Best Selling Author of Historical Fiction and Fantasy
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 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
By D.W. Roach The Silver in the Still Pond The forest was silent but for the crunch of boots over frost-hardened soil. The three Vikings moved cautiously through the pines, their breath misting in the pale light of dawn. They had raided all day and found little—no silver, no livestock, not even a frightened farmer … Continue reading The Nøkken: The Lure Beneath the Water
By D.W. Roach If you’ve ever wandered into a renaissance fair, a pagan festival, or even a lively corner of the internet, you may have run across folks proudly calling themselves Asatru. Horns of mead may be raised, runes may be carved, and occasionally someone shows up in a horned helmet (spoiler: those aren’t historically … Continue reading Modern Paganism and Asatru: Faith, Heritage, and Why You’re Probably Not a Viking
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" 