That's because the first part of the story was based on this: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ahmad_ibn_Fadlan https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ahmad_ibn_Fadlan Wh

That's because the first part of the story was based on this: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ahmad_ibn_Fadlan https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ahmad_ibn_Fadlan Which Michael Crichton blended into a retelling of Beowulf.