Tag: medieval
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Old Norse-Icelandic Calendar: 2019-2020
Want a cool graphic to help you navigate this year like a Viking? Want one that’s historically informed to the best of this author‘s abilities? Well, for starters then, that was a poor use of the term ‘Viking,’ as most of my guests and readers will know by now. And if that sentence stumps you,…
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Álfablót: Sacrificing to the Elves
It was around the year 1019 when we traveled eastwards into Sweden with our cloaks tightly bound in search for warmth, Sigvat the Poet and I. Winter’s icy grip was strengthening over the land as summer faded with the leaves, but King Olaf II of Norway (now known as St. Olaf) had sent Sigvat there…
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Concerning ‘Red Gold’
When you look at gold, what color do you see? Probably some shade of yellow. Why, then, do Old Norse texts often mention ‘red gold’? Is it different from normal gold? If so, what is it? I was asked this question on Tumblr recently, so I took a moment to dig up an answer. Here’s…
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An Icelandic Pilgrim amid the Crusades: Nikulás Bergsson
During the mid-twelfth century, an Icelander named Nikulás Bergsson went on a pilgrimage that took him over 4,000 miles away from his home in northern Iceland to Jerusalem in the Holy Land. We don’t know much about him, but it is clear that he was a lettered Benedictine monk.[1] Around the year 1153, however, Nikulás…
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“All Waters Flow to Dyrafjord”
This quote comes at a pivotal movement of Gisli’s Saga, when a man named Vestein decides to face his fate despite warnings from his friends. At this point, those friends (who were sent by Gisli himself) had ridden tirelessly to catch up to Vestein, and they implored him to turn around before riding into the…
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Njal’s Saga: A Medieval Best-Seller Most People Haven’t Heard of (Audio Version)
Meet Njal’s Saga, a medieval best-seller that most people haven’t heard of. But despite its relative obscurity today, it stands out as an epic story fused with both archetypal heroes and the tragic social realities of the ‘Viking’ world, which have become a cage trapping them and plunging them into a endless tide of human violence beyond…
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Resources for Njal’s Saga
Never heard of Njal’s Saga? Don’t worry, you’re not alone—it’s actually a medieval best-seller most people haven’t heard of. But luckily, all you have to do is read this post to get yourself acclimated, and then you’re all set to enjoy one of medieval Iceland’s finest sagas (as so many saga-enthusiasts proudly proclaim)! That introductory…
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Njal’s Saga: A Medieval Best-Seller Most People Haven’t Heard of
If you want to experience a medieval Icelandic ‘family’ saga at peak performance, then this is the saga to read. […]
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What is Feud? Solving Problems with an Axe (ft. Beowulf)
Many of the great sagas and ancient lore from the medieval North recount endless, bloody feuds between generations of prominent families: a conflict ends, peace…
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Feuding, I: What is Feud? Solving Problems with an Axe
Many of the great sagas and ancient lore from the medieval North recount endless, bloody feuds between generations of prominent families: a conflict ends, peace…
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Land-Spirits, III: Dealing with New Neighbors
☞ Before reading: This is part III of the (slightly modified) written form of the Fjörn’s Hall Podcast episode titled “Landvættir: The Land-Spirits of the Medieval North.” You may listen to it here, or you may enjoy it in written form below! Looking for part II? Dealing with New Neighbors: Iceland’s Settlers Encounter the Land-Spirits…
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Land-Spirits, II: Don’t Scare Them!
During the late 9th century, Norse famers, mostly from Norway and including a few small-scale chieftains, migrated to a new island… Read more:
