Medieval Iceland was unique amongst Western
Europe, with no foreign policy, no defense
forces, no king, no lords, no peasants and few
battles. It should have been a utopia yet its
literature is dominated by brutality and
killing. The reasons for this, argues Jesse
Byock, lie in the underlying structures and
cultural codes of the islands' social order.
"Viking Age Iceland" is an engaging,
multi-disciplinary work bringing together
findings in anthropology and ethnography
interwoven with historical fact and masterful
insights into the popular Icelandic sagas, this
is a brilliant reconstruction of the inner
workings of a unique and intriguing society.