How the Norse Sailed into the Lands and Imaginations of America
September 1, 2023
A lucid survey of Viking lore, archaeological finds, and modern interpretations. Whittock has published numerous educational books, including studies of Viking and Anglo-Saxon history. In his latest, he focuses on 11th-century Viking settlements in North America and how the Viking legacy--in both fact and myth--continues to influence the U.S. today. The author demonstrates that medieval Norse sagas and modern archaeology have surprising confluences, though both remain open to debate and vulnerable to misuse. In the process, he assays claims for a Viking presence beyond the archaeological evidence from Newfoundland and the Canadian Arctic and tries to pinpoint the much-contested location of Vinland, possibly as far south as New England. Whittock investigates many bogus claims of Viking presence and artifacts, not least in the heavily Scandinavian U.S. Midwest. The author also parses the tug-of-war among the Vikings, Columbus, and the Mayflower Pilgrims for the mantle of "first Americans," while reminding us that it's nonsensical; only Native North American peoples hold that distinction. The book is authoritative in its details and engagingly written, and it's unsettling in its examination of how Viking symbology is being co-opted, distorted, and perverted by white supremacist and other far-right extremist groups--some of it on display during the Jan. 6 insurrection. Especially topical from a European standpoint is the subject's connection to the knotty roots of nationhood that underlie Russian nationalist claims denying Ukraine's legitimacy as an independent nation. Whittock concludes with a survey of the enduring fascination with Viking lore in popular culture and in product marketing. If the book suffers from any shortcoming, it's unnecessary reiteration. Though illustrative to a point, there is some padding here, with perhaps too much space devoted to the particulars of Viking-inspired comic books, movies, and TV series. Those are interesting subjects, but prove to be a diversion from the more scholarly content. A solid examination of how the Viking story continues to be told, embellished, and contested.
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October 1, 2023
Whittock's (coauthor, Tales of Valhalla) accessible and engaging examination of the United States' fascination with Vikings approaches the subject from both historical and cultural perspectives. On the historical side, the book looks at the claims for Viking voyages to North America in literary and archaeological sources, pinpointing persuasive evidence in medieval Icelandic sagas and in the ruins of L'Anse aux Meadows, a Viking settlement in Newfoundland. Less convincing are rune stones discovered in such unlikely places as West Virginia and Oklahoma, controversial finds that Whittock links to a desire for a U.S. origin story predating the journeys of Columbus and Cabot. With enthusiasm for a Norse "discovery" of this continent, the book identifies motivations both positive (the effort of Scandinavian pioneers to forge a connection to their adopted land) and negative (the appropriation of Indigenous sites as the work of Europeans). Whittock also condemns the mischaracterization and usurpation of Viking culture by white supremacists and radical political ideologies and points to multiethnic Viking communities. At the same time, Whittock appreciates the enduring appeal of Norse mythology on modern entertainment. VERDICT A fascinating, eminently readable exploration of Viking presence, both real and imaginary, in the United States.--Sara Shreve
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