Raiders and traders, settlers and craftsmen, the medieval Scandinavians who have become familiar to history as Vikings never lose their capacity to fascinate, from their ingeniously designed longboats to their stormy pantheon of gods and goddesses. Robert Ferguson is a sure guide across what he calls "the treacherous marches which divide legend from fact in Viking Age history". His long familiarity with the literary culture of Scandinavia is combined with the latest archaeological discoveries to reveal a sweeping picture of one of history's most amazing civilizations.