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Scandinavian History in the Viking Age 3859’, Y Cymmrodor 9 (1888), 141-83 (for text); J. Morris, Nennius: British history and the Welsh annals (1980), 44-49 (transl.), 85-91 (text) [UL 541:12.c.95.50]; also transl. A.W. Wade-Evans, Nennius’ ‘History of the Britons’ (1938), 84-101 [UL 179.c.27.36] Man [B148] The Man Chronicle has little of independent value until the mid-eleventh century. Text and transl.: P.A. Munch and Rev. Goss, Chronica regum Manniæ et insularum: the Chronicle of Man and the Sudreys, 2 vols, Manx Society 22-23 (1874) [UL Kk.5.22-23]; G. Broderick, Chronica regum Mannie et insularum: Chronicles of the kings of Man and the isles (1979) [UL Ub.7.2037] Sagas and narratives Ireland For guidance, see (B122), ch. 9: ‘Eleventh- and twelfth-century histories and compilations’ [B150] The Cogadh Gáedhel re Gallaibh ‘War of the Gaedhill [Gaels or Irish] against the Gaill [Foreigners or Norse]’ was written around the first half of the twelfth century in the form of a historical saga, which heavily exaggerates the Viking invasion of Ireland in order to enhance the reputation of high king Brian Boru in defeating them; aside from the material incorporated from earlier annals, its historical value is slight. Text and transl.: J.H. Todd, Cogadh Gaedhel re Gallaibh: the war of the Gaedhil with the Gaill, or The invasions of Ireland by the Danes and other Norsemen, RS 48 (1867) [UL R542.30.48]. Commentary: M. Ní Mhaonaigh, ‘Coe Gáedel re Gallaib: some dating considerations’, Peritia 9 (1995), 354-77, and ‘Cogad Gáedel re Gallaib and the annals: a comparison’, Ériu 47 (1996), 101-26 [B151] The saga of Cellachán of Cashel is a slightly later saga than the Cogadh (B150) with even less claim to any historical authenticity. Text and transl.: A. Bugge, Caithreim Cellachain Caisil, or The victorious career of Cellachan of Cashel, or The wars between the Irishmen and the Norsemen in the middle of the 10th century (1905) [UL 593:01.b.1.71]. Commentary: D. Ó Corráin, ‘Caithréim Chellacháin Chaisil: history or propaganda?’, Ériu 25 (1974), 1-69 Wales [B155] Most mediaeval Welsh tales can safely be said to have little additional useful information on Scandinavian affairs; cf., for example, the bizarre accounts of the Norwegian kings in the genealogy of Gruffudd ap Cynan, transl. D.S. Evans, A medieval prince of Wales: the life of Gruffudd ap Cynan (1990) [UL 1992.8.2328], and cf. (E88) [B156] The Welsh Bruts contain some information of value on the Viking age, most accessible through a series of texts and translations from T. Jones published in the history and law series by the Board of Celtic studies: Brut y tywysogion or The chronicle of the princes: Peniarth MS. 20 version, 6 (1941) and 11 (1952) [UL 485:01.b.1.6, -.11]; Brut y tywysogion or The chronicle of the princes: Red Book of Hergest version, 16 (1955) [UL 485:01.b.1.16]; Brenhinedd y Saesson or The kings of the Saxons, 25 (1971) [UL 485:01.b.1.25] Other sources [B160] Dicuil was an Irish monk (although working in a Carolingian context), who in 825 completed a book on world geography; while heavily indebted to earlier, classical authorities, chapter 7 in particular contains independent observations on the North Atlantic. Text and transl.: J.J. Tierney and L. Bieler, Dicuili liber de mensura orbis terrae, Scriptores latini Hiberniae 6 (1967) [UL 716:01.b.1.6] Russian sources Russian written sources do not begin to appear until the eleventh century, and their value for the early history of the Vikings in the East is doubtful. It is nevertheless important to remember the close connections between Scandinavia and Russia in the eleventh century, as well as the fact that the Russian ‘state’ was developing at the same time as the kingdoms of Scandinavia and often in similar ways; the history of the princes of Kiev can therefore be of great comparative interest. 17
Scandinavian History in the Viking Age Anthologies and guides There are a number of useful anthologies with excerpts in English translation and introductory notes, although those of interest mostly come from the texts listed separately under (B180 ff.). [B170] S.A. Zenkovsky, Medieval Russia’s epics, chronicles, and tales (1963) [UL 9756.d.892] [B171] G. Vernadsky et al., A source book for Russian history from early times to 1917. I: Early times to the late seventeenth century (1972) [UL 586:1.b.95.37] [B172] D.H. Kaiser and G. Marker, Reinterpreting Russian history: readings 860-1860s (1994) [UL 586:1.c.95.374] For further guidance in early Russian literature, see: [B175] J. Fennell and A. Stokes, Early Russian literature (1974) [UL 756:14.c.95.121] [B176] S. Franklin, ‘Literacy and documentation in early medieval Russia’, Speculum 60 (1985), 1-38 [B180] The Russian Primary Chronicle, or Povest’ vremmenykh let ‘Tale of bygone years’, often (though somewhat misleadingly) ascribed to the monk Nestor, is the prime annalistic source for early Russian (or Kievan) history before the advent of local chronicles in the middle ages. It exists in two major redactions, the Laurentian and the Hypatian, and in its current form was put together some time early in the twelfth century; heavily reliant on Byzantine sources for the early period and oral tradition for the later, the extent to which it was based on earlier Russian written chronicles is uncertain. Text and Russian transl.: D.S. Likhachev and V.P. Adrianova-Peretts, Povest’ vremennykh let, 2 vols (1950) [UL 586:1.c.95.4-5 or -.96-97], also a further rev. edn (1996) [UL -.415]. Transl.: S.H. Cross, ‘The Russian Primary Chronicle’, Harvard studies and notes in philology 12 (1930), 75-320 [UL 779.c.5.11], or S.H. Cross and O.P. Sherbowitz-Wetzor, The Russian Primary Chronicle: Laurentian text, The Medieval Academy of America publication 60 (1953) [UL 9586.c.274]; excerpts also in (B170-172). Commentary: S. Franklin, ‘Borrowed time: perceptions of the past in twelfth-century Russia’, (O68):157-71. [a] The treaties with Byzantium from the first half of the tenth century are also of great interest. Transl.: (B1):97-100. Commentary: I. Sorlin, ‘Les traités de Byzance avec la Russie au Xe siècle’, Cahiers du monde Russe et Soviétique 2 (1961), 313-60, 447-75; J. Lind, ‘The Russo-Byzantine treaties and the early urban structure of Rus’’, The Slavonic and east European review 62 (1984), 362-70 [B181] Hagiography from mediaeval Russia has little to say about the Vikings, but the traditions surrounding the princes Boris and Gleb, killed by their brother Sviatopolk in 1015 in dynastic feuds, are possibly of great comparative interest; the cults which developed in the middle of the eleventh century may betray influence on (or perhaps from) those of other royal saints, and in this connection saint Olaf Haraldsson of Norway is the most striking candidate, given the close links between the royal houses of Kiev and Norway in this period, cf. (L235 ff.). The first treatment outside the Primary chronicle is Nestor’s Lesson on the life and murder of the blessed passion-sufferers Boris and Gleb composed in the late eleventh century. This, along with much other interesting material, can be found transl. in: P. Hollingsworth, The hagiography of Kievan Rus’, Harvard library of early Ukrainian literature: English translations 2 (1992) [UL 67:7.c.95.164]. Commentary: J. Børtnes, Visions of glory: studies in early Russian hagiography, Slavica Norvegica 5 (1988) [UL 67:7.c.95.144] [B182] Ilarion’s Sermon on law and grace of around 1050 is of interest for its presentation of prince Vladimir as the saviour of the Russian people and its arguments for his sanctity; there are echoes here of Adam of Bremen’s treatment of Harald bluetooth a generation later (B73). Transl.: S. Franklin, Sermons and rhetoric of Kievan Rus’, Harvard library of early Ukrainian literature: English translations 5 (1991), 3-29 [UL 67:7.c.95.155] Byzantine sources The vast range of Byzantine sources relating to eastern Europe and hence to the Vikings in Russia and elsewhere cannot be encompassed here. Instead, only a few texts of particular interest have been cited; for further material, see (J52). A general survey of relevant sources can be found in: [B190] D. Obolensky, ‘The Byzantine sources on the Scandinavians in eastern Europe’, (J28):149-64 [B192] Of the homilies of Photios, patriarch of Byzantium, two refer to the attacks on the city by the Rus’ in 860 and are of some interest for Byzantine attitudes towards their northern neighbours, even if it 18
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