If you are a student of Viking history or Norse mythology then you have probably come across the name Snorri Sturluson. He is one of our main sources for both the legendary stories of the gods and the history of the Norwegian kings. But considering just how important Snorri Sturluson is as a source, it…
Based on a conversation with Arith Härger, a former archaeologist and now independent researcher with a special interest in Scandinavian and Nordic studies, this post asks the question that we have heard frequently following the popularity of the History Channel’s “Vikings.” Was Ragnar Lodbrok real? Ragnar wasn’t invented for the show. His stories are found…
The Norse sagas often feel like modern soap operas when you read them, with the characters trapped in a cycle of love, betrayal, and vengeance. This is particularly true for the Volsunga Saga, probably the best-known of the Norse sagas, especially since it inspired Wagner’s Viking operas and J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings.…
The Vikings are infamous as ferocious warriors who burned and pillaged their way through Europe in the 9th and 10th centuries AD. Just the sight of a Viking ship in the horizon could strike fear in the heart of their neighbors, and many of them towered over opponents on the battlefield (the Vikings were taller…
The Norse sagas often feel like modern soap operas when you read them, with the characters trapped in a cycle of love, betrayal, and vengeance. This is particularly true for the Volsunga Saga, probably the best-known of the Norse sagas, especially since it inspired Wagner’s Viking operas and J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings.…
Anyone who has seen the History Channel’s Vikings will be familiar with Ivar the Boneless (Ivar hinn Beinlausi), the brutal but crippled youngest son of Ragnar Lodbrok. A cunning and ruthless tactician, he leads his brothers on an invasion of England to avenge the death of his father. That Ivar was one of the leaders…
The Norse sagas often feel like modern soap operas when you read them, with the characters trapped in a cycle of love, betrayal, and vengeance. This is particularly true for the Volsunga Saga, probably the best-known of the Norse sagas, especially since it inspired Wagner’s Viking operas and J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings.…
We often talk about the importance of symbols in the Viking world and have articles dedicated to explaining the meanings of symbols such as the Valknut (symbol of Valhalla), Vegvisir (the Norse compass), and Mjolnir (Thor’s Hammer). These symbols inspire many of the designs in the VKNG Collection. The VKNG Collection also features Celtic jewelry,…
The Ynglinga Saga is one of the most important Old Norse sagas. It is one of the works composed by the Icelandic Christian scholar Snorri Sturluson in the 12th century. It is part of his Heimskringla and is based on a 9th-century Skaldic poem called the Ynglingatal by Thjodolfr of Hvini. The saga tells the…
The Viking sagas are full of powerful warriors who called themselves kings as they raided across Europe. Written centuries after the fact by Christian authors looking back at a now-foreign pagan world, the accounts of many legendary Vikings are more myth than history. When these larger-than-life characters are reimagined for modern audiences through shows like…