While the Vikings did not celebrate Christmas, the end of the year when the nights were at their longest, darkest, and coldest, was an important time of year. It was marked with a 12-day festival called Yule (or Jul). When Scandinavian countries converted to Christianity, many Yule traditions were transformed into Christmas traditions. We’ve previously…
In Norse mythology, all existence emerges in the Ginnungagap, a vast primordial void. It is an important concept in Norse ideas around the creation of the world, but also its destruction. At Ragnarök, all existence will sink back into the primordial goop of Ginnungagap. But a concept that had such importance for the beginning and…
When Iceland was settled by the Vikings in the 9th century, it was established as a commonwealth of chiefs. They needed to find a way to agree on laws and solve disputes. They did this by establishing an Althing, a national assembly based on smaller regional Things that were common among German tribes for at…
In Norse mythology, the concept of the soul is not a singular, unified entity but a composite of various elements, each with its unique role and characteristics. In fact, the old Norse word for soul, sál, was only created after the Vikings started to convert to Christianity. This article delves into the intricate Norse understanding…
Since religions and mythology are often inspired by the things that we see in the natural world around us, it is no surprise that animals play an important role in most religions. Norse mythology is no different. Animals are important characters and motifs in the stories of the creation and destruction of the world, and…
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 Einherjar are the brave fallen warriors who live in Valhalla and are destined to join the gods in the final battle of Ragnarök. This concept has been embraced in modern Viking culture, with all warriors wishing to live and die in a way worthy of Valhalla. But what did it really mean to join…
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,…
Drawing of what the Jelling site might have looked like based on early archaeological investigations. Since Viking history feels old, it can often be surprising when we talk about new knowledge and new discoveries. But what we know about the Viking world is constantly evolving. To uncover Viking history, we rely on fragments of surviving…
