OLAF TRYGGVASON, the hero of this saga is not an imaginary one; he was a real flesh and blood man who eventually reigned as King of Norway just over a thousand years ago. His life reads as only a Viking Saga could and should. Herein you will find the salient facts of his adventurous and outstanding life. They are: his boyhood of slavery in Estonia,his life at the court of King Valdemar,his wanderings as a Viking,the many battles he fought, on land and sea,his conversion to Christianity in England, and;his ultimate return to his native Norway where he reigned as King – are set forth in this volume which, if summarised, would make for a cracking campfire yarn. The events related herein can be found in the various Icelandic sagas dealing with the period in which he lived. In short, Olaf was your archetypal Viking. Very few authors could pen a saga that mirrors the life of Olaf, and many have tried. However in penning this story, Leighton made full and free use of these old time records, and added only such probable incidents as were necessary to give a thread of continuity to the reader. NOTE: For the convenience of readers who may wish for greater exactness; Olaf Triggvison was born A.D. 963 and he started on his wanderings as a Viking in the year A.D. 981. The sea fight between the Vikings of Jomsburg and the Norwegians took place in A.D. 986, and the battle of Maldon in the year A.D. 991. Olaf reigned only five years as King of Norway, being crowned in 995, and ending his reign with his death in the glorious defeat at Svold in the year A.D. 1000. 10% of the publisher’s profit from the sale of this book will be donated to UNICEF. KEYWORDS/TAGS: Viking, Norse, Saga, Story, Olaf Tryggvason, slave, warrior, King, conversion, Christianity, Valdemar, land battles, sea battles, Jomsburg, England, Norway, Norwegian, battle of Maldon, battle of Svold, finding of olaf, sigurd erikson, gerda' s prophecy, slaying of klerkon, norse kings, training, captain of the host, west, over-seas, hermit, scilly Isles, thorir klakka, evil earl, christening, Sigrid, haughty, long serpent, sigvaldi, treachery, snare, svold sound, defence

Reproduction of the original. The publishing house Megali specialises in reproducing historical works in large print to make reading easier for people with impaired vision.

Thank you for checking out this book by Theophania Publishing. We appreciate your business and look forward to serving you soon. We have thousands of titles available, and we invite you to search for us by name, contact us via our website, or download our most recent catalogues. The following narrative is not so much a story as a biography. My hero is not an imaginary one; he was a real flesh and blood man who reigned as King of Norway just nine centuries ago. The main facts of his adventurous career -- his boyhood of slavery in Esthonia, his life at the court of King Valdemar, his wanderings as a viking, the many battles he fought, his conversion to Christianity in England, and his ultimate return to his native land -- are set forth in the various Icelandic sagas dealing with the period in which he lived. I have made free use of these old time records, and have added only such probable incidents as were necessary to give a continuous thread of interest to the narrative. These sagas, like the epics of Homer, were handed down from generation to generation by word of mouth, and they were not committed to writing until a long time after Olaf Triggvison's death, so that it is not easy to discriminate between the actual facts as they occurred and the mere exaggerated traditions which must surely have been added to the story of his life as it was told by the old saga men at their winter firesides. But in most instances the records corroborate each other very exactly, and it may be taken that the leading incidents of the story are historically true.

This story about Rolf, a youth and son of Hiarandi the Unlucky, who lives in early Christian Iceland during the days when the Icelandic society was transforming from the old Norse religion to Christianity. At the urging of his wife, Hiarandi does an unprecedented thing and lights a signal fire on a dangerous point of his land, challenging the accepted custom which places lucrative salvage at higher value than the saving of life. However, the life that is saved that night causes his own death and eventually, the unjust outlawing of his son Rolf. Rolf loses first his father, then his property, and finally his freedom to a scheming neighbour. Then he is outlawed from Iceland at the Althing (Council) and travels abroad, meeting with shipwreck, enslavement, Viking berserkers, and many other dangers and adventures. All the while, Rolf searches for a way to prove his father was killed unjustly and win back his own property and freedom. Even more difficult, Rolf must end the cycle of enmity, vengeance, and pride that hangs like a curse over his family Rolf's response to the injustice done to him creates a suspenseful, thought-provoking and page-turning tale which is difficult to put down. ============ KEYWORDS/TAGS: Rolf and the Viking’s Bow, Norse, Archery, , abroad, Althing, Asdis, ashore, atonement, baresarks, beacon, beserkers, blood, bow, Broadfirth, carline, chapmen, cliffs, cloak, Cragness, crags, Earl, Einar, evil, father, Fellstead, Flosi, Frodi, Gisli, gold, Grani, Grettir, Hallmund, Hallvard, Hawksness, heart, Helga, Hiarandi, home, Iceland, judges, Kari, Kiartan, kinsman, Kolbein, money, mound, neighbours, Ondott, Orkney, Outlaw, outlawry, Priest, Quarter, Rolf, Scots, sea, shepherd, shield, ship, shipmaster, shoot, smithy, smote, Snorri, son, storehouse, storm, strength, Sweyn, sword, Thorfinn, thrall, Thurid, Tongue, travel, Vemund, vengeance, viking, warship, weapons, whittle, winter, witnesses, wounds

For any readers who have visited Union Square in New York, maybe you have seen a bronze statue standing among the trees of the park. It represents a tall young man, in the close-fitting uniform of an American General of the Revolution. He is erect and with his right hand he clasps a sword against his breast. His left hand is stretched out toward the statue of Washington. His name was Marie Jean Paul Roch Yves Gilbert Motier, better known as Marquis de Lafayette. The story of his whole life is one of the most interesting that has ever been written. This short volume will give only the story of his services to the United States of America, and of his life during the few years in which those services were rendered. The statue was set up in honor of these great services. If you ever embark upon reading the history of the USA, his name will forever be linked with that of General Washington. They were both brave, faithful, just, and generous, and both honored the name of American citizen—a title which Lafayette proudly claimed so long as he lived. =========== KEYWORDS/TAGS: 73, 77, Boy General, action, adventure, admiration, America, André, army, Arnold, attack, Austria, battalion, battle, Boston, brave, British, campaign, Canada, cannon, capture, Carlisle, cause, character, Clinton, command, commander-in-chief, Commissioners, Congress, Cornwallis, Count, countrymen, courage, Deane, Declaration, d'Estaing, Emperor, enemy, England, English, expedition, fight, fleet, France, freedom, French, gallant, garrison, General, government, gratitude, hero, honor, honour, horseback, independence, injustice, Island, Jersey, King, Lafayette, Lee, liberty, Lord, Louis, love, Major-General, march, Marquis de Lafayette, Monmouth, Napoleon, Newport, northward, officers, oppressed, overthrow, Paris, Paul, Philadelphia, Philippe, prison, prisoner, quarters, reconnaissance, reconnoissance, revolution, Revolutionary, River, Rochambeau, services, seventy-seven, seventy-three, soldier, statesman, statue, Sullivan, surrounded, three-cornered, Union, United States, Valley Forge, veteran, victory, Virginia, war, Washington, wound, York, Yorktown, young adult, YA

The author has endeavoured to tell the events preceding the Norman Conquest in a popular manner, and to give an idea of the principal personages who figured in England at the period when that memorable event took place. He also endeavoured to treat the subject in a popular and picturesque style, without sacrificing the of historic truth. He has delivered a sweeping history of the major events in British history from the ninth century AD to the end of the Norman Conquest more than 200 years later, featuring the fascinating stories of the series of Vikings, Saxons, and Normans who blazed their way across England during that tumultuous time. Read of Rollo the Norman (“Rolfganger”), a Viking and first duke of Normandy, and his most famous descendent, William the Conqueror; and of the Danish invasion under Earl Godwin, the restoration of the Anglo-Saxon kings under Edward the Confessor, and many others, including the adventurers Siward the Dane, Harold Hardrada the Norwegian, Hereward the Saxon and others. =============== About the author: John George Edgar (1834–1864) was, despite his short life, a prolific English writer who produced fifteen books devoted to English and Scottish history, as well as being the first editor of Every Boy's Magazine. His life and work were tragically cut short by encephalemia at the young age of thirty. =============== KEYWORDS/TAGS: Danes Saxons and Normans, sweeping history, norman conquest, principal characters, ninth century, eleventh century, 9th C, 11th C, 10th C, Vikings, Rollo, Rolfganger, action, adventure, historical, fact, confessor, Ulf Uspakson, Alfred, Archbishop, army, assembly, Atheling, barons, Battle abbey, battle, Bayeux, Beauclerc, Bishop, Britain Briton blood, british history, English history, Canute, castle, cavalry, ceremony, Conqueror, Cospatrick, Count, country, crown, Danes, Danish, Denmark, duke, Durham, Earl, Edgar, Edward, Edwin, England, English, escape, Ethelred, exile, expedition, Fight Fitzosborne, Flanders, France, French, God, Godwin, gold, great, Hardicanute, Hardrada, Harold, Hastings, heart, Henry, Hereward, Holy, Hugh, Invade, Ivo, king, knights, Lanfranc, Leofric, London, Malcolm, Matilda, monks, Morkar, nobles, Norman, Normandy, north, Northumberland, Norwegians, oath, Odo, palace, Philip, Prince, Princess, Queen, Robert, Rolfganger, Rouen, royal, Rufus, Saxon, Scotland, Scots, Scottish, Siward, soldiers, spirit, Sweyn, sword, throne, Tostig, vanquish, Waltheof, war, warriors, Welsh, Westminster, William, Winchester, York,

This book was inspired by Wagner's "The Valkyries" which is an operatic drama in the Ring Cycle. Many have heard Wagner’s “Ride of the Valkyries” a wonderful piece of classical music so often used in film to underscore dramatic action scenes. However, not many know, who or what the Valkyries were or how they came to be. This volume seeks to translate Wagner’s operatic prose into a novel, and does remarkably well. The works are based loosely on characters from the Norse sagas, the Volsungs and the Nibelungenlied and is quite often referred to as the Ring Cycle. In the Rheingold the stage is set. In Heaven above, around the rainbow-girt of Valhalla, and in the dark, stir the forces beneath the earth. Alberich and the Niebelungs, enter the arena waiting for the sons of men to assert their rightful lordship over the earth. This drama was originally titled "Siegfried and Sieglinde: The Valkyrie Punished" but was later renamed “The Valkyries.” It is the most performed of all books of the Cycle. It starts with a storm, during which Sieglinde gives shelter to a wounded stranger. They find themselves drawn to each other. He is Siegmund, the twin from whom Sieglinde was separated in childhood. Unknown to them, their father is Wotan, the most powerful of the gods. Through Siegmund, Wotan hopes to retrieve a gold ring of ultimate power that he cannot take himself (sound familiar?) Brother and sister fall in love and flee, taking with them Nothung, a sword destined for a hero. As goddess of marriage, Wotan’s wife Fricka angrily demands Wotan must not protect his incestuous children to serve his own ends. Wotan bitterly concedes. However, Wotan’s daughter Brünnhilde, a Valkyrie, takes it on herself to save Siegmund. Wotan stops her, and Siegmund is killed in battle, his sword shattered. Brünnhilde rescues Sieglinde, whom she knows is pregnant with Siegmund’s son, who is destined to become the hero Wotan desires. Brünnhilde pleads with her sister Valkyries to help save Sieglinde. They try to hide Siegmund but flee at Wotan’s wrath. As punishment for defying him, Wotan incarcerates Brünnhilde in a deep sleep on a mountaintop, protected by magic fire provided by Loge, the demigod of fire. There, on the mountain-top Brunnhilde sleeps, waiting for the coming of he, who she is destined for, to be awakened to the joy of human life. And there, till Siegfried leaps the barrier of flame, we leave her. What happens next? Well you’ll have to keep a lookout for the other books in the Ring Cycle published by Abela Publishing. =============== KEYWORDS/TAGS: Valkyries, Ring Cycle, Norse, Viking, Norse Mythology, legends, Norse Saga, House Of Hunding, The Stranger, Story Of The Stranger, Recognition, Strife, Wotan, Fricka, Siegmund, Lot Cast, cast a lot, Fight, Flight, Brunnhilde, Sentence, Sleep Of Brunnhilde, coming, cry, day, death, earth, eyes, face, father, forest, gods, heart, house, light, love, might, night, shield, Sieglinde, sisters, soul, spring, stood, stranger, sword, voice, Walhalla, Valhalla, wife, woman, wrath, Wagner, Opera, soul, spear, anger, incest, maid, rose, Volsung, Wolsung, sorrow, sweet, hero, heroes, vengeance, shelter, storm, bosom, breast, disobey, sword-hilt, Victory, overcome, shameful, chariot, Grane, Alberich, deliverance, tempest, lovers, Nuthung, destiny,

Leif Ericsson, also known as “LEIF THE LUCKY”, was the second son of Erik the Red and certainly displayed the Viking spirit of action, adventure and exploration. As a young man Leif Ericsson visited Norway, where he converted to Christianity. He was charged with returning to Greenland to convert the populace, but instead sailed further west and is believed to have landed somewhere in Nova Scotia. He spent a year in North America before returning home to Greenland, where he served as governor. THE Anglo-Saxon race was in its boyhood in the days when the Vikings lived. For every heroic vice, the Vikings laid upon the opposite scale an heroic virtue. They plundered and robbed, but where they raided, they traded, as most men did in the times when “Might made Right.” Yet the heaven-sent instinct of hospitality was in the marrow of their bones. No beggar went from their doors without alms; no traveller asked in vain for shelter. As cunningly false as they were to their foes, just so superbly true were they to their friends. Above all, they were a race of conquerors, whose knee bent only to its proved superior. Their allegiance was not given to the man who was king-born, but to the man who showed himself their leader in courage and their master in skill. The film The Viking (1928) was based on this novel, which has, to some extent, been based on Viking history. 10% of the publisher’s profit from the sale of this book will be donated to Charities.