Review of 'Ghosh, Shami, Kings' Sagas and Norwegian History: Problems and Perspectives. The Northern World: North Europe and the Baltic c. 400-1700 AD: Peoples, Economies and Cultures', vol. 54 (Leiden: Brill, 2011) hardback; xv + 253 pages; RRP €121.00; ISBN 9789004209893

Abstract

A frustrating problem facing historians of medieval Scandinavia is that very few written sources exist until c. AD 1200, making it a difficult period to study unless the search for evidence extends to archaeology and documentary evidence from outside Scandinavia. In this volume Shami Ghosh aims to examine critically the issues surrounding use of Icelandic texts from the twelfth century onwards as a source of evidence for the history of medieval Scandinavia, particularly that of Norway. The introductory chapter provides a summary of the main sagas relating to the kings of Norway, their dates of composition, content and origins, with a particular focus on the skaldic verses used in their construction. Ghosh explains that he aims to set the study of the kings' sagas in the wider field of medieval European historiography in general, and generally, he has met these aims throughout the book.