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Looking at the skeletal remains surviving from the Viking world, we know that the Vikings had some knowledge of medicine and healing. Skeletal remains from Skeljastadir in Iceland dating from 1000 to 1200 suggest that the settlement had a robust and healthy population that lived to a ripe old age for the day. We have…
The Hrafnkels saga, one of the lesser-known sagas of Icelanders, is an extraordinary narrative that unveils the intricacies of justice and morality in Viking law. The story asks whether terrible acts can be justified by religious devotion, the worthiness of revenge, and what it takes to gain respect in Viking society. Read on for a…
The Varangian Guard was an elite unit of the Byzantine Army, serving as personal bodyguards to the Byzantine Emperors from the 10th to the 14th century. They were called Varangians, which was a Byzantine term for people from the Viking region because they were mainly recruited from Vikings from Scandinavia traveling in the Baltic region,…
Most people who are interested in the Viking world and Norse mythology have heard of Valhalla. It is an afterlife realm ruled over by Odin. He picks the bravest fallen warriors to live there among the gods and fight alongside them at Ragnarok. Today, it is held up as the ultimate goal of all true…
The Vikings are renowned for their daring voyages, fierce raids, and rich mythology. Yet, beneath the helmeted warriors and their tales of valor lies another facet of Viking civilization that is equally fascinating their trade networks. Viking trade routes, which extended across Europe, Asia, and even into North America, were instrumental in shaping the Viking…
It feels like almost every day there is news of a new Viking burial discovered in someone’s backyard or during new construction work. These sites reveal stunning pieces of jewelry, formidable weapons, and new insights into what the Vikings thought about both life and death. Let’s take a look at four recent and interesting Viking…
Curses have a long and colorful history. Some of the oldest examples of writing from ancient Egypt and Greece are curses written on papyri or clay tablets for someone who wanted revenge on an enemy. I say “for someone” since literacy was not widespread in the ancient world. This is probably part of the reason…
When you look around the internet, it is not hard to find examples of Thor’s hammer, or Mjolnir, amulets. They were popular pieces worn in the Viking age, and they are also popular pieces of jewelry among modern-day Vikings and followers of the Norse religion. When looking at pictures, it can be difficult to determine…
Coins are among the most useful archaeological finds for historians. They are often marked with a date, or at least the name of a ruler that gives a dating period, providing “terminus post quem” dating information for the archaeological context in which they were found. The imagery used to decorate a coin can indicate much…
How do you tell if you have Viking DNA? If you send your DNA off to an ancestry DNA testing lab, you might get results suggesting that you are 50% “broadly European”, 10% “North African”, and 40% “Norwegian”. That means you have Viking genes, right? You may also be told a fascinating Viking DNA family…