Valentin Dmitrievich Ivanov is known to readers primarily as the author of epoch-making historical novels, which reflect the key moments in the history of Ancient Rus, determining the course of its further development. Where did the Russian land come from? What is the historical mission of the Ancient Russian state and how did it form? Varangians, Vikings, and "Nurmanni" - who are they? These works were united in a conditional trilogy, addressed to the distant past, shrouded in a haze of legends, and sparked many debates, but were hugely successful with readers, becoming classics of the historical genre and are being reissued again and again. The second part of the trilogy - "Tales of Bygone Years" (1955) is offered to the readers' attention. On the pages of "Tales..." the author turns to the 9th century and captivatingly tells about the lives of our distant ancestors, migrants from Great Novgorod. Having settled on the rich shores of the White Sea, they peacefully coexist with the indigenous tribes, but soon find themselves caught in a brutal struggle with sea pirate Normans led by Ottar, a fearless and merciless Viking...
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