Best Selling Author of Historical Fiction and Fantasy
How Mythic Beasts and Archetypes Reflect Viking Psychology D.W. Roach When most people hear the word Viking, they picture a warrior — axe raised, shield locked, prow cutting through cold surf. But the Viking mind was not shaped by battle alone. It was shaped by monsters. In the Norse worldview, the wild was not empty. … Continue reading Heroes & Monsters: Vikings Beyond Warriors
I recently had the chance to watch a compelling video by The Critical Drinker titled Make Fantasy Heroic Again, and it struck a nerve—because it put words to something many readers and writers have been feeling for years. Fantasy, once the home of courage and moral clarity, has drifted into a strange self-contempt. Over the … Continue reading Make Fantasy Heroic Again
Not just an apocalyptic battle — cultural symbolism across eras Ragnarök is rarely spoken aloud without lowering the voice. Not because it is secret—but because it is heavy. If a skald were telling it properly, he would pause before the word, let the fire crackle once, then speak as though naming an old wound. “This … Continue reading Ragnarök and Its Many Meanings
Exploring the core source texts of Norse myth—and how scholars interpret them The fire is low. The hall is loud. Someone begins to speak—not to explain the world, but to remember it. That is where the Poetic Edda belongs: not on a lectern, not in a church, but in the space between memory and breath. … Continue reading The Poetic Edda: Saga, Song & Truth
How the Vendel Period Forged the Viking Age—and How the Viking Age Reshaped the Middle Ages By D.W. Roach When most people think of the Viking Age, they imagine a sudden storm: dragon-prowed longships, coastal raids, pagan warriors crashing into a Christian world. But history is rarely so abrupt. The Viking Age did not emerge … Continue reading Before the Longships and After the Sagas
By D.W. Roach for marauderbooks.com Throughout history, belief systems have done far more than shape moral codes or explain the cosmos—they have structured societies, justified power, and, critically, influenced how wars were fought and won. During the Viking Age (roughly 793–1066 CE), the clash between polytheistic Norse paganism and increasingly dominant monotheistic Christian kingdoms provides … Continue reading Monotheism, Polytheism, and the Sword: Faith as Force in the Viking Age
How Norse Myth Survived by Accident—and What Was Lost Forever By D.W. Roach When modern readers think of Norse mythology, they often imagine a well-defined canon: Odin, Thor, Loki, Ragnarök—stories as fixed and authoritative as the Greek epics or the Bible itself. But this sense of completeness is an illusion. In truth, most of what … Continue reading Snorri Sturluson and the Silence of Lost Gods
By D.W. Roach MarauderBooks.com Preface: On Perspective and Experience Before continuing, context matters. I am a United States citizen and a United States Marine. I have spent over twenty years working in the physical protection industry, serving multiple Fortune 500 companies and alongside law enforcement professionals. My career has been rooted in threat assessment, deterrence, … Continue reading Vikings, Conquest, and the Comfortable Lie of Modern Moralism
By D.W. Roach | marauderbooks.com When modern readers hear Valhalla, they often imagine a warrior’s heaven: endless feasts, eternal glory, and a reward for valor. It’s a comfortable image—clean, triumphant, and reassuring. But that vision owes far more to modern romanticism than to the Norse worldview that gave Valhalla its name. Valhalla is not heaven. … Continue reading Valhalla Is Not Heaven: A Norse Afterlife Reconsidered
By D.W. Roach — MarauderBooks.com Christmas is, at first glance, a Christian celebration rooted in the Middle East — a holiday tied to Bethlehem, the Nativity, and a faith born under desert skies. Yet if you look around at what we actually do during Christmas, the symbols we cherish, the imagery we decorate with, the … Continue reading Christmas, Yule, and the Fire in the Dark: A Personal Exploration of the Holiday’s Ancient Roots
D.W. Roach "Marauder" 