Library Guides: History 4550: Age of the Vikings: Primary Sources

What's a Primary Source?

A primary source is any record contemporary to an event or time period. Primary sources may be written, oral, visual or physical. They may be intentional (created for posterity) or unintentional.

In the case of this time period, primary sources are mainly the sagas and other written works of medieval authors. and can also be [].

For Fun

Nordic Nibbler

Primary Sources -Online Versions

Icelandic Saga Database
All the extant Icelandic family sagas are made available in an easy, readable format using modernized Icelandic spelling, with the Old Norse versions and translations into English and other languages made available where these exist in the public domain.
CELT: Corpus of Electronic Texts from University College Cork
Historical and literary texts (some Medieval, some later) accompanied by introductions, background information, graphics, translations where possible, and scholarly bibliographies. Good for looking at Vikings in Ireland & Britain.

Literature Online
Use the search option on the left to search "Texts." Limit the publication year, and try a search like "viking*" or Norway. Literature Online offers the full text of more than 350,000 works of poetry, drama and prose in English from the eighth century to the present day, drawing together in one fully cross-searchable database the complete contents of fourteen Chadwyck-Healey literature collections. British, Irish and American poetry in English are covered from their beginnings to the present day.
Free account can be created for personalization.
Formerly known as LION
Date Coverage: Varies by section
Maximum Users: 4
Truncation: Truncation: * Wildcard: ?

Anglo-Saxon Chronicle (free e-book, modern English translation)
The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle incorporates an original text plus later regionally produced updates, from about 60 BCE to 1154. The later part of this timeframe incorporates Britain's "Viking Age."
British History Online
The digital library containing some of the core printed primary and secondary sources for the medieval and modern history of the British Isles. Created by the Institute of Historical Research and the History of Parliament Trust,
Christian Classics Ethereal Library
Created at Calvin College, the CCEL is a digital library of hundreds of classic Christian works. It is also a good resource for finding hymns, creeds, and even fiction.
Digital Scriptorium
Image database of medieval and renaissance manuscripts that unites scattered resources from many institutions into an international tool for teaching and scholarly research.
Epistolae
Letters to and from women in the Middle Ages, from the 4th to the 13th century. The letters, written in Latin, are linked to the names of the women involved, with English translations and, where available, biographical sketches of the women and some description of the subject matter or the historic context of the letter.
Historia Norwegiae and Passio et miracula beati Olavi
An English translation of two of the earliest surviving texts from medieval Norway
Internet Christian Library
Useful for finding online copies of works by Christian authors. Click on Search Our Archives. Then type the name of the author.
Monumenta Germaniae Historica
Searchable full-text edition of a wide-ranging, standard collection of primary sources which document the history of the Germanic regions of medieval Europe, ca. 500-1500. Primarily Latin language

Primary Sources in the Library Catalog

There are certain words that appear in the subject headings of items in the UM LIBRARIES CATALOG that constitute primary sources. The most important of them is sources, but there are others.

In the simple keyword search box, you can put such words after SU: in order to specify the SUBJECT field.

ex.: vikings and SU:sources

In the advanced keyword search, you can put your search term(s) in the top box, and in the second box, put the word(s) you're using to locate primary sources in the next box, and change the drop-down menu to Subject:

Keywords that will help you find primary sources:

sources
correspondence
sermons
diaries
personal narratives
interviews
quotations
collections
speeches

Depending on the period being studied, it can also be helpful to limit your search by publication date.

More keywords identifying primary sources in Library of Congress Subject Headings.

Sources on Microfilm

Medieval Manuscript Mcroforms
Brief guide to the MU Libraries' medieval collections on Microfilm
Biblioteca Palatina - Printed Books
A very large set of early printed books. They will be late for this period, but may still contain relevant material. Reprinted on microfiche.

Available via ILL

The Center for Research Libraries in Chicago is a treasure trove of rare primary sources, which they loan to member libraries on generous terms. Tricks for finding primary sources in the UM LIBRARIES CATALOG can also work in CRL's catalog (sample keyword search:. viking* and su:sources).

Sources on this topic are often in languages other than English.

If you locate an item you wish to request, use ILL@MU.

History 4550: Age of the Vikings: Primary Sources