Best Selling Author of Historical Fiction and Fantasy
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
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 Few images evoke the Viking Age as sharply as the axe—broad-bladed, utilitarian, and deadly. But the truth behind the Norse axe is far richer than our modern pop-culture silhouette. To understand Viking warfare, you have to begin with the everyday lives of the people who fought—and the tool they carried … Continue reading The Viking Axe: Tool of the Farm, Terror of the Field
By D.W. Roach – Marauder Books Every few years, a new wave of critics emerges to accuse J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings of racism. Lately, even some college courses and media pieces claim that Orcs represent “dark-skinned peoples” or that Tolkien’s mythos upholds “colonial attitudes.” These claims are without merit. They reflect not … Continue reading For Tolkien – The Lord of the Rings Is Not Racist
By D.W. Roach Robert E. Howard’s Conan the Cimmerian is a literary creation steeped in the raw power of myth and legend. While Howard pulled from many cultures to craft Conan’s Hyborian Age, few stories wear their Norse influence as proudly as The Frost-Giant’s Daughter. First published in 1953 (posthumously), the tale is a fever … Continue reading The Frost-Giant’s Daughter — Robert E. Howard’s Norse-Infused Vision
By D.W. Roach Few works of modern fantasy have captured the imagination as profoundly as J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings. Yet behind the hobbits, elves, and dark lords lies a deep well of mythological inspiration—chief among them, the rich tapestry of Norse and Viking culture. Tolkien, a philologist and scholar of ancient languages, … Continue reading The Lord of the Rings and the Echoes of Norse Myth: How Viking Lore Shaped Tolkien’s World
D.W. Roach "Marauder" 