In their own days, Norse storytellers passed down Old Norse myths and tales of bygone Vikings. Poets and scholars later recorded these fascinating oral histories, known as sagas, in writing. Vikings have become fixtures in many generations of popular culture. But are the traditional and popular interpretations correct? Surprisingly, the work of modern archaeologists and environmental scientists has confirmed many details of the ancient Viking sagas. The popular images are another matter.
Jonsbok Manuscript
This page of a "Jonsbok," a Book of Laws, is one of many Icelandic illuminated manuscripts from the 13th century, and is an important record of Norse settlements in the western North Atlantic.
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