. I have no clue about my ancestry, because of being adopted - I know who my biological grandparents were, but that's as far back as it goes. But surely all English people are descended from Danes and Norwegians. 
Going back to the novel, it's a fascinating depiction of a strong woman surviving in a patriarchal culture and a really gripping portrait of a rape survivor.
The foreword by Sherrill Harbison - I got the US Penguin edition through Amazon UK - is really interesting and helped me understand the blood vengeance code - which is at the heart of the story - a lot more. It also explains the bursts of shocking violence in the book.
Poor Vigdis. You really understand why she does what she does and the extent of her trauma but you also groan inwardly and think, 'hon, no, just THINK what you're doing!'
I felt sorry for Ljot, too. And their son.