Tag: middle ages
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Viking History: How to Tame a Viking (Christianization and the End of the Viking Age)
I almost titled this video “How to Train a Viking,” and, to be honest, it would have worked just as well. Why? Because the Viking Age came to an end because…well, you should probably watch the video. In sum, we cover how Viking legends became Christian kings and, more importantly, why they chose to do…
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Raid 7: What Made a Raid ‘Viking’?
To bake a Viking raid, one needs a few more ingredients than a Norseman with an axe. Naturally, you’ll have to listen to this episode to get the recipe. I will say this, though: we cover the developments in Scandinavia that provided the foundation for the first Viking raids, the main factors used to differentiate…
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Raid 6: The Viking Age (c. 750-1050 CE)
What was the First ‘Viking’ Raid? To be honest, the ‘first’ raid of the Viking Age (c. 750-1050 or, more conventionally, 793-1066) isn’t as straightforward as you might think. You might have heard about Lindisfarne before, if you’ve been into Vikings and Norse things for a while—but, spoiler alert, that’s not really the first raid.…
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Raid 3: Wends, Balts, and Finnar
We’re wrapping up our coverage of the people inhabiting the Viking Age North! This time we focus on the ‘side’ characters: Wends, Balts, and Sámi/Finns. As you’ll learn in the raid, these groups frequently mingled with the Norse, creating complex settlements and cultural expressions. We’ll also emphasize just how much environment affects cultural development, including…
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Raid 1: The Vikings
Vikings. What do you think when you hear that word? Whatever comes to mind, this raid will help separate popular fantasy from historical reality. Presented by a medievalist with a master’s degree in history, Fjorn offers another way to access the academic side of the complex and often misunderstood medieval world. Key moments: Reminder: this…
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Viking History: Wends, Balts, and Finnar
We’re wrapping up our coverage of the people inhabiting the ‘Viking Age’ North! This time we focus on the ‘side’ characters: Wends, Balts, and Sámi/Finns. As you’ll learn in the video, these groups frequently mingled with the Norse, creating complex settlements and cultural expressions. We’ll also emphasize just how much environment affects cultural development, including…
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Viking History: Northmen, Danes, and Swedes
The ‘Viking’ homeland was more diverse than you’d think—but of course we’re going to start with the classics: Northmen (aka Norwegians), Danes, and Swedes. We’ll cover their Old Norse names, the regions where each group primarily lived, and even talk about their natural resources and how they survived/shaped their cultural identities in their respective environments…
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Let’s Raid the Vikings
Vikings. What do you think when you hear that word? Whatever comes to mind, this video will help separate popular fantasy from historical reality.
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Notes on Rings in Norse Legends
Anonymous asked: In one of your recent reblogs you said that “Rings worn on the finger, for example, have often played important roles in Norse legends.” Could you please explain more on that? I’ll have to scold my past self for that one. Not only did I leave the footnote for that statement lacking, but I…
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Connecting with the (Norse) Past
m00n-st0n3-deactivated20220311 asked: Do you have any activities you would revoke to someone trying to connected to their Norse heritage? I assume you mean what activities I’d recommend? Well, to be honest, heritage (in the sense of one’s ancestry) isn’t really important to me, so I may not be the best person to ask. I know it’s…
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Harald Fairhair: Unification and Cultural Migration
This post was originally delivered as a virtual lecture to the New York Ancient Cultures MeetUp on September 20th, 2020. It was a group effort between myself (fjörn) and Joshua Gillingham (author of The Gatewatch). Below is the transcript I used while giving my portion of the talk. As such, I don’t have any footnotes,…
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Sources for Prayers and Offerings to Tyr
Anonymous asked: Hey Fjorn, I love your blog! I was wondering if we have any sources for the prayers or traditional offerings to Tyr? I was also wondering where you suggest to start learning about the Viking age, particularly religion. Unfortunately, we don’t have much. Based on what I know from literary evidence, which is fraught…
