The introduction to this book includes the personal reflections of the author into why he was interested in the Vikings and Eric in particular. This reminded me of how I had visited Yorvik Viking Centre not long after it opened in 1984 and bought an ‘Eric Blood Axe Rules OK’ T-shirt. I’d see the episode of Michael Wood’s ‘In search of the Dark Ages’ about Eric but I think it was probably the name that appealed to my young self rather than the man.
As well as being a biography, the book considers why such an individual still holds us in our imagination today. Before getting into the biography there is a section on the sources used. This is often relegated to an appendix at the end of a book but here it is right at the front and it’s important not to skip what some might see as less interesting. It highlights the discrepancies in the sources and why he has chosen which parts from the conflicting references, such as Eric’s parentage. There are similar issues with sources referencing Eric’s wife and queen, Gunnhild, the semi mythologised ‘Mother of Kings’ as she later became known.
Although not a Viking scholar, I have had an interest in this period since the Early Medieval module of my degree and this book has used several texts that I read in translation either then or since such that it made me want to revisit these, Egil’s Saga and the Orkneyinga Saga in particular.
The story starts not with Eric but the earliest archaeological evidence from Norway and then proceeds to look at how the prehistory of the area led to the Early Medieval. It also discusses the structure of Viking society and development of kingship which puts Eric’s life in context.
As the primary sources concerning Eric and Gunnhild are so sparce, its mentions of sagas where others are main protagonist, as well as later texts, that are relied for the narrative. The author makes it clear as to their reliability as history or otherwise. As well as referencing these, the book also often includes lengthy quotations from them. Although this does interrupt the flow at times it is still of considerable interest. The other thing that tends to break up the flow of the biographical narrative are the long sections looking at aspects of Viking society and culture such as the discussion of Viking warfare and fighting in Chapter Three, Sword Song. In these sections, as with the biographical elements, there is assumption and conjecture due to the lack of evidence, however this is always made clear by the author.
There is nothing known about Eric’s early life, and the biographical element of the book really begins with his brief period as King of Norway following the death of Harold Finehair and continues through to his time as King in York and death at the Battle at Steinmor.
Turning to Erik’s time as King in York, the author explains that we can’t be certain that this Eric is the same one who was King of Norway and there is a period of some 10 years in between where nothing about him is recorded. He does, however, make a compelling case for why he believes they are one and the same whilst acknowledging that not all scholars of the period agree. There are also again only brief mentions of his rule in contemporary sources and there is debate as to whether his rule was one period or two, the author believes the latter. There are conflicting accounts as to how he met his death, but the Battle of Steinmor seems the most likely, although how this came about and played out is largely conjecture.
The concluding chapters of the book return to themes from the introduction such as why Eric is still so well-known, who he really was, and how he and Viking history in general has been depicted in popular culture and used and misused by those on the far right, particularly in Germany. The very last chapter finishes the saga as we learn of what happened to Gunnhild, and her and Eric’s sons.
Both the narrative and discussion are interesting and accessible, and the use of adverbial phraseology is one of the ways this book differs from a more academic style and aids its readability. That does not however mean it isn’t well researched, it is, and the detailed notes are all there for those wishing for more detail and sources.