Scientists at Coventry University have revealed a complex social system within the Icelandic Sagas, challenging the stereotypical image of the Vikings as supernatural, violent savages.
Photo: Eygló Svala Arnarsdóttir/Iceland Review.
Casting a new light on the Viking community, scientists Pádraig Mac Carron and Ralph Kenna have conducted a thorough analysis of relationships between them, as mentioned in the ancient Sagas, mbl.is reports.
In a study published in the European Physical Journal, Carron and Kenna looked at whether a bit of reality could be detected on the Sagas’ pages, applying methods such as statistical physics and sociology.
The two scholars used the Sagas as the basis for their research. Despite the fact that the Sagas’ historic value has often been criticized, some believe that they might portray a distorted albeit real image of a real society. Carron and Kenna’s research backs that theory. They mapped the connection between more than 1,500 characters featured in 18 stories, including five particularly well-known ones.
According to Kenna, their research reveals that a great deal is yet to be discovered in the Sagas and that new knowledge might be revealed when the stories are examined from a new perspective and with new methods.
Click here to read the study.
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