Martin Aas

The Coolest Stuff from the Viking Age

Det kuleste fra vikingtiden

Did you know that Harald Fairhair had 24 sons and a baby polar bear? That Greenland got its name to trick people into moving there? Or that Trøndelag county actually had a dog as its chief at one point?

The Vikings have been the subject of hundreds of non-fiction books. Most of them have tiny text, virtually no pictures, and a whole lot of boring content. That’s why Martin Aas created the opposite: an easy-to-read book of facts that’s chock-full of illustrations and that only focuses on the coolest parts of the Viking Age. The Vikings explored vast regions of the world on the silk trade in Turkey and raids from Ireland to Ibiza. They were the first Europeans to visit America. Along the rivers in Eastern Europe, they created the Viking country of Gardarike, the foundation for the largest country in the world: Russia. There’s a reason why the Viking Age is called “Scandinavia’s contribution to world history.”

Through riveting comic strips, you get to meet powerful people like Harald Bluetooth, Gunnhild Mother of Kings, Olav Tryggvason, and Einar Thambarskelfir and take part in famous battles where these powerhouses fought to be king of “Nordveien” – the coast of what would someday become Norway.

Aas martin detkulestemedvikingtiden kagge
Aaas martin ina strom

Martin Aas has worked as illustrator, journalist, videographer and animation maker. His first book was published in 2018 where he was co-author and illustrator to the comic encyclopedic work Norwegian Standards. The Coolest Stuff from the Viking Age was published in 2022 and shortlisted for the Brage Prize for best non fiction book for young readers. The jury wrote: “The Coolest Stuff from the Viking Age is a fun illustrated non fiction-book for children where the enlightening and entertaining parts strengthen and support each other.”