Galdrastafir are magical runic staves found in Icelandic grimoires from the post-Viking age. They include symbols of protection, wayfinding, and revenge. Discover the meaning of some of these important symbols, where they come from, and how they were used. The Vikings believed that the runes were not a created alphabet, but rather a fundamental part…
Ravens and other birds of prey were common symbols in Vendel Era jewelry. This was the pre-Viking era, between roughly 550 and 800 CE, when the Norsemen were already thriving in Scandinavia and were just beginning to raid areas such as the Balkans. Several different styles of bird pendants, buckles, and ornaments have been found,…
The people of Europe called the Norsemen “Heathens,” meaning non-Christian, or “Vikings,” meaning pirates. For three centuries, the Vikings terrorized their neighbors in countries such as England and France, attacking communities, looting churches, and kidnapping people to sell on the slave market. While their victims may have considered the Vikings “godless,” they worshiped a complex…
If you browse the VKNG shop over the coming months, you will see that we are increasingly offering our designs in bronze, alongside our long-established gold and silver offerings. These are designed to be more affordable options, while still representing quality and authenticity. Authenticity? Bronze was used extensively in the Viking world for the same…
Some of the most interesting characters in Norse mythology and Scandinavian folklore are not the powerful gods, but rather the creatures who appear to challenge the gods or terrorize men. Read on to meet 15 of the most fascinating or fear-inducing monsters from Norse myth (or check it out on our YouTube channel). Draugr Undead…
When restoration work was underway at Pitney Church in Somerset, England, in 1853, excavators found a fine gold-gilded bronze brooch that appeared to date to the Saxon era. It was quickly named the Pitney Brooch. Examination at the British Museum revealed that while the brooch dated to the Saxon era in England, specifically the second…
Eight interesting-looking mounds were excavated near the village of L’Anse aux Meadows in Newfoundland, Canada, starting in 1960. They were soon identified as the remains of Norse-style buildings and presented as evidence that the Vikings reached the New World around the year 1000 CE, a good five centuries before Columbus. The excavation leaders, a Norwegian…
Considering the warrior lifestyle of the Vikings, it is no surprise that weapons played an important role in Norse mythology. Almost all the Norse gods had special magical weapons that enhanced their warrior abilities. Here are 10 of the most interesting and powerful mythological weapons wielded by the Norse Gods, according to Norse mythology. 1.…
Deep in the foothills of the Ouachita Mountains, just a few miles outside of Heavener, Oklahoma, stands a stone slab about 10 feet by 12 feet, chiselled with markings that have been identified as Norse runes. Many Norse runestones have been found across the United States. Most people believe that they are modern, created by…
According to Norse mythology, the cosmos is composed of nine discreet worlds, all of which are held together and connected by Yggdrasil, the Tree of Life. Chief among these worlds, and situated high above the others in the heavens, is Asgard. This is the realm of the Aesir gods, the principal gods in Norse mythology.…
