The Swords of the Vikings

by Julia Davis Adams, Saxo Grammaticus, Arthur Quiller-Couch (Editor)

“Adapted especially for children, these stories from Saxo (wrongly called 'Grammaticus' as he was essentially a chronicler) bring vividly before the reader the rugged and virile old days before individual prowess had been largely swamped by co-operation, and individual thinking had been forced to succumb to arbitrary rules of procedure, made for every possible contingency.

Saxo (about AD 1150-1206) was the first Danish chronicler and the secretary of the celebrated Danish archbishop Absalom, who encouraged Saxo to write his Gesta Danorum (Deeds of the Danes) or Historia Danica (Danish History), a full record of the Danish kings and heroes almost down to the author’s date.

Whilst Saxo’s work cannot be regarded as having great historic value, because, after the fashion of his day, he thoroughly confused tradition with genuine history, it is nevertheless a most interesting collection … full of an unconscious humour.”

– Extracted from the introduction to this book by John Dyneley Prince: linguist, diplomat (US minister to Denmark) and politician.

Contents:

Table of the Descent of the Kings (Dan to Canute The Great

Stories:
1. The Five Adventures of Hading
2. The Warrior Princess
3. The Death of Balder the Beautiful
4. Amleth, Prince of Denmark
5. Uffe The Silent
6. The Quick Wit of Erik
7. Starkad’s Vow
8. Modest Syrithe
9. The Faithful Maiden
10. The White Hound of Oluff
11. The Far Journeys of Thorkill
12. The Perils of Sigrid
13. A Vikings Death

Genres: Mythology

192 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1928

About the author

Julia Davis was born in Clarksburg, West Virginia to a prominent family. After her mother Julia McDonald Davis died from childbed fever, young Julia was raised mostly by her grandparents. Her father John W. Davis was a lawyer and partner in the New York-based firm Davis Polk. He served as U.S. Ambassador to Great Britain just after World War I and later ran for president. She attended Wellesley College for two years and then transferred to Barnard College, where she graduated in 1922. The following year, she married William McMillan Adams and began writing books for young people.

Adams made her publishing debut with The Swords of the Vikings in 1927. During her career, she produced more than 20 other books, primarily history and fiction, including the Shenandoah volume for the landmark Rivers of America series. She also wrote two volumes of memoirs, Legacy of Love (1961) and The Embassy Girls (1992), and two novels under the pseudonym F. Draco. Two of her children's novels - Vaino: A Boy of New Finland (1929) and Mountains Are Free (1930) - were chosen as Newbery Honor Books.

She worked for a year as a reporter for The Associated Press. After divorcing her first husband, she married again twice, and cared for stepchildren and other children who needed homes. She was an agent for the State Charities Aid Association in 1933-1938, and was active in charitable organizations in New York.

Reviews

[Andre Torrejón) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I bought this edition because it had 3 things I love in a book. It smells old (1932), it's illustrated, and it's signed by the last owner (a girl from Newbury called Joan Swingler). The fact that it says "sword" and "vikings" in the cover is only a plus. I believed this was going to be a classic viking mythology Odin-Thor-Balder-Loki-Freya, but actually it revolves around the viking kings and heroes, the people who believed in those gods, and their deeds and legends. They are also in chronological order, the last ones (medieval) already including vikings that were Christians vs the ones that still worshiped and sacrificed for the old gods. The stories are adapted from the Saxo (gramatticus) by Julia Adams and her writing is impecable, the style is epic, poetic and brutal. I can't believe it was a children's book. I also learned from reading it that Shakespeare's play "Hamlet" is based on a viking story about the Danish Prince Ameleth, and he added 265 tons of drama and 1000 litres of tragedy, to spice things up (Willy style). I liked the fact that not all the ladies in the book were princessy princesses and we actually have a warrior princess that gives zero fucks and goes save a prince in distress and a spiteful widow with all the pride. But yeah, most of the stories are about headstrong dudes that go on expeditions with another 300 headstrong dudes and come back with only 15 (best case scenario) because of balls.
Really cool (not sarcasm). Sweated testosterone and had to shave the beard I grew after reading it.

[^ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Perfect in length (short & sweet, some further broken into sections) these are (short) stories to fire the imagination. Brilliant for reading aloud.