The Medieval Icelandic Guide to Marauding

Travel Blog  •  Eva Holland  •  09.22.09 | 12:35 PM ET

The Telegraph highlights the mostly intimidating descriptions of Scotland that pop up in a series of 13th-century Icelandic chronicles. “Icelanders who want to practise robbery are advised to go there,” reads one section. “But it may cost them their life.” The chronicles, the story explains, “were often used as route guides for raiders, traders, crusaders and explorers, effectively a road map of medieval Europe and the Middle East.” Apparently, they’ve remained accurate enough over the centuries that they’re still used by archaeologists today.

Tags: Guidebooks, History Travel, Europe, Iceland, Scotland, News and Briefs

Eva Holland is the senior editor of World Hum. Her writing has also appeared in the National Post, the Montreal Gazette, the Ottawa Citizen and WestJet's Up! Magazine, among other publications. She's based in Canada's Yukon territory.


2 Comments for The Medieval Icelandic Guide to Marauding

Hal Amen 09.22.09 | 1:26 PM ET

Wow! Did Vikings create the original travel guides?

Travel Guide 10.05.09 | 3:16 AM ET

Cute posting. Very detailed and informative. Good work. Thanks for posting.

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