he said," so proud that you want to compare with the gods. You want people to worship not us, and your children and children of your children and served them. For this we decided to punish you, and from now on, Sul and Mani will serve people, having the moon and the Sun, the names of which they are named. Then everyone will see if their beauty should eclipse the beauty of what was created by the arms of the gods.

Amazed by horror and grief, Mundilferi could not express a word. Sul and Mani took the same and rose to the sky. There the gods planted Sul to the barbed with a pair of white horses chariot, in the front seat of which the sun was strengthened, and ordered her to ride the sky all day, stopping only for the night. So that the sun does not burn the girl, the god brothers closed her with a large round shield, and so that the horses were not hot, they hanged them on the chest forge mehs, of which the cold wind blows all the time. Mani also gave the chariot, on which he had to carry the moon at night. Since then, the brother and sister truly serve people, illuminating the land: she is during the day, and he is at night. On the fields are fun green bread, the gardens are flooded with juice fruit, and no one remembers the time when darkness dominated the world and there was no whole.

Elfs and gnomes

From the day when the sun was first lit in the sky, life on Earth became more fun and joyful. All people worked peacefully on their fields, everyone was satisfied, no one wanted to become more and richer than the other. In those days, the gods often left Asgard and wandered over the light. They taught people to dig the land and mine ore from her, and also made for them the first anvil, the first hammer and the first ticks, with the help of which were then made all other instruments and tools. Then there was no wars, no robberies, or theft, no oaths. In the mountains, a lot of gold was mined, but it was not copied, but they did dishes and homemade utensils from it - that is why this age is called "gold".

Once, running in the ground in search of iron ore, one, Vili, found worms in it, which

P. 1 of 296.

Institute of Universal History of the Russian Academy of Sciences

Reviewers: Candidate of Historical Sciences A. D. Scheglov,

candidate of Historical Sciences, Associate Professor T. P. Gusarova

In the design of the book used illustrative material from the assembly A. A. Svanidze and E. A. Polykashin.

© A. A. Svanidze, 2014

© design. LLC "New Literary Review", 2014

* * *

From the author: motivation and approaches

History In a sense, there is a sacred book of peoples: the main necessary; The mirror of their existence and activity, the sriciper of revelations and rules; covenant ancestors to the offspring; Supplement, clarification of the present and example of the future ...

N. M. Karamzin (1766-1826)

Vikings, campaigns of Vikings ... These words, this topic invariably worry readers. They are in demand so much that they caused whole waves of popular publications, some of which in recent years have gained access to the Russian reader.

And what does this scientific book offer? What does its name mean? Before you explain it and tell about your ideas, approaches and methods, I would like to make some digression.

Having devoted his life to the study of the history of medieval society, organizing people's life, I had the opportunity to make sure that the past did not let go of a person nor humanity. The powerful invading the current life, it surprises real strange, it would seem that repetitions have long been experienced. It is from these constant repetitions, from surprisingly similar situations, institutes, takeoffs and falls of individuals, tribes, peoples and empires, apparently, there is a lot of saying: "History lessons are not taught." I dare to say that it is incorrect. Unlike the textbook, the content of which can be forgotten immediately after passing the exam, the story examines humanity constantly, starting with the sources of the "intelligent man", and then for many millennia. And he has the right to Dynn, because I formed and continues to "sculpt" the behavior of people, their personal and collective consciousness, relations between themselves, to society, state and nature. Calculate attention is caused by the lessons of history during times of turning, when the need for new approaches was ripe, but the necessary decisions were not yet found, and the future seems frighteningly unclear. Then the events and people of the past, even very far, with their experience of survival, faith and hopes, with wars, exploits and lesions, love and cunning, are particularly close and interesting. Therefore, the importance is obvious common in historyhis detection and accuracy.

No less attention is attracted to incorrectness - appearance, languages \u200b\u200band shorter, family, dwellings and robes, beliefs and value categories, morals and morality. In this case, we are talking about those ethnocultural signs that are special manifestations (or forms) in common fate of people, peoples and countries. It is not by chance that people impertly seek to determine and approve their identity - from tribal to national or state. And therefore they protect their traditions, the authority of their gods and heroes. And with the course of times, the uniqueness of his own personality is more and more: "I am me, because you are you." Inexhaustibility specific manifestationspublic and private life, as well as the characteristics of their change, - whether people, an event or personality - forms a complex mosaic of cultures, recreates and allows you to estimate multi-color history.

And, of course, at all times people occupied and occupy sources - Family and national, ethnic and mental. He carries the search for "roots" and the process of inclusion of some "single" history - to the local, and then universal. It is known that in the life of each family, each people, the region and the continent there are individuals and periods that have received not just a large, but a sign in the formation and consolidation of their identity.

For our neighbors-Scandinavians, the first time was the epoch of the Vikings, when the peoples of the distant North-West Eurasia joined the sea of \u200b\u200bmedieval culture of the European continent, the epoch, which was important for Europe as a whole.

Word vikingsit causes such pages of the European past in consciousness, which for centuries do not leave indifferent not only historians from different specialties, but also many inquisitive readers in general. The modern reader from school years remembers that Vikings are representatives of the Scandinavians, the naval peoples of the European North, who for three and a century of centuries, from the second half of the 7th century, and until the middle of the XII century, who excited Europe.

That they, magnificent seafarers, still at the turn of the 1st and 2nd Millennium, without possessing the compass, but knowing how to "read the stars" and masterfully owning their wooden ship, reached the expanses of the Northern Atlantic, opened the largest islands and archipelagoes there, settled many of them. And then, leaning on these islands as the intermediate bases, they fell to the shores of North America and founded the colony there.

That the Vikings were invincible warriors and cruel pirates who robbed the Western and southern coasts of Europe, from the Gulf of Finland and to the Marmara Sea, entering the shipping rivers, ruining the capital of big states and navigating horror not only on the peaceful settlers, but also in the kings.

That Scandinava Wikings founded their states in the British Islands, in Northern France and Southern Italy, and in Russia, they gave the beginning of the first ruling dynasty (Rurikovich).

That many Vikings hired military service to European sovereigns, and the Great Princes Kiev and the emperors of Byzantium willingly invited these strong and fearless warriors into their squads.

That the Vikings traded a lot and deftly. And just in those centuries, when the path through the Mediterranean Sea from Western Europe to the Middle East, with his wealth, was blocked by the conquests of Arabs, Scandinava, together with Russian merchants, laid the trading routes "from Varyag to Greeks". Through Eastern Europe, in a distant Volga, later - the thumbnail Dnieper, they traveled to the Black and Caspian Seas, from there they were sent to the East and West, together with Rusichi, putting the beginning of the Baltic - the second (after the Mediterranean) of Europe.

Perhaps some readers who are particularly interested in Vikings also know that by 1000 N. e. For most part, Scandinavians still remained with pagans, brought human sacrifices and at the expense of these circumstances Europeans usually attributed the cruelty of the North-German "Varvarov" ...

The attention of historians is riveted first of all to the so-called viking campaigns:their raids, deep robbing raids, trade activities and, of course, to the kingdoms formed by them or enclaves in the territories of European states. Their trips are noted since VIII, and the last surges of military-political activity - in the XII century. The peak of the latter falls on the IX-XI centuries; This time period is considered "Epoch of Vikings."

The topic of mythology in modern media society is present everywhere. Perhaps the most popular today are Scandinavian myths. Cinema and computer games flooded the heroes of Scandinavian myths. Brutal beardeds with braided hair, moved in our time from the harsh northern lands of Vikings on the pages of popular magazines and urban streets. Who did not hear such names like alone, Tor, Loki? And Valkyrie and Valgalla? All this is part of the spiritual component of the huge world of the fjords and the cold seas of Scandinavia, whose legends are impressive with their severity and uniqueness. According to the Scandinavian myths, the great composer Richard Wagner wrote the famous opera about Siegfried and Brynjord.

Scandinavian myths read