Idiosyncratic but interesting. Author Thomas Dubois is an Associate Professor of Scandinavian Studies at the University of Washington. The idiosyncratic part comes early and often; Dubois makes extensive quotes from Old Norse, Old English, Finnish and Latin – all in the original languages (followed by translations). There are a lot of them; if they were removed the book might be a third shorter. He also uses original spelling for all Old Norse and Old English names, including thorn, ash, eth and accents. Thus “Thor” is consistently spelled þórr, including as a component of personal and place names; “Odin” is Óðinn, and Olaf is Óláfr. Saga references also use the original spelling and name format; for example what is usually written in English as Egil Skalla-Grimsson’s Saga is here Egils saga Skalla-Grimssonar.


Wading through the orthography is worthwhile, though. Although my first expectation on seeing the title (Nordic Religions in the Viking Age) was the Norse mythos, DuBois devotes considerable attention to the Finnish, Sámi and Baltic peoples as well. Finns and Sámi acquired particular reputations as shamans; when Christianity came to the area, laws were enacted prescribing penalties for “trusting a Finn” (presumably shorthand for “putting your trust in Finnish magic rather than Christianity”). There was some Norse shamanism as well; DuBois devotes a chapter to the seiðr, a ceremony performed by a circle of chanters on a raised platform (in one case, the roof of a house). Seiðr music was supposed to be very beautiful but unsettling; the net effect was supposed to be driving the target mad, often by giving him an irresistible desire to undertake some disadvantageous action. Norse women could participate in the seiðr; the Finnish and Sámi shamans, however, were invariably men; in fact although many of the Finnish and Sámi divinities were female, women could not participate in worship; for a woman to even look in the direction of a temple was defilement.


The Nordic peoples eventually accepted Christianity; often there was some syncretism involved. DuBois cites a carving that shows Odin treading on Fenrir on one side and Christ treading on a serpent on the other; another carving shows a Crucifixion; except Christ is being carried to heaven by a Valkyrie (DuBois concedes it’s possible the female figure is Mary). Archeological excavations find the Thor’s Hammer symbol only appears rarely before the arrival of Christianity, suggesting it was more of a reaction to people wearing a cross or crucifix (there’s an illustration of casting mold that allowed production of either Thor’s hammers or crosses depending on where you poured the metal). There’s also a note of a 7th century Norse grave containing a small statute of the Buddha, which would probably have interesting stories to tell if it could talk.


A quick read, especially if you skip the parts in foreign languages. Illustrations dispersed through the text. Extensive references, including a primary source section and a secondary source section. Useful endnotes and index. ( )