The Viking sagas are full of powerful warriors that called themselves kings while raiding across Europe – it is difficult to know how much of their stories are history, and how much are legend. One of the most memorable of these mythical figures is the 9th century Viking raider Bjorn Ironside. One of the many…
Vegvisir is an Icelandic runic stave, that evolved from earlier Viking runic magic. The rune had the power to ensure its wearer never got lost, and always found their way home, even when they did not the way. It was a wayfinding symbol, also often called the Viking or Norse Compass. But how does this…
The Viking world was full of symbols. Not only were they a powerful way to express ideas, but the Vikings also thought that symbols had power. As well as expressing the world, the Vikings believed that symbols, when made by the right hands, had the power to shape the world. One of the most common…
We often imagine the Vikings as having a work hard, play hard culture. They gave their all on the battlefield, and afterwards celebrated with nights of heavy drinking of mead and beer, out of large drinking horns ideal for drinking games! That is actually not too far from the truth. The Vikings did mark their…
Symbols were important to the Vikings. For the Vikings, the runes were more than just an alphabet. They believed that runes could not only describe the world as a written script, but, when used correctly, could also shape the world. This is why the Norns, the Norse Fates, wrote the destiny of men by inscribing…
While many of us were still grieving about the end of the History Channel’s epic Vikings series, Netflix threw us a lifeline and announced that it would be working with the same creators to make a sequel, Vikings: Valhalla. This new series will be set 100 years after the current show and will tell the…
It was not just Viking men, but also Viking women, that were known and feared as ferocious warriors. Of all the Viking shield maidens whose stories have been preserved, Freydis is probably the most ferocious. The daughter of Erik the Red, she travelled to Vinland in the Americas where she terrified the natives. She was…
If you know much about Viking history, you have probably come across the name Leif Ericson, the icelandic explorer. A son of Erik the Red, he was more than you typical Viking warrior. Leif Ericson was the 1st Viking explorer that visited North America, and also the man that brought Christianity to Greenland. With such…
How to be a viking ? There is little question that the Vikings have captured the imagination. We see them as romantic warrior figures that displayed intense bravery, rugged style and followed an intriguing and profound belief system. But while Vikings are fascinating figures from the past, Vikings do not belong exclusively to history. With…
Often when we think of Norse mythology, we think of the Aesir as the gods – similar to deities from other ancient religions, responsible for different areas of life such as war, love and fertility – and the giants as the opposing malevolent force. But the truth is far less clear cut. The Aesir and…
Bjorn Ironside
Vegvisir Symbol Meaning
Valknut Symbol
What did vikings Drinks ?