The Long Ships
The Adventures of Rode Orm is a novel by the Swedish author Frans G. Bengtsson. The original Rode Orm appeared in two parts to two books in 1941 and 1945 in Sweden under the titles Sjöfarare i Västerled ( sailors in the west) and Hemma och i österled ( at home and in the east). A complete German edition was first published in 1951 by the Heimeran publisher. This translation by Elsa Carlsberg is used to this day.
Content
The novel traces the life story of the young farmer 's son Rode Orm (the name " Orm " means " snake ", cf dt worm, and " Rode " means "the red one" or " the redhead "). The political framework is the Europe of the late 10th century, from a Scandinavian point of view.
First Book
Second book
Book Three
In Göinge Orm is building a new yard and even built a church. The new neighbors hot Orm as Christians not welcome, and all attempts brother Willi Balds to convert them to Christianity fail. It was only at the baptism of Orm 's first son Harald and the subsequent solid state it is possible to move some of the crossing. In a Thing Orm tries some caught by the monks Småländern ransom and pushes again to rejection and hatred, be placed on the new faith. Orm makes itself but also as a wise orator earned and gains on the Thing some influential political friends.
Fourth Book
After the year 1000 passed without Jesus has returned to earth to prevent Judgment Day, a dead Felt brother Orm comes to the yard. He tells of his service in the bodyguard of the Byzantine Emperor in Miklagård ( Konstantin Opel ) and how he came to a great treasure, while also allowing his son have lost. Orm calls on it to recover the treasure, and so equips this again a ship and continues with some Gefolgsmannen to Russia. The salvage of the treasure is very difficult, and after return is Orm his farm devastated. He finds the culprit and presents them. He married his children befitting.
Style
Bengtsson used for his novel a special style that sets him apart from the other Swedish writers. He does not even know the Rode Orm as a " novel " means, but uses the word " Berättelse " ( narrative report). He avoids the so frequent in modern novels "psychological analysis " of the main characters, as he calls it. That is, it only reports what is happening and being said, without the hero psychologically broken down and without writing down what this thinks. Nevertheless manage a good insight into world of ideas, values and ideas of the world of many characters and so can actions appear realistic. For such a style, he is based on the ancient author Titus Petronius and the Icelandic sagas.
The language of the novel keeps Bengtsson simple and free of archaisms, although a historical theme often leads to possible use old forms and words. An exception is the strict use of just in the 1940s drawn from the Swedish use of Scripture verbs in the past tense (from " vi gingo " for " we went " became " vi gick " and thus no longer differed from the singular form " han gick " - would say "he went on ," as if you " went " in German and " we went "). Bengtsson was thus his novel an ancient sound, without having to resort to archaisms, which would have the understanding of the reader only with difficulty.
Another stylistic feature is the equality between noun and verb without the frequent use of adjectives. Adjectives sees Bengtsson as largely superfluous and therefore maintains a " vaksamt öga " ( watchful eye) out for them.
Bengtsson also achieved in the description of events, individuals, but also of customs and traditions a remarkable historical accuracy. In addition, the sometimes deliberately restrained style and the colorful characters in their often quite careless behavior for numerous comic moments worry.