Hi! Our booklist recommends Stefan Brink, ed., The Viking World (2008), which is a great place to start. It's fairly up to date and includes numerous short articles, each with its own bibliography that can point you to further reading. There's also Anders Andrén et al., eds., Old Norse Religion in Long-term Perspectives (2006), which has a number of short articles on more specialized subjects. If you're looking for just a quick once-over, see Anders Winroth, The Age of the Vikings (2014). For further general recommendations on viking history, see this thread. I'd add that the History Channel has done a number of good short films on specific aspects of the Viking Age that complement its often-inaccurate show. Also be sure to check out our FAQ on the Norse/vikings, and a search of the sub will turn up a number of related questions as well.

Poetry was highly prized in Norse-speaking societies during the Viking Age, and a large amount of it has survived. Almost all of this poetry was written down much, much later, however, so it's hard to tell how much of it is authentic and how much was changed. Penguin has published a number of great editions, and they have high-quality introductions that are vital for an accurate historical understanding of what these texts were about. Given your interests, I'd point you especially to Sagas of the Warrior-Poets (2002), The Prose Edda, and The Elder Edda (2013). These may all be found cheap, and new copies of the last two feature gorgeous cover art inspired by Tolkien.

Let me know if you want anything more specific!

The first thing you should know is that viking is a verb meaning to go on raids, basically. The Norse are what you would be looking up on. I'd check out the archeological dig reports. There are several on Dublin that discuss every subject you could possibly imagine. There are also several books on Norse society.

Thank you both so much this is a fantastic starting point for me, and thank you Isabelladangelo for the Norse correction. This is great I'm so glad there is a rich history or Norse poetry because it's such a central theme to my story. I'm really excited to dive in and I will comment more if I have anymore questions. Thank you :)

It's Anglo-Saxon rather than Norse, but you may also benefit from reading Beowulf, which is freely available online. Anglo-Saxon culture is heavily indebted to the Norse worldview - the Anglo-Saxons themselves originated from the vicinity of modern day Denmark, carried some of that culture in prototype form with them, and stayed in fairly regular contact (not always peaceful contact, mind) with their estranged brethren up until the Norman Conquest.

Note that in the interface to to the right side it lists an Old English version. The "load" button gets you a side-by-side translation and original; and the "focus" button goes to the Old English version itself. I recommend you stick to the modern English for the most part. You should take a small peek at the Old English version though, just to see how the poem is structured.

Also note some of the very odd turns of phrase: "whale-road" rather than "sea," for example. When Beowulf rips Grendel's arm off "the bone-frame burst." These are called kennings, you see them frequently in Norse poetry.

The Heimskringla, as preserved by Snorri Sturlasson, is a valuable source; though not always a trustworthy one historically. As with most medieval history, the further back you go the more mythologized it tends to become.