Overall ...five out of five stars from us. But not everyone agrees. As of the writing of this article, Rotten Tomatoes is giving it 89% from the critics and only 67% from the general audience. This most likely comes from the extreme (yet historically accurate) violence and possibly the slower pace found in the middle of the movie. But as for those of you who consider yourselves true fans of Viking history and mythology, we are probably going to love it. Is it Historically Accurate? The Northman is an ambitious film that strives to balance accuracy with powerful storytelling to such a high degree it could only be called “experimental.” Many film critics have already weighed in on its cinematic merit....

During the same time these Icelandic magic books were written, there still existed places in Europe where Christians would have literally burned you at the stake if you were caught with one of these books 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...