Tag: vikings
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Raid 2: 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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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: The Vendel Period (c. 550-750 CE)
In this video, we ‘conclude’ the prequel to the Viking Age by covering the Vendel Period. Dates vary, as always, but we’ll be using 550 to 750 CE. During this discussion, we’ll learn how the North quite literally rose from the ashes of the Migration Period (c. 400-550 CE). In doing so, they begin to…
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Viking History: The Migration Period (c. 400-550 CE)
Today we’re raiding the Migration Period (dates vary, but 400-600 CE is the gist) to show how it set the stage for the Viking Age. It’s just a brief overview, but we talk about how the ‘fall’ of the Roman Empire was a bit more complicated than most assume, how catastrophic eruptions a world away…
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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…
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Álfablót: Sacrificing to the Elves (Audio Version)
Occasionally, Viking fans and modern-day Norse pagans throw around the term álfablót (elf-sacrifice), but what does that actually involve? What is an elf-sacrifice, anyway? And what is it for? In this episode of the Fjorn’s Hall Podcast, I share a few stories from medieval sources dealing with this topic: sacrifices made to the elves. Although…
