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
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
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 When the autumn nights lengthen and the air grows sharp with the scent of woodsmoke, the veil between worlds feels thinner. Across the modern world, Halloween arrives — a night of masks, spirits, and flickering candles. But what did the Vikings make of such a night? Did they too feel the chill … Continue reading Shadows of the North: Viking Traditions and the Roots of Halloween
By D.W. Roach In the Viking world, power did not come from a crown, a parliament, or even an army. It came from blood. Family — not state — was the nucleus of Norse society, the true engine that drove politics, trade, and war. To be born into a large and respected family was to … Continue reading Blood and Bond: Viking Families and the Power of Kinship
D.W. Roach "Marauder" 