History of Hnefatafl (Tafl) ...and the Isle of Lewis Chess Set. Vikings loved to play games of strategy like dice games and various board games. Game boards and playing pieces carved from walrus tusks, bone, wood, stone, or imported glass have been found in many graves of high-status men and women throughout the Viking world. The famous “shield maiden’s grave” of the Birka Warrior was not only outfitted with an array of deadly weapons and war horses but also a gaming set of exceptional quality. At the Salme ship burial off Estonia's coast, the Viking leader interred with 40 battle-felled warriors had a king game piece in his mouth, signifying his dynastic rank. According to a medieval source, the cataclysmic...

In fact, Viking lore is full of love stories. As hard as their world was and as ruthless as they could sometimes be, they understood and valued this greatest human emotion.

Víkingr and other forms of the word, such as víkingum or víkingar (plurals), appear as nouns describing Scandinavian seaborne raiders in the sagas, Eddic poetry, and runestones. Just a few examples of such Viking Age runestone inscriptions include ...

Many people know that our names for the days of the week carry the memories of ancient gods. And while the Romans had their own official names for each day of the week, the gods of Norse mythology have a very strong presence in the day names we use today. For example, Thursday comes from Thursdaeg or Thorsdagr (Old Norse: Þórsdagr), which both mean "Thor's day".

Jörmungandr is not the only world-coiling serpent across the thousands of years and hundreds of cultures that color the human imagination.  In fact, the image of a tail-swallowing dragon can be found worldwide and throughout history.  This symbol of the circular snake is called the ouroboros. The earliest known ouroboros depiction is from the grave of Pharaoh Tutankhamen (“King Tut”) from the 13^th century B.C. 

The land was closest to England and right along the main continental (Viking) raiding route south from Scandinavia.  As a direct result, this land became known as Normandy. Medieval Latin documents referred to them as Nortmanni, which means "men of the North".

Many people know that Halloween is rooted in the ancient Celtic holy day, Samhain. In the 18th and 19th centuries, Irish immigrants brought these traditions to America, where they developed into one of our most popular holidays. However, some of the best-known themes and elements in modern Halloween come from Viking lore, and not Celtic alone. This article will briefly look at some of these motifs and stories, exploring the Viking and/or Norse mythology influences on Halloween.

In Viking lore, the giants were the enemies of the gods. Though numerous movies and pop culture themes have made this divine enmity well-known, the giants themselves are widely misunderstood by many modern Viking enthusiasts.  Growing up on stories like Jack and the Beanstalk and the like, we tend to think of giants as massive, brutish creatures whose steps shake the ground and bake people into pies, but are easily duped by a clever hero.  But the giants of Norse lore are not “creatures” – they are supernatural beings, with much the same ancestry as the gods themselves.  They are usually not stupid, but in some cases, understand the universe or see the future even better than the gods can. ...

These three Icelandic magic books (that contain the Vegvisir symbol) do indeed mention elements of Christianity and one of the three books specifically mentions Christianity with the Vegvisir symbol. However all three books also mention a variety of Norse gods as well as other Norse mythology related topics. With that understanding, we propose that it is reasonably possible that the one book that mentions Christianity with this symbol was simply guilty of describing this older symbol (of unknown origin) within a 19th century “Christian” context.

During the same time these Icelandic “magic” books were written, there existed places in Europe that would have literally burned you at the stake if you were caught with one in your possession.

An international team of archaeologists has discovered a Viking neighborhood and trading base near Istanbul (formerly Constantinople) Turkey.  The site itself is in the ancient city of Bathonea near Lake Küçükçekmece, about 12 miles away from the fabled capital of the Byzantine (Eastern Roman) Empire.  This find matches written sources (such as the 12th century Russian Primary Chronicle) which tells of Viking-Byzantine treaties that only allowed Norse traders inside Constantinople in small numbers and only during the daytime.  The site that archaeologists are now uncovering was strategically located a short sail from the mighty Byzantine capital and provided easy access to the Mediterranean and Black Seas. Şengül Aydıngün leads the excavation team of 75 experts.  He commented to Istanbul’s Hurriyet...

The following is our winning 2020 Student Scholarship submission from Grace Traina.   Freya and Aphrodite: comparing the Norse and Greek Goddesses of Love Freya, the Norse goddess of love, beauty, fertility and sexuality, bears a striking physical and mythological resemblance to Aphrodite, the Greek goddess of the same domain. I wanted to research Freya to examine the similarities and differences between the Norse and Greek depictions of the most traditionally “beautiful” goddess. The relationship between Freya and Frigg (the wife of head god Odin) in Norse mythology is similar to the relationship between Aphrodite and Hera (the wife of head god Zeus) in Greek mythology. Freya and Frigg, like Aphrodite and Hera, are considered the two most beautiful goddesses in...

Archaeologists announced July 4, 2019, that they have found the remains of two Viking-era ship burials in Uppsala, Sweden.  Along with earlier Norwegian finds in Østfold County (October 2018) and Vestfold County (March 2019), four Viking Age ship burials have been found in Scandinavia within the last year. 

Widespread viewer enthusiasm for Game of Thrones escalates with each episode, making it the most popular and engaging show of today. The opening episode of the show’s final season (which aired 4/14/19) broke all of HBO’s previous records with a viewership of 17.4 million people.  One of the joys of watching, reading, or writing fantasy is that a creator can craft their story drawing from different sources without being restricted by them.  George R.R. Martin (the veteran author of the series A Song of Ice and Fire from which the show Game of Thrones is adapted from) said that he was directly inspired by Sir Walter Scott’s classic, Ivanhoe, and by the real-life history of England’s War of the Roses. ...

Decorated horse bridles from the Viking era (950 ad) were recently discovered in Jutland Denmark.     Sources:http://www.realmofhistory.com/2017/03/21/viking-oriented-discovery-denmark/ http://cphpost.dk/news/archeologists-make-sensational-viking-discovery-in-denmark.html And for those of you who can read Danish, here is a site that provides live updates from the dig site: http://www.vikingfregerslev.dk/Nyheder-2966.aspx?Action=1&NewsId=904&M=NewsV2&PID=7022 View modern day Viking Jewelry here:

Thor's Rike (Thor's Kingdom): Welcome Viking Enthusiasts! You’ve probably been to Disney World or Six Flags or Cedar Point. Those are all well and good, but what if you could hit a park built on the Viking theme? Well, now you can. It’s called Thor's Rike (Thor’s Kingdom in English) and it’s designed to attract Viking enthusiasts from all over the world. It’s located in the western Norwegian county of Hordaland, with the goal of putting a spin on the traditional theme park. Flume rides and roller coasters will feature “infotainment” to educate visitors about Vikings and their history. Go back 1,000 years and discover what made the Vikings so great and all-empowering. You can even experience the thrill of authentic...

Mjolnir (pronounced MEE-OL-neer): Thor's Hammer. Recent rumors are reporting that Stan "Lee" Leiber of Marvel Comics claimed that he invented the word mjolnir. Surely he wouldn't make such a claim? We dug deeper and found this: In a 2002 documentary with Kevin Smith, Lee claimed that it was his younger brother (and Marvel business partner) Larry Leiber invented the word. Marvel was also using the term "the Uru Hammer" and then first used the word mjolnir in the issue "Journey into Mystery" #83 (August 1962). May he meant, this was when they first USED the word in their comics?   Others claim that the word was first invented and used by Joe Simon and Jack Kirby of DC Comics when they used the...

Episode 5:11 is entitled, The Revelation.  It opens with Ivar and Harald celebrating in Ragnar and Lagertha’s old hall at Kattegat.  The Vikings are cavorting and drinking, but Ivar is still consumed with revenge while a drunk Harald Fairhair admits that he is struggling with the guilt and regret over the loss of his brother in the terrible battle.  Later, Rollo (whose Normans helped Ivar and Harald win) makes an appearance at the hall, where he explains that his motivation in helping them was to secure favorable trade relations between his Normandy and Scandinavia.

The last five episodes of Season 5 Vikings will premier November 28 and will only raise the stakes.  After many teasers, the History Channel released trailers offering some clues for the plot arc.  From the two and a half minutes they give us, we can see that Harald and Ivar complete their conquest of Scandinavia.  Ivar rules with an iron hand in Kattegat, killing his enemies outright or sacrificing them. 

Over 700 Viking items to choose from!  FREE Mjölnir Necklace when purchasing 3 or more items! Shop now!     History's hit series, Vikings returns on Wednesday, November 28th, 2018. An exclusive trailer from the mid-season five premiere was unveiled to nearly 5,000 fans during the “Vikings” cast panel held in Ballroom 20 on Friday, July 20 at Comic-Con. In the mid-season five finale, the divide between the Lothbrok family climaxes with Ragnar’s sons battling each other to rule the world. The long-awaited faceoff ends with a strategic victory going to Ivar the Boneless (Alex Høgh Andersen) who vows vengeance on his betrayers with a direct target on Lagertha’s (Katheryn Winnick) back. Last seen in an unstable state and losing her appearance as...

Wardruna is a Norwegian group founded around 2009. They are responsible for much of the soundtrack and music heard on the TV series called Vikings.  Though some of their members came out of the Black Metal scene of the early 2000s, Wardruna predominantly relies on traditional instruments to achieve their unworldly, haunting sound.

Floki and his followers were so preoccupied with fishing that they neglected to cut and store hay for the animals that they had brought.

Ivar the Boneless was an extraordinary warrior whose ferocity and cruelty at times reached psychotic levels.  He was responsible for the death of ...

many of the Norse goddesses were also goddesses of war. It is clear from these stories that the Vikings did not see the battlefield in strictly masculine terms.

Can't wait!  Ragnar loved both Bjorn and Ivar but whose side will win?   Looking for viking jewelry (arm rings, torcs and more? Click here. Viking Jewelry