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RG 3

English W170
Representations of Vikings

Reading Guide Kellogg


5 points

Due 8/27
1) According to the Kellogg, when did Vikings begin raiding? More
importantly, what reasons might they have had to do so that didnt
exist before?
Kellogg stated the first notable attack came in 793. The Viking
civilization as a whole became much more educated after they
began raiding consistently, so it could be very likely that a main
reason they did not before then due to theyre limited knowledge
and awareness about the resources and civilizations around them.
2) A lot of time passed between the Viking age and the Saga age in
Iceland. What purpose does Kellogg suggest that these sagas might
have served to their authors and audiences?
Kellogg suggests that since such a great amount of time separated
the Viking age
and Saga age that the descendants of the Viking age who were the
authors of these sagas may have possibly put some untruthful or
exaggerated information in their writings. He explains how saga
writers used many different rhetorical devices to enhance their
storytelling and make it seem as if it came from a plausible source.
3) In your daily life, how do you figure out whether something is true
or not? For example, when youre on Facebook how do you know
whether a story that your aunt posted is true or not?
I try to figure whether something is true or not usually by basing it
on how credible or reliable the source is and by trying to incorporate
past personal experiences I have had with the subject the
information is related to as well. For example, if my aunt were to
post a story about Peyton Manning that was written by a
trustworthy organization such as ESPN I would undoubtedly think it
is true. However, if my aunt were to post an article about Peyton
Manning stated he was allegedly injured from a site that I had never
seen or heard of before, I would definitely question its credibility.

4) How do sagas create the illusion that they are historically true?
What does Kellogg say about how true they are or are not? Can a
history be only somewhat true?
Sagas create the illusion that they are historically true by using rhetoric to give
readers the impression the sagas are accurate. The authors of the sagas would use
humor, wit, and subtle ironies when writing and they would also address the gap of
time between them and the actual occurrence of these events to establish some
credibility. They would use charming features, such as writing in poetic verse, as well.
Kellogg states, By and large they must have happened more or less as they are said
to happen in the fictional world of sagas. (Kellogg, xxxi). He also says there is
archaeological proof as well as evidence in other writings that uphold the belief that
these sagas were, for the most part, true. I do think a history can be only somewhat
true and I believe the Saga Age is an excellent example of it because of the
ambiguous, fictional writings they created about non-fictional past events in the
Viking Age.

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