The Danish monk Saxo lived from about 1150 to after 1216. His erudition and command of Latin got him appointed as scribe to the archbishop of Lund (site of Copenhagen), during which time he wrote the sixteen books of the Gesta Danorum. This 'Deeds of the Danes' stands proudly beside Gregory's History of the Franks, the Venerable Bede's History of the English Church and Nation, and the other medieval histories of the European nations. Even more important, it stands beside the Eddas as a main source for scholars of Germanic mythology.

This two volume edition, books one through nine, is translated by Peter Fisher and edited by H. R. Ellis-Davidson, eminent scholar and Grand-Dame of Nordic Scholarship. A scholar's sorce book to be sure, one volume text, the other notes and bibliography, this translation is, unlike earlier translations, very readable.

That out of the way, who should buy this work and why?

Saxo was indeed a man of God, but in his breast throbbed the heart of the Germanic/Nordic warrior-aristocracy in its truest form. The modern reader senses that, on occasion, he may have forgotten both his vows and that he was working for the archbishop.

Book one begins in mythological pre-time with a legendary account of a King Dan, possibly of Greek (Danai) origin , who saved the Danes from the Emperor Augustus. Book nine ends with the life and times of the historical King Gorm III, shortly before Saxo's own time.

Dan's progeny, their retinues and adversaries, include the widest range of boldest heroes, most dastardly scoundrels, moralists, deviants, and about any other type imaginable. Perhaps the best known of these figures is the Amleth (book 3), who feigns madness in order to visit vengeance on the uncle who murdered his father and became his step-father. This material came to Shakespeare by way of a contemporary French author.

One of my personal favorites has to be Starkather, whom Saxo presents to us with some license, but in a most remarkable way.

Starkather, according to the somewhat garbled report, has been condemned by Thor to live three lifetimes, each separated by an act of treachery or betrayal. Books six and seven tell of the old hero during his last lifetime and his long overdue death. He comes on as a leftover from a previous, more heroic time, before the Danish royalty had succumbed to the decadent, courtly (French via 'Teuton') mannerisms that had swept over Saxo's Europe. "Frothi was succeeded by his son, Ingel ... (who)abandoned the patterns of his forbears and surrendered himself wholly to the baits of wanton extravagance. At variance with all that was good and upright, he grasped at vice instead of sound morality, severed the cords of restraint, neglected a sovereign's duties and became a vile slave to riotous living." Further, "(h)is idea of greatness was to collect fatteners of fowls, scullions, frying-pans, all kinds of factories for the palate and various connoisseurs in the art of roasting and spicing meats." A true warrior-king, we learn later, should be pleased to eat his rancid meat uncooked with his troops in the field. Ingel's main vice is, of course, that he hasn't avenged the death of his father.

We read about Starkather's agreeing to stand by a Prince Helgi, who has agreed to meet nine adversaries on the field the day after his wedding night. Starkather stands guard by the bridal chamber. At dawn he finds Helgi slumbering peacefully in the arms of his bride. Reluctant to awaken the prince, he rides out onto the snow-covered plain to meet the opponents. When the nine find him he is covered with snow up to his shoulder blades, apparently half naked because he had removed his cloak to pluck fleas. They ask him if he wants to take them on individually or all together. "Whenever a sorry pack of curs snarls at me ... I usually send them scampering off all together, not one by one." Spaghetti-western script writers, look and learn!

The old Starkather dispatches all nine, but not before he is wounded so severely that his innards are hanging out. A man on a cart stops to tend to the badly bloodied hero. When the latter learns that the man is a bailiff, "he was not content with rejecting him, but crushed him with abuse." Two more passersby stop, but are also rejected when our hero learns that the first has married a maidservant and is currently engaged in the process of buying her freedom. Be helped by one who has "accepted a slave's embrace"? The second, a slave herself, is sent "home (to) offer her teats to her squalling daughter, for he considered it utterly degrading to accept relief from a wretch of the lowest order."

Finally a farmer's son comes by in a wagon. His interview reveals that he has "a praiseworthy calling, in which folk sought their subsistence by a trade of honest labour and certainly realised no profit unless it were gained the sweat of their brows." How can you not love this guy?

Starkather's tirades are easily recognizable as Saxo's own scorn and derision, hurled at the courtly decadence of his contemporary Danish aristocracy.

This translation was first published in 1979 but has been unavailable in the American market for most of the past two decades. Buy this book and read it! We need more of these authentic histories.

I found this book quite interesting but it should have been longer and given more details about myths and symbols. I was brought up being required to read old Icelandic literature at school and I found it astounding that this scholar didn't treat Iceland essentially as a Norwegian sub-colony. Refreshing. Also, if you are interested in old religions and don't want to float in the sea of new age and fancyful imagination this book is a "not romanticizing, not cynical" introduction into scandinavian and celtic symbolism. I don't have the diploma to comment on its accuracy.

H.R. Ellis Davidson has done a fabulous job in this book, where she illustrates a number of critial simularities and differences between what we currently understand of pre-Christian Celtic religion and pre-Christian Scandinavian religion.

I was constantly surprised and challenged as I worked my way through this book and experienced a number of my preconcieved notions of both Celtic mythology and Norse mythology being deconstructed and reassembled.

And, I felt, for a book mostly intended for a University Library, that it was a pleasant and entertaining read.

This is an objective analysis of pagan beliefs and practices, mostly in Viking and Celtic times. Davidson gives well -documented explanations of such things as holy places, feasting and sacrifice, rites of battle, land-spirits and ancestors, foreknowledge and destiny. As a historical fiction writer, writing about Viking times, this book is a valuable resource for me. I especially appreciate the careful referencing, and inclusion of evidence from archaeology as well as literature and folklore. I would recommend this book to anyone interested in Viking and Celtic religion from a more historical rather than a "cultist" perspective.

I bought 3 books on Zambia before my trip - this one was by far the best. Very comprehensive, contained all that info that I needed. Some of the prices were off (the exchange rate vs. the dollar is now much better than at the time of printing which explains some of the difference (about 3700 kwacha to the dollar today, July, 2000) so the delta was always favorable). Two lodges were estimated to be about $200-$250/night, we found $100/night. Zambia, we learned as probably the best untouched reserves for gaming. Amazing, beautiful places, truly remote. Be aware that moving from one place to another in Zambia takes many hours on the road, and the roads are not good. I'd advise hiring someone to fly you to the remote airstrips rather than the typical 8 hour surface transfers. Also, remember to sit back and relax: the "Z Factor", as they call it locally, means that nothing happens on schedule : ) If you're prepared for this mentally, you'll have a most enjoyable trip!

This guide is the most comprehensive guide you will find if you are going to Zambia. This country usually only gets a brief section at the back of guidebooks for neighbouring countries such as Malawi or Zimbabwe. McIntyre covers many aspects of travel to Zambia from flora and fauna to accomodation and transport. A good comprehensive guide covering the whole of Zambia with excellant maps especially of the national parks. On the down side there are very few photographs, these would add to this book, and would put some flesh onto the bones of the high standard of commentary.