Word: norsemen
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...have been the product of Irish scribes working in a community vulnerable to the marauding Norsemen on the far, cold Isle of lona. Describing a now lost manuscript whose splendor probably approached that of the Book of Kells, Giraldus Cambrensis, a 12th century scholar, declared: "You will make out intricacies so delicate and subtle, so exact and compact, so full of knots and links, with colors so fresh and vivid, that you might say that all this was the work of an angel, and not of a man." The Book of Kells is and no doubt always will...
Five hundred years before the arrival of other Europeans in the New World, Vikings settled in Greenland and founded a colony that eventually grew to 3,000 people. During the 12th century, the Norsemen began returning to Europe; by 1410 they had completely abandoned Greenland. For years historians have debated the cause of the mysterious demise. Were the Vikings driven out by hostile natives? Did excessive inbreeding cause genetic deterioration of the tough Norse stock? Now scientists have suggested a simpler explanation: the mild weather that the Vikings originally encountered in Greenland gradually changed and became too harsh even...
...Viking front four have even reached the sobriquet stage: the Four Norsemen (something of a misnomer, since three of the men are Negroes, and only Larsen is of Danish extraction). The key to their success is their cohesive style of play. "They are a highly disciplined group," says Line Coach Bob Hollway. "They don't go crashing all over, each one trying to do the whole job himself. They have a great respect for each other's abilities, and they complement one another perfectly...
...game dominated by passers who throw with pinpoint accuracy, and receivers who can cover 100 yds. in well under ten seconds, a fast and aggressive defensive line has become an absolute prerequisite to victory. If Marshall and his fellow ersatz Norsemen can sustain their brutal brand of trench warfare, the Vikings may have a crack at the N.F.L. title that has so far eluded them...
Fortunately the thing cannot be a blob of irritable radioactive ooze, for a moment later it knocks at the door and announces, with a hammer-and-sickly grin: "We're Norwheeguns." Actually the nervous Norsemen are petrified Soviet sailors whose sub has run aground on a sand bar. Their spokesman is Alan Arkin, a cabaret satirist (Second City) and Broadway clown (Luv), making a major movie debut that probably deserves an Oscar, a Lenin Peace Prize, and any other encouragements a wicked old world can offer...