Scandinavian history in the Viking age - Department of Anglo-Saxon ...

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Scandinavian History in the Viking Age is clear that sober, factual documentation was not Photios’ purpose. Text: C. Müller et al., Fragmenta historicorum Græcorum, vol. V (1883), 162-73 [UL Ff.12.37a]. Transl.: C. Mango, The homilies of Photios patriarch of Constantinople, Dumbarton Oaks studies 3 (1958), 74-110 [UL 911:01.b.14.4] [B193] The Byzantine emperor Constantine Porphyrogenitus composed his De administrando imperio ‘On imperial government’ around 950 as a guide to statecraft for his son Romanus. It contains many valuable observations on the tenth-century Rus’, including the celebrated list of rapids on the river Dniepr with both Slavonic and Norse names. Text and transl.: G. Moravcsik and R.J.H. Jenkins, Constantine Porphyrogenitus, De administrando imperio I, Magyar-görög tanulmányok 29 (1949) [UL 711:3.c.90.11], also rev. 2nd edn as Dumbarton Oaks studies 1 (1967) [UL 523:4.c.95.38]; excerpts also transl. (B1):93-97. Commentary: R.J.H. Jenkins et al., Constantine Porphyrogenitus, De administrando imperio II: Commentary (1962) [UL 711:3.c.90.12]; cf. also A. Toynbee, Constantine Porphyrogenitus and his world (1973) [UL 523:4.c.95.20] [B194] The eleventh-century Byzantine administrator Kekaumenos is best known for his Strategicon, but among other fragments associated with him is a text known as the Logos nouthetetikos pros basilea ‘Word of advice for the emperor’, which has a very interesting section on Harald hardrada (E85 ff.) among the Varangian guard in Byzantium. Text: B. Wassiliewsky and V. Jernstedt, Cecaumeni Strategicon et incerti scriptoris de officiis regiis libellus, Zapiski istoriko-filologieskogo fakulteta Imp. Sankt-Peterburgskogo universiteta 38 (1896), 91-104 [UL 759.b.6.38]. Excerpt on Harald hardrada transl. (J52):57-58; (B1):104 Islamic sources There is a vast wealth of material from the Moslem world touching on eastern Europe, particularly due to the keen interest of the Arabic geographers, but only a selection of the most important authors from the Viking age itself are listed here. Emphasis has been placed on texts referring to the Rus’ (J26 ff.), especially when they hint at a Scandinavian background; for material on Viking activity in the western Arabic world, ie. Spain and the Mediterranean, see (I265-266). For background: [B200] The encyclopaedia of Islam: new edition, edd. H.A.R. Gibb et al., 10 vols ff. (1954 ff.) [UL R620.256]; see in particular P.B. Golden, ‘Rus’, VIII:618-29 Anthologies Since a familiarity with classical Arabic is not a conventional skill of the average Viking historian, the best way to approach the Arabic material is through selected anthologies. The fundamental collection of excerpts edited for these purposes remains: [B202] A. Seippel, Rerum Normannicarum fontes Arabici (1896-1928) [UL Moh.223.a.2 (sel)] This group has been translated into English: [B203] A.I. Samarrai, Arabic sources on the Norse: English translation and notes based on the texts edited by Alexander Seippel in Rerum Normannicarum fontes Arabici, thesis submitted for the degree of Master of Science (History) at the University of Wisconsin (1959) [UL Microfilm.1056] And more usefully, with accompanying notes, into Norwegian: [B204] H. Birkeland, Nordens historie i middelalderen etter arabiske kilder, SDNVAO 1954:2 (1954) [UL 500:01.b.4.72] Further, more selective, collections in translation are: [B205] S. Rapoport, ‘Mohammedan writers on Slavs and Russians’, The Slavonic and East European review 8 (1929-30), 80-98; S. Wikander, Araber, vikingar, väringar, Svenska humanistiska förbundet 90 (1978) [UL 9592.c.81] Individual authors [B210] Ibn Khurradadhbih was director of ‘posts and intelligence’ in Baghdad and Samarra before his death around 911, a post which fitted him admirably for his geographical accounts, including mentions of the Rus trading in Baghdad. He composed his ‘Book of routes and kingdoms’ around the middle of the ninth century, the first Arabic author to deal significantly with the Rus’. Norwegian transl.: (B204):10- 19
Scandinavian History in the Viking Age 11. Commentary: O. Pritsak, ‘An Arabic text on the trade route of the corporation of ar-Rus in the second half of the ninth century’, Folia orientalia 12 (1970), 241-59 [B211] Ibn Rusta compiled his ‘Book of precious treasures’, an encyclopaedia with geographical accounts, in the first half of the tenth century. Norwegian transl.: (B204):14-17 [B212] Ibn Fadlan’s account (Risala) of his mission to the Bulgars in 922 provides the most celebrated Arabic source for the Rus’ in the form of a ship-burial he personally witnessed; many of the later copies have distinct interpolations. Transl.: H.M. Smyser, ‘Ibn Fadlan’s account of the Rus with some commentary and some allusions to Beowulf’, Medieval and linguistic studies in honour of Francis Peabody Magoun, jr., edd. J.B. Bessinger and R.P. Creed (1965), 92-119 [UL 717:5.c.95.7]. Norwegian transl.: (B204):17-24. Commentary: R.P. Blake and R.N. Frye, ‘Notes on the risala of Ibn Fadlan’, Byzantina-metabyzantina 1:2 (1949), 7-37; M. Kowalska, ‘Ibn Fadlan’s account of his journey to the state of the Bulgars’, Folia orientalia 14 (1972-73), 219-30; M. Lund Warmind, ‘Ibn Fadlan in the context of his age’, (M349):131-37 [B213] Al-Istakhri wrote a further ‘Book on routes and kingdoms’ around the middle of the tenth century. Heavily reliant on the works of Al-Balkhri from a few decades previously, Al-Istakhri’s account of the Rus’ contains the celebrated division into three groups. His work was then expanded around the 970s by Ibn Hawkal. Norwegian transl.: (B204):26-30, 47-51 [B214] Al Masudi (died 956) was a traveller of the early tenth century, who compiled a number of geographical works, the most significant for the Rus’ being his ‘Meadows of gold’. Norwegian transl.: (B204):30-42. Commentary: A.M.H. Shboul, Al-Mas’udi and his world: a Muslim Humanist and his interest in non-Muslims (1979) [UL Moh.200.c.230] [B215] Ibraham ibn Yaqub al-Turtushi composed an account of his travels throughout western Europe around 965, which included on the itinerary a stop at Schleswig (Hedeby) in Denmark; the text is only known through the reports of later writers such as Al-Bakri and Al-Qazwini. Norwegian transl.: (B204):103-04; excerpt also transl. (D7):28. For detailed commentary, see (I266):228-71 [B216] The Arabic poet Al-Ghazal is reputed to have been sent on an embassy to the islands of the Majus ‘pagans’ following the Viking raid on southern Spain of 844, of which a report first appears in the works of the Valencian Ibn Dihyah from around the late twelfth century. This remarkable tale would be of great interest, could it be trusted; however, although there has been much debate as to whether Al- Ghazal visited Ireland or Denmark (or somewhere else), the historicity of this account is highly suspect. For text and transl. see (I266):166-203, cf. also W.E.D. Allen, The poet and the spae-wife: an attempt to reconstruct al-Ghazal’s embassy to the Vikings, SBVS 15:3 (1960), with translation and extensive discussion III. WEST NORSE PROSE HISTORIOGRAPHY This section contains various historiographical works from the ‘West Norse’ area of Scandinavia, a linguistic term used here to define Iceland and Norway. The distinction between ‘West’ and ‘East Norse’ historiography is, however arbitrary it may seem, a useful one, since historical writing flourished far more in western Scandinavia than in Denmark or Sweden, and largely employed the vernacular rather than Latin to boot. Rather more dubious, yet still pragmatically reasonable, is the distinction drawn between prose works and Old Norse verse, which is registered elsewhere (B480 ff.). Scandinavian historiography For general introductions: [B230] J. de Vries, Altnordische Literaturgeschichte, 2 vols, Grundriss der germanischen Philologie 15- 16 (1941-42; 2nd edn 1964-67) [UL 775.c.91.301-02; 2nd edn 752:16.c.95.8-9] [B231] E.O.G. Turville-Petre, Origins of Icelandic literature (1953) [UL 752:16.c.95.1] [B232] E.V. Gordon, An introduction to Old Norse, 2nd edn rev. by A.R. Taylor (1957) [UL 752:14.d.95.1] [B233] C.J. Clover and J. Lindow, (edd.), Old Norse-Icelandic literature: a critical guide, Islandica 45 (1985) [UL 752:4.c.1.44] 20
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