They came on viking ships by Jakie French
(this isn't it but it is a great book about vikings)

its about a girl named Hekja and her dog Snarf and vikings invade and she gets kidnapped and so does her dog....its pretty sad, and a bit gresome.

you should read it, its great

Oh--this MIGHT have been an English publication. My Dad was Navy and the schools that we attended when in Europe were all British. And it would have been mid-to late 60's up to about 71.

The more I think about it, the more I think that this was a short story in a collection of stories for YA, as I believe I read it in either late elementary school, JR. High or maybe even as late as 9th grade. I KNOW that it was something that several of my friends at that time had also read. I was really into mythology (Norse, Greek, Roman and Egyptian) and stories that were similar to the Eddas of Norway from 6th grade on up.

Ok, sending this back to the top of the list.

Ok, I don't remember if this was a short story or a full length book. Basically it starts with 2 Vikings who were friends. Then for some reason they have a major falling out and start fighting each other. One or the other makes some kind of vow, and it leaves them and their men fighting eternally until one day a member of "the new religion" (i.e. Christianity) shall free them. At the end of the story--which is somewhere close to modern times (about 1960's or early 70's, I THINK is when I read it) they are finally freed when a modern man agrees to fight with one side, because only HE can kill them and have them stay dead. He finally succeeds in killing all the warriors--including the 2 leaders. When dawn finally breaks, the land no longer looks the same, and there are bits of weather bones and rusted spears/swords or something like that sticking out here and there from the ground.