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Unlike the gods and goddesses in many other ancient cultures, Norse gods share humanlike vulnerabilities, including hunger, injury, and mortality. This characteristic might explain why death features prominently in Viking mythology. One major theme in Norse mythology is the apocalyptic battle of Ragnarök, signaling the world’s end, where both humans and gods face eternal demise. The perpetual darkness described in the myth is attributed to a natural disaster, where the sun disappears for generations, casting a shadow over the Scandinavian landscape. Consequently, the lives of the Norse gods are portrayed as filled with doom and darkness, mirroring the bleakness foretold in the aftermath of the final war. The main Norse gods come from two main clans, the superior Æsir (who were associated with war and chaos) and the inferior Vanir…

New research shows that Vikings may have used crystals as a backup guidance system when they made their long voyages across the North Atlantic. Dénes Száz and Gábor Horváth, researchers at Eötvös Loránd University in Budapest, Hungary, studied the distance of Viking journeys and the technology available at the time. A trip between Norway and Greenland, for example, would take about three weeks, and Vikings would want to use their sun compasses to guide them on their journey. True to their name, though, sun compasses only work in the sun. Seeing the Light Viking legends describe an item referred to as sólarsteinns, meaning “sunstones,” which could be used to help sailors across the ocean in any weather. They are used as navigational tools in many famous Viking sagas, such as…

When Goran Olsen stopped for a rest while hiking through the mountains and plateaus of Haukeli in 2012, an area 150 miles west of the Norwegian capital Oslo, he never expected to uncover a sword under a pile of rocks. He also never guessed that the rusted-iron blade was a Viking sword that’s 1,200 years old. Three years later, he gave the sword to archaeologists to study. Hordaland County offcials in southwestern Norway confirmed that the item is a Viking artifact dating to 750 CE, according to CNN. “It’s quite unusual to find remnants from the Viking age that are so well-preserved,” Per Morten Ekerhovd, a county conservator, told CNN. “It might be used today if you sharpened the edge.” Ekerhovd said that the 30-inch blade was a “quite extraordinary”…

Their raids have long since ceased, but Vikings continue to invade our modern cultural landscape—spreading their influence in TV shows, video games, and other outlets. Along with the rise in fiction based (sometimes loosely) on the Viking Age, there has also been an increase in modern takes about the Medieval Norse. But the media and the opinions reflecting upon it often contain historical inaccuracies and subjective interpretation. That’s nothing new: There has always been a mixed understanding of who the Vikings were and what they represented, even just a century after their conquests. The following are two very different opinions on whether we should be celebrating the Nordic cultures.…

1 There Is No Such Thing as a “Pure Nordic Bloodline” (and There Never Was) Any feelings of ethnic superiority spreading their genetic purity was definitely not what motivated the Norse exploration and conquests of the world they inhabited. The Medieval Norse themselves originated from the migrants who inhabited Scandinavia from areas such as the Baltic region, or areas known to be inhabited by the Goths. Once these habitants settled throughout the peninsulas, which became largely known as the Viking homeland, they allowed for migrants from other areas to inhabit their new regions with them for over a millennium, dating to the Stone Age. The Scandinavians of this area also shared their immediate world relatively peacefully with the seminomadic Sámi people (who still exist in the Sápmi region), with whom they…

In Viking culture, the portrayal of women has often been skewed. Many of us were first introduced to female Vikings through characters like Helga in the Hagar the Horrible comic strip, where she was depicted as a nagging housewife. Another misconception is that Viking society was highly gender equal, which overlooks the limited choices women had. Modern films celebrate the adventure and autonomy of women in Viking culture, but their power and agency varied. Although some women were landowners, traders, and even warriors, others had more restricted lives. Additionally, female deities were indeed highly regarded, reflecting a complex interplay of gender dynamics in Viking society. What was the reality for Nordic women? Norse women were the keepers and arguable bosses of their households. They symbolically kept keys attached to their…

Not only did the Vikings travel to the Americas hundreds of years before Christopher Columbus, but it appears they likely made routine trips to extract natural resources. Researchers say they now have proof of this behavior, thanks to a better understanding of trees found in Greenland. A study published by researchers from the University of Iceland in the journal Antiquity in 2023 reported that Norse colonists in Greenland (985 to 1450 CE) relied on imported timber for shipbuilding and large construction projects. It also shows that elite farms had access to timber imports from northern Europe and North America. That access—and the timing of it—backs up Viking legends that claimed there was a regular trading route between Greenland and North America about 500 years before Christopher Columbus ventured west. “These…

A study published in 2023 suggests that the hand disorder Dupuytren’s disease is at least partly of Neanderthal origin, but it also warns that we shouldn’t make too much of the Neanderthal-Viking connection. The hand disease—dubbed Viking disease—has a strong hereditary cause and is mostly found in those of northern European descent. Published in Molecular Biology and Evolution by Oxford University Press, the paper uses data from modern-day humans to tie Dupuytren’s disease to Neanderthals. That means Neanderthal genes have a greater influence on human DNA (especially in those of northern European descent) than was previously known. The disease itself affects the hand, causing fingers—most commonly the ring and middle—to be bent permanently in a flexed position. Age, alcohol consumption, and diabetes are listed as risk factors, but past studies—including…

HOW THE FOOTBALL TEAM GOT ITS NAME Bert Rose, the first general manager of the Minnesota football team, named the franchise “Vikings” in the early 1960s. He selected this name to evoke the courage, toughness, and fighting spirit associated with the legendary warriors of Norse mythology. It also reflects the state’s strong Scandinavian heritage and the region’s Nordic roots. The team’s purple-and-gold color scheme was also inspired by the Vikings: These colors were associated with Nordic royalty.…

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Before The Northman hit theaters in April 2022, viewers were warned of an impending Viking invasion. And the ads weren’t wrong: The film might have been the most Viking movie ever. There was vengeance! There was wrath! There was a Skarsgård! But as you likely know, it was a bit too late to light the warning beacons. The Vikings were already here. Since 2013, there have been six seasons of Vikings on the History Channel, not to be confused with Vikings: Valhalla on Netflix, which you might mix up with Assassin’s Creed Valhalla, a video game released in 2020. And let us not forget Thor and Loki, both Viking deities, who have been wowing us since their Marvel debut in 2011. So why are we still so infatuated with a…

No one knows exactly when the Viking Age started and ended. The lack of consensus regarding the timeline stems from the lack of written records by the Vikings themselves during that time. The Norse people had an oral tradition that transmitted their history through storytelling and sagas. These narratives provide invaluable insights into Viking culture and beliefs, but they often lack the specificity needed to pinpoint dates and events. Additionally, the written records that exist from this period are predominantly from sources outside the Viking sphere, such as chronicles from Anglo-Saxon England, Frankish annals, and Arab accounts. These external perspectives offer valuable glimpses into Viking activities, but they also introduce biases and limitations, further complicating efforts to establish a definitive timeline for the Viking Age. As a result, historians must…

“EVERY MAN MUST PLOUGH HIS OWN FURROW.”Vápnfirðinga Saga, c.5 Modern meaning: You need to do your own work instead of expecting others to do your work on your behalf. “THE KING’S PALACE IS AN EASY PLACE TO ENTER BUT A HARD PLACE TO LEAVE.” Modern meaning: A slice of wisdom that attempts to deal with the Viking obsession with power, privilege, and possessions. It means to not horde possessions (simply take them from neighboring countries). Don’t let money be your master. Do not be materialistic. “DO NOT EXPECT TO MAKE HEADWAY WITH A FRAIL SAILCLOTH.”Eyrbyggja Saga, c.20 Modern meaning: You need the right kind of tools to do a job well. “When men meet foes in fight, better is stout heart than sharp sword.”Völsunga, c.19. Modern meaning: It’s not about…

LINDWORM or Lindwyrm or Lindwurm A giant snake monster who was also kind of a dragon. In Norse mythology, Lindworms guard treasures or cursed lands. They gnaw on the Yggdrasil, the World Tree, leading to the destruction of the Earth during the what the Norse believed would be the inevitable apocalypse. JÖTNAR AND JÖTUNN Giants. They were both friends and enemies with the gods (like most of the creatures of Norse mythology). They were made of different elements, like the Frost and Mountain Giants, and primarily lived in Jötunheimr. The most significant is Ymir, from the primordial swamp, from whom all the gods and goddesses originated. NACKEN Lonely male water spirits in Swedish folklore who seduced passersby with their singing voices and fiddles, then lured them into the water depths…