Tag: middle ages
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Kickstarting the Viking Age
Many people considered the coming of the #Vikings as divine punishment, but what really caused them to take the rest of #medieval Europe by storm? Find out in this #HistoryRaid:
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Asking the Norse Gods for Things
norse-witch asked: Is it a no-no to ask the gods and goddesses for things? Such as to heal the sick and ill? That sort of thing? or would that be okay? Certainly not. There are several examples from the sagas of folk asking the gods for things (if we decided to consider them at face value,…
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How Old is Written Language in Scandinavia?
Anonymous asked: how old is written language in scandinavia? a stuck up English teacher was acting like beowulf was the absolute first written literature from that entire region and that sounds super wrong to me I was hoping you’d know First of all, the date for the origin of Beowulf (as an Old English poem) is a hot…
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Notes on Saga in Norse Mythology
Anonymous asked: Hello, dear Fjorn. You are so delightful. Are you familiar with the goddess Sága? She’s a favorite of mine, but there’s never enough solid info on her. 🤔 How does one become Odin’s favorite drinking buddy? I am likely as familiar with her as you are, since there are but few sources and references…
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Drinking in the Medieval North
Please gather around, friends, for another anonymous wanderer has sent a request to this hall! I hate to admit that it was long ago now, but a raven once came to me bearing this message: “i’d be curious to hear from a possibly more academic side how you see drinking/alcohol playing into heathenism? i’ve heard…
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Notes on Old English Literature
Anonymous asked: Did Anglo-Saxon speaking peoples have anything similar to Nordic sagas? They most certainly did, although I know much less about their literature than I should. Based on what time has allowed us to recover, it seems that the Norse (but especially the Icelanders) produced more saga-type writing than their neighbors did in England. But,…
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King Hakon the Good Complicates Yule
As many are of you are already aware, this time of year is popularly regarded as a Revived Yuletide with the Winter Solstice typically being the beginning of this ‘New’ Old Yule. Yet, although I too regard this day as a New Yule, I must also admit that this is not historically true. Long ago,…
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Hord and the Mound of Soti the Viking
Today is Old Yule Eve, and I have quite the story to share with you all tonight! A wanderer by the name of paganoldsoul requested that I tell stories about Odin and Yule, and so I have found one worthy of a retelling. While it may not be exactly what they had in mind, it is…
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No Runestones in Iceland?
genericlifeform-blog asked: I’m fairly new to the Vikings (it all started with an icelandic geology obsession) and found a short but interesting article about runestones. Shortly after I tried to find out more about runestones placed in iceland and had to learn to my disappointment that there are none. Now to my question which is I…
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Old Norse Preface
Preface Introducing the Language “The term ‘Old Norse’ has been used in various ways. For some it is a broad concept covering the language of Denmark, Norway and Sweden, as well as Iceland and the other Scandinavian colonies, throughout the Viking Age (c. 750–1050) and the early and high Middle Ages (c. 1050–1350). At the…
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Snorri Sturluson: Keeping the Old Alive with the New
ruimtetijd asked: Hello, vinur minn! (I’m learning haha!) I have a question I’ve been thinking about since I’ve started reading the Poetic Edda, and delving into the stories. To what extent do you think Snorri’s Christian background influenced his writings? Obviously, there are many parallels, and many of these parallels occur in many, many religions…
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Sources on the Christianization of the Medieval North
gospel-of-yggdrasil-deactivated asked: Greetings, I am searching for sources exploring the slow process of Christianization of the north lands and the resulting unique brand of Christianity; can you recommend any resources? Thanks-in-advance I deeply apologize for the length of time that I have made you wait for this response. May your patience be thanked and rewarded. I…
