The word giant brings to mind human-like creatures of great stature, that may or may not live at the top of beanstalks. This term has been applied to the Jotun of Norse Mythology, but while the Jotun were ‘supermen’ with powers that rivalled those of the Aesir gods, they bear little resemblance to the giants…
If you imagine the dwarves of Norse Mythology as something out of a Tolkien novel, you would not be far off the mark. Tolkien was inspired by the Norse mythology, which describes dwarves as master blacksmiths that dwelled underground in great cavernous mines that fuelled their work. Read on to find out more about Norse…
Modern culture has very firm ideas about what the Vikings looked like, well encapsulated by their presentation in the show Vikings. Tall, blonde, burly, with long beards and a bit dishevelled from their hard life as warriors. On television Viking style includes hair adorned with braids and beads, eyes covered in warrior’s kohl, and faces…
According to Norse mythology, men live in Midgard, the world of mortal beings, and the gods live in Asgard, the world of the divine. But these are only two of the many worlds that make up Norse cosmology. According to Norse mythology, there are nine realms, all of which are nestled in the Tree of…
The vast majority of stories about the gods in Norse mythology focus on the likes of king Odin, invincible Thor and trickster Loki. There are also stories about Balder, Freyr and Heimdall. But just like the world of men, the realm of the gods was populated by both men and women. While the Norse goddesses…
When we imagine the Viking diet, we probably think of a group of warriors roasting meat, which they have hunted, over and open fire and eating it with their bare hands while drinking mead. While the Vikings ate a lot of meat, and certainly liked their drink, the Viking diet were more sophisticated that campfire…
Norse mythology is full of gods and goddesses with mysterious powers and fantastic tales. Of all the Viking gods recorded in Norse mythology, none is described as more beloved by both the gods and men as Balder. But who was, Balder, this most blessed among all the gods? And why is this celebrated Viking god…
Death was an essential part of life for the Vikings. A warrior people, death on the battlefield was common and considered an honorable and even desirable end. Living before the epoch of modern medicine, for the Vikings disease could be rampant and minor accidents fatal. Death also meant significant changes in the lives of the…
If we believe popular culture, the Vikings were very fashionable people! But when we take away the glamour added for the television cameras, what do we really know about Viking clothes? Farmers and warriors living in some of Europe’s colder climates, Viking clothes were comfortable, warm and functional. But that doesn’t mean that they didn’t…
Reading time : 8 minutes Many stories of terrifying Viking warriors have come down through history. Their ferocity in battle is legendary. But what often makes one set of warriors more successful than another is not their greater ferocity, but their superior technology when it comes to weapons and fighting techniques. The Vikings themselves understood…
