On this blog, we often cite the Norse sagas as sources for many of the stories and anecdotes we share. However, one famous poem that rarely gets mentioned is Beowulf. This is for several reasons. First, it is an Old English poem set in the Viking World, so there is debate over whether the world…
While there are many famous Norse gods about whom significant information survives, there are also many gods that are only mentioned in passing. We must piece together the stories of these gods from fragments of information, and they have not made their way into the modern imagination in the same way as Odin, Thor, and…
Hermodr is one of the more enigmatic Norse gods, who only appears fleetingly in the surviving sources. The surviving mentions point to a god with a much more complex mythology and significance, which has now been lost to history. Hermodr means “war spirit,” which may seem appropriate for a god who is referred to as…
Our Norse ancestors lived according to the changing seasons, planting, harvesting, hibernating, and raiding based on when the weather was best suited to these activities. They also counted time according to the visible movements of the heavenly bodies, with dates like the summer and winter equinoxes and the full moon having the greatest importance. Many…
Viking culture centered around community gathering and feasting, which provided social cohesion. Therefore, the modern idea of a Viking festival, where people with a shared interest in Norse history and Viking culture get together, would have seemed like a good idea in the Viking world. Modern Viking festivals are more about fun than marriage alliances…
If you are anything like me, your social media is currently being bombarded with films of Krampus parades happening around Germany and Austria. Locals dress up in terrifying costumes and march through the streets to the sound of drums. This is all part of their preparation for Christmas, but where does this tradition come from…
We have previously talked about the pagan Norse Yule traditions that have found their way into modern Christmas celebrations, and the clear parallels between the figure of Father Christmas and the god Odin. But today, let’s look at some of the traditional Celtic traditions still lingering in modern Christmas celebrations. Winter Solstice Of course, like…
The Vikings had a range of burial practices that reflected their rich belief in life after death. But the burial practice that has most caught the imagination of modern enthusiasts is the ship burial. Since the Vikings were seafaring raiders and traders, sailing must have seemed like a fitting way to travel into the afterlife.…
If you have read anything about the Vikings in England, you have probably come across the term “danegeld.” Scholars use this term to refer to money collected from locals and paid to the Vikings not to attack, much like the modern Mafia. However, the term “danegeld” was not coined until after the Norman conquest of…
One of the cornerstones of Norse mythology is Ragnarök. “Ragnarök” means “twilight of the gods” and it is a prophecy originally delivered to Odin about how the world will end. You can read our full account of what happens at Ragnarök, according to the prophecy, here. But it is always complicated when talking about Ragnarök…
