Magnús Magnússon Knihy

This comprehensive guide brings to the reader an idea of the island of Rum's history, geography and geology, fauna and flora and culture.

Drawing on a great deal of modern scholarship that has redefined the nation's story, Magnusson vividly re-creates the long and fascinating story of Scotland, offering the most up-to-date and comprehensive history available today. 40 pages of photos.

20,000 profiles of distinguished people from every age and every walk of life. The coverage is international, and covers all aspects of human endeavour. The dictionary is revised and updated regularly; the previous edition was published in 1984.

Written around 1245 by an unknown author, the Laxdaela Saga is an extraordinary tale of conflicting kinships and passionate love, and one of the most compelling works of Icelandic literature. Covering 150 years in the lives of the inhabitants of the community of Laxriverdale, the saga focuses primarily upon the story of Gudrun Osvif's-daughter: a proud, beautiful, vain and desirable figure, who is forced into an unhappy marriage and destroys the only man she has truly loved – her husband's best friend. A moving tale of murder and sacrifice, romance and regret, the Laxdaela Saga is also a fascinating insight into an era of radical change – a time when the Age of Chivalry was at its fullest flower in continental Europe, and the Christian faith was making its impact felt upon the Viking world.

Echoes of the Ancient World SeriesContents:PrefaceThe land of Thule: pre-Viking ScandinaviaThe dragon ships: the great age of Viking expansionHammer and cross: the coming of the new religionThe great void: creation and doom in the Viking cosmologyOdin, the all-father: lord of the gallows and lord of the slainStorm and harvest: Thor, Frey, Freyja: gods of the earth and skyLoki and Baldur: the father of lies and the shining godChoosers of the slain: Valkyries and the spirits of the otherworldThe way to Hel: death and its after-lifeSacred stones: Norsemen at worshipThe heroic ethic: the legend of Sigurd and the code of the warrior.

Written in the thirteenth century, Njal's Saga is a story that explores perennial human problems-from failed marriages to divided loyalties, from the law's inability to curb human passions to the terrible consequences when decent men and women are swept up in a tide of violence beyond their control. It is populated by memorable and complex characters like Gunnar of Hlidarendi, a powerful warrior with an aversion to killing, and the not-so-villainous Mord Valgardsson. Full of dreams, strange prophecies, violent power struggles, and fragile peace agreements, Njal's Saga tells the compelling story of a fifty-year blood feud that, despite its distance from us in time and place, is driven by passions familiar to us all. This Penguin Classics edition includes an introduction, chronology, index of characters, plot summary, explanatory notes, maps, and suggestions for further reading.