As the Vikings sat around their hearths at night, they had terrifying stories to recount of encounters with the undead that drove men to madness or destroyed entire villages. Old Norse literature records stories of hauntings, but they are not psychological thrillers; rather, they are brutal physical conflicts that demanded extreme interventions to permanently put…
Did the Vikings celebrate Halloween? The Norse warriors (and their children) certainly did not go trick or treating on the 31st of October, but this was still an important day in the Norse calendar. The end of October marks the end of the harvest season and the beginning of winter, which means long, dark days,…
The National Museum of Denmark has just announced a major interdisciplinary project to further investigate its approximately 260 surviving runestones. Dating from AD 600 to 1100, they are some of the few written records left behind by the Vikings themselves, making them invaluable for understanding the Viking Age. The project will use new technologies to…
You have probably heard somewhere that modern Heathens and followers of the Old Norse ways celebrate a version of Halloween as an important holiday, but under the traditional name Samhain. This is only partly true. The end of October and the start of November marked the end of the harvest season, which was certainly an…
The hall of the sea giant Aegir was meant to be a sanctuary of divine peace. Instead, it became the stage for the most brutal character assassination in Norse mythology. In the poetic masterpiece, the Lokasenna, the trickster Loki shatters the sacred laws of hospitality and weaponizes the darkest secrets of the Aesir and Vanir…
When you explore the VKNG Jewelry shop, you will notice that we have a large collection of Mjolnir pendants. You might wonder why Thor’s Hammer is so prolific in our store. Read on to learn everything you need to know about Thor’s Hammer in Norse mythology. Thor the Protector The name of Thor’s Hammer in…
Viking jewelry has always been more than simple ornamentation. In Norse culture, arm rings, Mjolnir pendants, and intricate brooches served as symbols of status, spiritual protection, and sacred oaths. Today, VKNG Jewelry continues this tradition by blending ancient historical inspiration with modern artisan techniques. We have recently relocated to a dedicated workshop in Paris, where…
The Nordic countries were not immune to the hysteria of the European witch trials. While laws against witchcraft had been on the books in each country since the Middle Ages, the executions began in the 16th century in the period of the Reformation, when there was a new focus on weeding out heresy with the…
A newly discovered grave in Western Jutland, Denmark, from the 8th century preserves some rare Viking textiles that help us better understand what the Vikings wore. Learn more about the discovery and what we already know about Viking clothing. The Jutland Discovery It is surprising that both skeletal remains and fragile organic textiles survive, as…
In most ancient cultures, we encounter ideas of magic, witchcraft, and shamanism. Norse society is no different. The Viking witch was known as a Völva. They were powerful seeresses, shamans, and practitioners of Seidr magic. They pulled on the strings of fate to speak the future and change destiny. Viking Witches Among the Vikings were…
