Viking
Vagn Keeps His Vows
“The blow went over Vagn causing Thorkel to stumble. He lost his grip on the sword which cut the rope and set Vagn free. Vagn sprang up, seized the sword and slew Thorkell.” […]
13th Century AD
Humor
Viking Gallows Humor
“At that very moment he pulled his head away sharply so that the blow fell on the man who was holding the hair and cut off both arm at the elbows.” […]
Supernatural
The Monstrous Visage of a “Mer-maid”
“This appears to have the form of a woman from the waist upwards, for it has large nipples on its breast like a woman, long hands and heavy hair, and its neck and head are formed in every respect like those of a human being.” […]
Greek and Roman
A “Bone-Deep” Commitment to Rooting out Corruption
“The sentence was immediately executed, and the skin of the culprit nailed upon the seat of judgment, as an awful warning to others to avoid a similar offence.” […]
Greek and Roman
Medieval Lie Detector
“Then, in a careless tone, adverting to the person whom she was presumed to love, her pulse immediately quickened to a surprising degree, and acquired a feverish heat.” […]
Human Affairs
Marriage Woes of the Great and Powerful
“He said that it was on every man’s lips that Harald was the son of King Helgi, and the boy looked just like him. And he said that he had come to let him know about this betrayal.” […]
Medieval Mentality
The Dance of the Heavens
“Others have suggested that during the hours of night, when the sun’s course is beneath the earth, an occasional gleam of its light may shoot up into the sky; for they insist that Greenland lies so far out on the earth’s edge that the curved surface which shuts out the sunlight must be less prominent there.” […]
Viking
Starkad Chooses His Death
“When the severed head struck the ground, it is said to have bitten the earth; thus the fury of the dying lips declared the fierceness of the soul.” […]