THE history of the Vikings is not, as you might think, the story of a band of sea-pirates who roved the seas in search of plunder. It is rather the story of a race of brave and hardy Northmen who became sea-rovers because the rights and the freedom which their fathers had cherished were being taken from them. Their fathers had lived on their own lands and had been freemen, but the sons were asked to become king's men and hold their land only at the king's pleasure. Rather than give up their ancient rights many of the Northmen became Vikings, and to them the sea-roving life was a noble one, full of high enterprise and ambition. It was no easy matter to become a member of a Viking band. Even a great chief, before he could be admitted, must prove his strength and give an account of the deeds of prowess he had already done. Thus it was an honour to belong to a band of Vikings, an honour which spurred the lads of the North to bold deeds, to mighty feats, that they might be counted worthy to become members of one or another of the famous bands. It is of the customs and battles, of the lives and deaths of these wild Northmen that I have told you in this little book. As these men are, as you will hear, ancestors of our own, you will perhaps wish to know more about them than I have been able to tell you. If that is so, when you grow older, you can read the Sagas or histories of these Northmen which were written by the Skalds, or, as we would call them, the poets of those olden days. In these Sagas you will meet with many strange adventures and see many great battlefields which you will not find in this little book.
About the Author: Mary Macgregor, along with H. E. Marshall, was one of the principle authors of juvenile history, who wrote for E. C & T. C. Jack during the early years of the twentieth century. Like Marshall, she collaborated on several children's series of books, including Told to the Children and Children's Heroes. Like Marshall, she also write storybook histories for middle school children. While Marshall specialized in histories of the british Isles however, Magregor focused on Ancient Civilizations, including Greece and Rome. Her books were widely read classics, republished for many years in both the british Empire, and the United States, most recently in the the 1960's. Both sets of history books were beautifully illustrated with dozens of original color scenes from history. Macgregors Histories of Greece and Rome begin with the legendary past of these classic civilizations, and focus mainly on the more romantic earlier years. Her Story of Greece begins with a thorough review of many of the most famous Greek myths, and covers all of the well known incidents, characters and battles of Classical Greece. Her history ends at the age of Alexander. Likewise, her Story of Rome begins with the founding of Rome by Romulus and Remus and continues through the kingdom and republican periods, ending during the reign of Caesar Augustus. In addition to her well-known histories of Greece and Rome, Macgregor published two other comprehensive histories of France and the Netherlands. Macgregor's Story of France begins during the age of the Celtic Druids and continues through the Franco Prussian War. Her Netherlands, on the other hand is somewhat different is scope, focusing almost entirely on the Netherlands' War of Independence from Spain. Macgregor's version tells the whole story of one of the most important events in Protestant history in fascinating detail. ________________________________________ Fairy tales by Mary Macgregor (1874 - 1961): The Story of Saint ChristopherSaints Faith Stories Stories from DanteAdapted Literature Stories of King Arthur's KnightsLegends The NetherlandsComprehensive History Stories of the VikingsComprehensive History Stories of Siegfried Told to the ChildrenLegends Stories from Pilgrim's ProgressFaith Stories The Story of FranceComprehensive History The Story of RomeComprehensive History The Story of GreeceComprehensive History